Can documentaries make money?

by roastedrich
(Georgia, USA)

Apr 12, 2011

Of course they can make money, but maybe not much
by: Webmaster

As a general rule, documentaries are not big money makers unless you're Michael Moore. Of course there are always exceptions, but depending on your subject, there usually is simply not the mass audience for documentaries like there is with fiction films.

If you do a great job of building buzz around your documentary and create a strong grassroots movement around your documentary, then you have a better chance of selling more copies.

Yes, you can post your documentary on YouTube or other video sharing sites (depending on length restrictions), but you can now upload your documentary to sites like Amazon's Unbox where people can actually pay a fee to watch your documentary. The key here is leading people to your film. Just uploading it and putting a price tag on it doesn't mean it's automatically going to sell.

You can also sell DVD's, either on your own or through a distributor.

So of course, there is the opportunity to make some money from a documentary. There are just a number of factors involved that determine just how much (the quality of the film, the appeal, the marketing effort, etc).

Learn more about how to make money with your film and other distribution options.

Can documentaries make money?

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Can documentaries make money?

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