Script Sales
Let’s be clear: most screenplays—like most books—do not sell. Unlike books, however, those screenplays that do sell, tend to sell for a lot.
Though the WGA minimum is in the $50-$90,000 range, the typical selling price for a spec script (a screenplay written on speculation, with no committed buyer) hovers in the neighborhood of $300-$600,000, plus bonuses.
For those wondering just how big the Hollywood Jackpot can get, this is a list of the 14 highest-selling spec screenplays of all time (as of May, 2011). Note that these are script deals only; established writer/director, writer/producer, and writer/actor deals are not included. Because directors, actors (and in some cases producers) are paid far more than writers, the overall prices of such hyphenate-deals (which sometimes include a percentage of the gross) do not accurately reflect the price paid for the script.
This page will be updated with genre information and additional sales in June, 2011.
| SCRIPT | PRICE | WRITERS | RELEASED AS |
| Deja Vu | $5.6 million |
Terry Rossio and Bill Marsilii | Deja Vu |
| The Long Kiss Goodnight | $4 million | Shane Black | The Long Kiss Goodnight |
| Snow White and the Huntsman | $3.2 million | Evan Daugherty | - in production - |
| Basic Instinct | $3 million | Joe Eszterhas | Basic Instinct |
| Medicine Man | $3 million | Tom Schulman | Medicine Man |
| Bad Dog | $3 million | Dale Launer | (unproduced) |
| Married in the Morning | $3 million |
Harry Elfont and Deborah Kaplan | (unproduced) |
| Panic Room | $3 million | David Koepp | Panic Room |
| Mozart and the Whale | $2.75 million | Ron Bass | Mozart and the Whale |
| Jackson | $2.5 million |
Brandon Camp and Mike Thompson | (unproduced) |
| Jade | $2.5 million | Joe Eszterhas | Jade |
|
The Superconducting Supercollider of Sparkle Creek, Wisconsin | $2.5 million |
David Koepp and John Kamps | (unproduced) |
| Twister | $2.5 million |
Michael Crichton and Anne-Marie Crichton | Twister |
|
Untitled Will Davies Romantic Comedy | $2.5 million | Will Davies | (unproduced) |
NOTES: The Superconducting Supercollider deal was $2.5 million (up front) against $3.25 million (if made), with an additional deferred bonus (if made) of $1.5 million for Koepp.
Another screenplay—Steinbeck’s Point of View, by writers Brandon Camp and Mike Thompson—sold for $750,000 against $3,750,000, with a potential casting bonus of $2 million. Though the writers received only $750k up front, their total payment (if the film goes into production) will be at least $3,750,000—and could climb to $5,750,000.
