MUSO’s Discover Demand dataset measures audience demand for over 900,000 film and TV titles globally, providing a consistent, real-time view of how content resonates across markets. While this data offers direct insight into released titles, it also enables a structured approach to evaluating pre-release projects by analysing comparable signals across director track record, genre trends, thematic positioning, and talent demand.
At this year’s European Film Market, Fatherland (dir. Pawel Pawlikowski) and Fonda (dir. Justine Triet) provide useful case studies. Both generated strong market interest, but for different reasons, making them well suited to demonstrate how demand data can be applied in a pre-release context.
Rather than relying solely on market buzz, these projects can be assessed through measurable audience behaviour across comparable titles and talent. This approach does not attempt to predict exact outcomes. Instead, it builds a clearer picture of how similar content has performed, how audience interest is evolving, and where each project sits within that landscape.
Using MUSO’s Discover Demand data, the following analysis explores how these signals apply to Fatherland and Fonda, and how they can support acquisition and sales decision-making more broadly.
Director Demand: Breakout Performance and Catalogue Impact
Director track record is often the first reference point when assessing a project’s potential audience reach. In both cases, the data highlights how demand is distributed across each director’s catalogue.
For Pawel Pawlikowski, Cold War accounts for 56% of total demand across his filmography. His earlier titles, including My Summer of Love and Ida, contribute 27% and 13% respectively. This establishes Cold War as the primary benchmark for audience engagement, while also showing how demand can vary significantly between titles.
For Justine Triet, the distribution is even more concentrated. Anatomy of a Fall represents 86% of total demand across her films, with Sibyl accounting for 11%. The remaining catalogue contributes marginally, reflecting the impact of a single breakout title.
A notable dynamic within this data is the catalogue uplift effect. In September 2023, Triet’s earlier film In Bed with Victoria saw a threefold increase in demand, aligning directly with the release of Anatomy of a Fall. This demonstrates how a successful new release can drive renewed audience interest across a director’s previous work.
Taken together, these patterns show that both directors have demonstrated the ability to reach global audiences, while also highlighting how individual titles can significantly shape overall demand profiles.
Genre Trends: Stable Demand and Emerging Growth
Genre-level demand provides important context for how a title sits within the broader market.
Drama remains the largest genre by volume, with approximately 65,000 titles, accounting for around 32.5% of total film demand globally. Over the last two full years, this share has remained consistent, moving from 33.2% in 2024 to 32.4% in 2025. This stability reflects a steady and reliable level of audience interest.
Thriller, by comparison, shows signs of strengthening demand. Historically averaging 26.8% of total demand, the genre increased from 27.2% in 2024 to 31.6% in 2025. This upward movement indicates growing audience engagement and a positive trajectory.
In this context:
- Fatherland aligns with a genre that delivers consistent audience demand over time
- Fonda sits within a category that has seen measurable recent growth
These macro trends provide a useful baseline for understanding how each title aligns with current audience behaviour.
Thematic Positioning: Niche Segments with Proven Upside
Looking beyond genre, thematic groupings offer more precise comparables for evaluating potential performance.
Road trip dramas represent approximately 0.2% of global demand, placing them firmly within a niche segment. However, the data shows that this category can produce breakout titles. Civil War ranked among the top 15 most demanded films in 2024, driving a notable spike in the subgenre. Earlier examples such as Nomadland and Drive My Car also achieved strong long-tail performance, ranking within the top 100 and top 300 in their respective years.
This pattern highlights that while baseline demand is relatively small, audience engagement can scale significantly when a title resonates.
Psychological thrillers account for around 0.43% of total film demand. After a period of decline between 2019 and 2024, the subgenre shows signs of recovery in 2025, supported by titles such as Drop and The Long Walk, which ranked within the top 100 and top 300 respectively.
For the titles in focus:
- Fatherland sits within a low-volume thematic space that has demonstrated the ability to generate standout successes
- Fonda aligns with a subgenre that is regaining momentum and audience traction
This level of analysis enables more targeted comparisons, helping to frame how similar titles have performed over time.
Talent Demand: Audience Recognition and Market Reach
Talent demand provides an additional perspective on audience engagement, based on the performance of an actor’s recent filmography.
Within the current dataset:
- Andrew Scott ranks ninth among Irish actors and within the top 500 male talent globally
- Mia Goth ranks within the top 20 British actresses
- Sandra Hüller ranks 8th among German actresses
These rankings indicate established audience recognition across key markets. While not positioned at the very top of global talent demand, each actor brings measurable audience engagement that supports the overall profile of the projects.
Interpreting Demand Signals in a Pre-Release Context
Pre-release evaluation always involves a degree of uncertainty, particularly for standalone titles outside of established franchises or IP-driven properties. In these cases, audience demand cannot be inferred from direct historical performance of the same title.
What demand data offers instead is a set of structured reference points:
- Director track record: provides evidence of prior audience reach
- Genre trends: establish a macro view of audience interest
- Thematic comparables: highlight how similar titles have performed
- Talent demand: reflects current levels of audience engagement
Individually, each signal provides a partial view. Combined, they create a more complete picture of how a project aligns with existing audience behaviour and where potential opportunities may exist.
This approach allows decision-makers to move beyond anecdotal market sentiment and ground evaluations in measurable patterns.
Conclusion: Framing Opportunity with Data
Both Fatherland and Fonda entered EFM with strong market interest, and the data provides a clear framework for understanding that interest in context.
- Director performance: Both directors have demonstrated the ability to reach global audiences, with breakout titles shaping their demand profiles
- Genre trends: Drama continues to deliver stable demand, while thriller shows signs of recent growth
- Thematic positioning: Fatherland operates in a niche segment with breakout precedent, while Fonda aligns with a recovering subgenre
- Talent demand: Reinforces audience recognition across key markets
For acquisition and sales teams, these insights offer a structured way to assess positioning, compare against relevant benchmarks, and identify where each project may resonate most strongly.
Audience demand data does not replace market instinct. It strengthens it by providing measurable evidence of how audiences engage with similar content, helping to inform decisions across acquisition, sales, and distribution strategy.
