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This is Planet Money from NPR.
The other night, I was sitting on my couch scrolling through all the streaming movies on offer,
like you do, trying to decide between some new indie comedy and a broody documentary.
And then I started thinking about the actual selection available to me.
Because I recently got a glimpse into the hidden market behind that menu.
The negotiations and strategy that determine which movies make it to a screen near you.
And I learned the story of how any one film gets plucked
from obscurity can be just as entertaining as the movies themselves.
It began one cold, bright January morning in a movie theater parking lot in Park City, Utah.
I'd arrived just before the start of the 2026 Sundance Film Festival to meet up with a guy named John Sloss.
Has anybody ever called you Mr. Sundance?
I've been, yeah.
King of Sundance.
Yeah.