Roadside Attractions

Overview

Roadside Attractions is an independent film distribution company founded in 2003 by Howard Cohen and Eric d'Arbeloff. The company has built a distinctive position in the independent distribution landscape by combining two seemingly incompatible market segments: prestige adult dramas and faith-based entertainment. This dual strategy reflects the founders' observation that both audiences are underserved by major studios and respond well to targeted platform release strategies.

Roadside releases approximately 8 to 12 films per year, acquiring completed titles from festivals and through direct relationships with producers and sales agents. The company's releases range from Oscar contenders to commercially successful faith-audience films.

History

Cohen and d'Arbeloff founded Roadside Attractions in 2003, entering the independent distribution market at a moment when the specialty division model was shifting. The company's early releases included documentaries and small dramas, but its profile grew significantly with titles that demonstrated the company's ability to extract strong theatrical performance from targeted audiences.

Key releases include Super Size Me (2004), Winter's Bone (2010), Mud (2012), Mr. Holmes (2015), Hello, My Name Is Doris (2015), Manchester by the Sea (2016, distributed in partnership with Amazon), The Peanut Butter Falcon (2019), and I Still Believe (2020).

The faith-based segment has been a significant revenue driver, with films like God's Not Dead (2014, which grossed $62 million on a $2 million budget), Woodlawn (2015), and I Can Only Imagine (2018, which grossed $83 million). These results demonstrated that faith-audience films could achieve commercial performance typically associated with mainstream studio releases.

What Filmmakers Should Know

Roadside evaluates acquisitions based on audience specificity. Films that clearly serve an identifiable audience segment, whether prestige adult drama, documentary, or faith-based content, are the company's focus. The company's platform release expertise maximizes word-of-mouth potential before expanding to wider runs.

For documentary filmmakers, Roadside has been one of the more active theatrical distributors of nonfiction features. For faith-based filmmakers, the company offers mainstream theatrical distribution expertise rarely available from other independent distributors.

See Also

For understanding how independent distribution strategies work, see Distribution Deals Explained. To model revenue projections, use the Revenue Forecast Calculator.