Roadside Attractions

Overview

Roadside Attractions is an independent film distribution company founded in 2003 by Howard Cohen and Eric d'Arbeloff, who continue to serve as co-presidents. The company has grossed over $500 million at the domestic box office and earned 23 Academy Award nominations. Roadside releases 8 to 12 films per year, acquiring completed titles from festivals (Sundance, Tribeca, Venice, Toronto) and through direct relationships with producers and sales agents.

Roadside occupies a distinctive position in the independent distribution landscape by combining two market segments that major studios ignore: prestige adult dramas and faith-based entertainment. This dual strategy reflects the founders' observation that both audiences are underserved and respond to targeted platform release strategies. The company's track record includes Manchester by the Sea ($47.7 million domestic, distributed in partnership with Amazon), I Can Only Imagine ($83.5 million domestic on a $7 million budget), and The Peanut Butter Falcon ($20.5 million domestic).

For filmmakers with completed films seeking US theatrical distribution, Roadside offers a distributor with proven expertise in platform releases, audience targeting, and awards campaigning. The company frequently partners with Vertical, Saban Films, and Lionsgate on acquisitions and co-distribution arrangements. Roadside does not finance production; it acquires completed films.

History

Cohen and d'Arbeloff founded Roadside Attractions in 2003, entering the independent distribution market as the specialty division model at major studios was contracting. The company's early releases included Super Size Me (2004, $11.5 million domestic, Academy Award-nominated documentary) and Winter's Bone (2010, $6.5 million domestic, 4 Oscar nominations including Best Picture, launched Jennifer Lawrence's career).

Key releases across the company's history include Mud (2012, $21.4 million domestic), Mr. Holmes (2015, $17.7 million domestic), Hello, My Name Is Doris (2015), Manchester by the Sea (2016, $47.7 million domestic, 2 Oscar wins including Best Actor for Casey Affleck), The Peanut Butter Falcon (2019, $20.5 million domestic), and I Still Believe (2020, $10.3 million domestic).

The faith-based segment has been a significant revenue driver. God's Not Dead (2014) grossed $62 million on a $2 million budget. I Can Only Imagine (2018) grossed $83.5 million on a $7 million budget, making it the highest-grossing independent faith-based film in history. The film opened to $17.1 million, far exceeding forecasts of $2 to $8 million, and earned an A+ CinemaScore. Woodlawn (2015) and the faith-based strategy overall demonstrated that targeted audience releases could achieve mainstream commercial performance.

Recent releases include The Last Showgirl (directed by Gia Coppola, earned Pamela Anderson a Golden Globe and SAG Award nomination, Jamie Lee Curtis a BAFTA nomination), Twinless (dark comedy starring James Sweeney and Dylan O'Brien), Bob Trevino Likes It (directed by Tracie Laymon, starring Barbie Ferreira and John Leguizamo), and the Oscar-nominated documentary shorts programs. The company also released NOAH from Sight and Sound, which debuted in the top 10 at the box office.

Upcoming 2026 releases include Kiss of the Spider Woman (Bill Condon's film adaptation starring Jennifer Lopez, Diego Luna, and Tonatiuh), Dust Bunny (Bryan Fuller's feature debut starring Mads Mikkelsen and Sigourney Weaver), A Great Awakening (Sight and Sound's Easter 2026 release), Tow (starring Rose Byrne, acquired with Vertical, 100% on Rotten Tomatoes at Tribeca), Cookie Queens (Sundance documentary executive produced by Meghan Markle and Prince Harry), and Crawlers (horror-thriller acquired with Saban Films, October 2026 release).

What Filmmakers Should Know

Acquisition Strategy

Roadside evaluates acquisitions based on audience specificity. The company focuses on films that clearly serve an identifiable audience segment: prestige adult drama, documentary, or faith-based content. Films without a defined target audience are unlikely to interest the company, regardless of quality. Roadside acquires both at festivals (Sundance, Tribeca, Venice, Toronto) and through direct submissions from producers and sales agents.

The company's platform release strategy maximizes word-of-mouth potential before expanding to wider runs. A typical Roadside release opens in 3 to 15 theaters in New York and Los Angeles, builds on strong reviews and audience scores, and expands to 500 to 2,000+ screens based on performance. I Can Only Imagine opened on 1,629 screens (a wider-than-typical launch for the company) based on pre-release audience tracking that indicated strong faith-audience demand.

Documentary Distribution

Roadside has been one of the more active theatrical distributors of nonfiction features. The company's documentary track record includes the Academy Award-nominated Super Size Me, the Academy Award-winning The Cove, The September Issue, Project Nim, Sarah Polley's Stories We Tell, Whitney, Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go For It, the Oscar-shortlisted Beyond Utopia, and The Alpinist. The company also distributes the annual Oscar Nominated Shorts programs theatrically.

For documentary filmmakers, Roadside offers mainstream theatrical distribution with a team that understands how to market nonfiction to general audiences, not just festival crowds. The company's documentary acquisitions typically include a platform release followed by VOD and streaming downstream deals.

Faith-Based Distribution

Roadside's faith-based division is one of the few mainstream theatrical distributors specializing in this segment. The company's success with I Can Only Imagine ($83.5 million), God's Not Dead ($62 million), Woodlawn, and I Still Believe demonstrates that faith-audience films can achieve commercial performance typically associated with studio releases. Roadside's upcoming faith-based slate includes A Great Awakening from Sight and Sound, scheduled for an Easter 2026 wide release tied to America's 250th anniversary.

For faith-based filmmakers, Roadside offers theatrical distribution expertise, marketing infrastructure targeted at faith communities, and a track record that secures theater chain commitments for wide releases. The company partners with church networks, radio promotions, and grassroots marketing to build opening-weekend audiences.

Partnership Model

Roadside frequently co-distributes with partner companies. The company has an ongoing relationship with Vertical (joint acquisitions include Emily the Criminal, Firebrand, The Pod Generation, Tow), Saban Films (joint acquisitions include Crawlers), and Lionsgate (historical partnership on faith-based titles including I Can Only Imagine). These partnerships allow Roadside to share acquisition costs and P&A spend while maintaining creative control over release strategy.

Access and Submission

Roadside accepts submissions through talent agencies, sales agents, and producer relationships. For filmmakers with completed films screening at major festivals, Roadside's acquisition team (led by Cohen and d'Arbeloff) attends Sundance, Tribeca, Venice, Toronto, and other major festivals. The company can also be approached through industry sales agents for films not premiering at festivals.

For filmmakers seeking distribution, the key question Roadside asks is: "Who is the audience for this film, and how do we reach them?" Films that cannot answer this question clearly are unlikely to be acquired, regardless of critical quality.

Notable Productions

House Style / Genre Focus

Roadside Attractions distributes prestige adult dramas, documentary features, and faith-based entertainment. The company combines two market segments that major studios ignore: arthouse prestige and faith-based wide release. This dual strategy targets underserved audiences with specific, identifiable demographics.

Roadside does not distribute mainstream commercial comedies, wide-release action films, animated features, or genre films without adult or faith-based audience hooks. The company avoids films without a clearly defined target audience, regardless of critical quality.

How They Typically Find Talent / Take Submissions

Roadside accepts submissions through talent agencies, sales agents, and producer relationships. The company does not finance production; it acquires completed films. Co-presidents Howard Cohen and Eric d'Arbeloff lead the acquisition team.

For filmmakers with completed films screening at major festivals, Roadside's acquisition team attends Sundance, Tribeca, Venice, and Toronto. The company can also be approached through industry sales agents for films not premiering at festivals.

Roadside frequently co-distributes with partner companies including Vertical, Saban Films, and Lionsgate. These partnerships share acquisition costs and P&A spend while maintaining creative control over release strategy.

Recent Output / Slate Year

2025-2026 releases: The Last Showgirl (directed by Gia Coppola, Golden Globe and SAG nominations for Pamela Anderson), Twinless (dark comedy starring James Sweeney and Dylan O'Brien), Bob Trevino Likes It (directed by Tracie Laymon), NOAH from Sight and Sound (top 10 box office debut).

2026 upcoming: Kiss of the Spider Woman (Bill Condon, starring Jennifer Lopez and Diego Luna), Dust Bunny (Bryan Fuller's debut, starring Mads Mikkelsen and Sigourney Weaver), A Great Awakening (Sight and Sound, Easter 2026), Tow (starring Rose Byrne, 100% on Rotten Tomatoes at Tribeca), Cookie Queens (Sundance documentary, executive produced by Meghan Markle and Prince Harry), Crawlers (horror-thriller with Saban Films, October 2026).

Watch: Trailers & Behind the Scenes

See Also

For understanding how independent distribution strategies work, see Distribution Deals Explained. To model revenue projections for independent releases, use the Revenue Forecast Calculator. For evaluating the financial impact of platform release strategies, see the Ad Spend Break-Even Calculator.