@lexnovalawyer: After my Ryan Coogler reel, hundreds of people asked the same question: "If first-dollar gross is so valuable... where does the money normally go?" So I built a simplified indie film waterfall using Get Out as the example. The numbers are illustrative because every film negotiates its own waterfall, but the concepts are real. This is why a film can gross hundreds of millions of dollars while a backend participant receives a fraction of what most people expect. The biggest lesson isn't the percentage. It's the definition. "10% of net profits" only has value if your agreement clearly defines what "net profits" actually means. That's why sophisticated producers negotiate the waterfall first—and the percentages second. Link in bio if you want to learn more about backend participation, investor recoupment, and how indie film waterfalls are actually structured. #filmtok #filmmaking #filmfinance #entertainmentlaw #getout

Lex Nova Lawyer

Open In TikTok:

Region: US

Tuesday 30 June 2026 00:09:16 GMT