Apple TV+ continues to make big screens for film content as it has closed the biggest deal of the virtual 2022 Sundance Fim Festival. The streamer has secured the worldwide rights to the Cooper Raiff-directed Cha Cha Real Smooth, a film that many are calling the next CODA in terms of VERY early awards buzz.
The platform secured the rights for about $15 million and they had this film on its radar since it premiered on January 23, 2022, in the US Dramatic Competition category, per “Deadline.” The film is a follow-up to Raiff’s 2020 SXXSW Grand Jury Prize-winning debut feature Shithouse. Raiff plays a directionless college student in New Jersey who gets over his head in a relationship with a young mom and her autistic teenage daughter as he works a job party-starting bar and bat mitzvahs of his younger brother’s classmates. The film stars Raiff, Dakota Johnson, Leslie Mann, Brad Garrett, Vanessa Burghardt, Raul Castillo, and Evan Assante.
Raiff wrote the script for Cha Cha Real Smooth and produced the film was Dakota Johnson, Ro Donnelly, Erik Feig, and Jessica Switch. Speaking of Dakota Johnson, the actress is also earning raves for her performance with some saying she could be in the conversation as a Best Actress favorite, although it’s VERY early for this assessment.
The $15 million deal falls short of the $25 million that Apple paid last Sundance for CODA, which remains the record for the festival. Despite falling short, it’s still a massive show of faith from Apple that they believe Cha Cha Real Smooth will be a contender down the line.
Our very own Chris Bumbray reviewed Cha Cha Real Smooth and called it a “sweet-natured, pleasing watch.” Check out his review and share your thoughts below on Apple’s massive deal to acquire the film!