Sony buys international rights to horror hit “Buddy”: multi-million-dollar deal for Casper Kelly’s film

Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions has bought all international rights to “Buddy,” the Sundance festival horror hit that marks the directorial debut of Casper Kelly, creator of the cult phenomenon “Too Many Cooks” — as Deadline reports exclusively. The deal, closed in the mid-seven-figure range, gives the studio one of the year’s hottest titles for markets outside North America.

Trade sources say Sony beat several other contenders to win the film, confirming “Buddy’s” status as one of the year’s biggest surprises. After its Sundance premiere, where critics praised it as an unpredictable blend of horror and nostalgia for 1990s children’s shows, the film was bought for North America by Roadside Attractions and Saban Films in April and launched in cinemas on August 28, where it became a sleeper hit.

The cast features Cristin Milioti, Delaney Quinn, Topher Grace, Michael Shannon and Patton Oswalt, while Keegan-Michael Key voices the murderous protagonist — a unicorn host of a 1990s-style children’s show. The strange but appealing premise turned the film into a genuine cinema success.

With a production budget of only $3 million, “Buddy” has so far earned $27 million at the North American box office, approaching the distributor’s all-time record. The celebration continues with the film’s “sing-along” version, which arrives in cinemas on October 2.