Who’s Bought What So Far at the Fall Festivals: Babies, Ink, and Elsinore Lead Early Deals

# Quick orientation Buyers have started announcing notable acquisitions heading into the fall festival slate. A handful of early deals give a snapshot of what distributors want this season: star-driven prestige, awards-oriented biopics, and commercially minded period pieces.

# Early sale highlights

• Babies — Roadside Attractions and Vertical bought Lauren Miller Rogen's comedy. The film stars Seth Rogen and Anna Kendrick, with Kate Berlant in a leading role and a stacked supporting cast that includes Issa Rae, Dan Stevens, Zach Cherry, Ed Helms, Ashley Park, Sharon Stone and David Strathairn. Distributors are planning a release in early 2027.

• Ink — Danny Boyle's film about the birth of The Sun tabloid, featuring Jack O'Connell as Larry Lamb and Guy Pearce as Rupert Murdoch, was picked up by Netflix for some territories. Netflix did not secure worldwide rights, leaving room for other buyers on remaining territories. The film served as Venice's opening-night selection.

# Market context and buyer behavior TIFF's lineup includes many films that already premiered at Cannes or Sundance, which reduces the pool of world-premiere sales material typically available to buyers. Nevertheless, the festival — now with its own marketplace — alongside Venice, Telluride and New York, still offers multiple opportunities for deals.

Major distributors and streamers are active: A24, Netflix, Apple and Amazon all entered the fall season with multiple titles already, but coverage indicates they remain likely to continue buying. The mix of acquisitions so far shows appetite for both awards-friendly biographical dramas and broader comedies with recognizable casts.

# What this suggests for the rest of the season

• Buyers are prioritizing films with clear star attachments and awards potential or clear commercial positioning. Elsinore and Ink fit the awards/industry conversation, Babies fits a wider commercial/comedy slot with star power.

• Because Netflix didn't secure worldwide rights for Ink, there may be more territory-specific bidding battles ahead for films with transatlantic commercial potential.

• The presence of multiple premieres at TIFF that already played Cannes or Sundance means buyers might focus on mid-market titles and festival breakout prospects rather than chasing every high-profile premiere.

# Concrete takeaways for readers tracking fall acquisitions

• Watch for late-November launch slots: Focus used that window for Elsinore, reflecting a strategy of positioning awards-hopeful films in that part of the calendar.

# Bottom line Early fall festival sales point to a market that values recognizable talent and awards positioning, with buyers still actively hunting for titles they can position commercially or in awards seasons. The slate of acquisitions so far leaves room for more competitive bidding as Venice, TIFF, Telluride and New York play out.