Hulu bought an Andy Samberg comedy out of Sundance for $17.5 million, breaking the festival record - by 69 cents

• Hulu and the indie film distributor Neon bought the comedy "Palm Springs," starring Andy Samberg, out of the Sundance Film Festival for a record-breaking $17.5 million and 69 cents.
• The previous biggest Sundance acquisition was "The Birth of a Nation" in 2016, which was a box-office flop.
• Hulu and Neon struck a deal in 2017 in which the movies will stream exclusively on Hulu after a theatrical run.
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Hulu and the indie film distributor Neon have broken a Sundance Film Festival acquisition record ... by 69 cents.

The companies announced Monday that they bought the comedy "Palm Springs," starring Andy Samberg, out of the festival for $17.5 million and 69 cents. It's more than the $17.5 million that Fox Searchlight (now just Searchlight Pictures after the Disney-Fox merger) paid for Nate Parker's slavery drama, "The Birth of a Nation," in 2016.

"We spent over 85 million dollars of our own money on this movie, we are taking a bath on this deal," Samberg's production company, Party Over Here, said in a statement, presumably in jest. "We hope Neon and Hulu are happy but we definitely have a lot of explaining to do to our families."

Hulu and Neon stuck a deal in 2017 in which the movies will stream exclusively on Hulu after a theatrical run.

Neon began 2020 on a high note as the South Korean movie "Parasite," which it released in the US, earned six Oscar nominations, including best picture. The movie has made $30 million domestically and $160 million worldwide.

The previous Sundance record holder, "The Birth of a Nation," was ultimately a box-office disappointment, earning less than what Searchlight bought it for with $16.8 million worldwide. Parker, who directed and starred in the movie, was accused of sexual assault in 1999 and acquitted on a rape charge in 2002. His accuser committed suicide in 2012. The controversy made headlines in 2016 ahead of the movie's theatrical release.