Fantastic Fest
Fantastic Fest is the largest U.S. genre film festival, operating an annual eight-day event at Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar in Austin, Texas, serving genre-film enthusiasts, filmmakers, industry professionals, and press via tiered badge sales, sponsorships, and curated programming.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2006
- HeadquartersAustin, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Fantastic Fest does
Fantastic Fest is the largest genre film festival in the United States, operating as a privately held, annual eight-day event founded in 2005/2006 and owned and operated by Alamo Drafthouse Cinemas. Held at the Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar cinema in Austin, Texas (September 17-24 in 2026), the festival curates horror, fantasy, sci-fi, action, and other genre cinema for an audience of genre-film enthusiasts, filmmakers, film industry professionals, and press. Each edition typically programs 80+ features and 50+ shorts drawn from international submissions.
The festival's core product is a tiered badge program — CULT MEMBER ($1,495), SUPERFAN ($675), FAN ($545), INDUSTRY ($545), and SECOND HALF ($275) — providing varying levels of early ticket reservation, party access, and exclusive perks such as merchandise boxes and Alamo Drafthouse gift cards. Supporting products and programs include the Film Submission platform (via FilmFreeway), the Burnt Ends micro-budget cinema sidebar, the Fantastic Shorts Competition, the Fantastic Pitches $100,000 micro-budget feature funding competition (partnered with Chroma), Fantastic Fest Awards, and film restorations curated with the American Genre Film Archive. Operational infrastructure is built on the Eventive ticketing platform for badgeholder reservations and the Webflow-hosted fantasticfest.com website for badge sales.
Monetization is a mix of consumer badge and individual ticket sales ($15 walk-up), corporate sponsorships (Alamo Drafthouse, Sony Pictures, and others), and filmmaker submission fees through FilmFreeway. Marketing is primarily organic — social media (Facebook, X, Instagram, YouTube), email newsletter, and earned press through Fons PR — supplemented by curated international programming partnerships (Maskoon for Arab cinema, Indie Meme and Wench for Indian cinema). The festival is operated by a team of 11-50 employees under Festival Director Lisa Dreyer, with no disclosed venture funding and no public revenue figures.
Fantastic Fest firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Fantastic Fest
- Legal name
- Fantastic Fest
- Website
- https://fantasticfest.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2006
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Fantastic Fest is the largest U.S. genre film festival, operating an annual eight-day event at Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar in Austin, Texas, serving genre-film enthusiasts, filmmakers, industry professionals, and press via tiered badge sales, sponsorships, and curated programming.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Fantastic Fest industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Film Festival
- NAICS
- Amusement, Gambling, and Recreation Industries (713), Performing Arts, Spectator Sports, and Related Industries (711), Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events with Facilities (71131)
- SIC
- Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Film Festivals & Festival Organizers (MPADAKAD)
Keywords
Where Fantastic Fest is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Austin
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Fantastic Fest business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others
Revenue model
- Badge Sales: Primary revenue stream from multi-tiered badge packages ranging from $275 to $1,495, covering 4-8 days of festival access with varying perks including early ticket reservation, merchandise, gift cards, and party access.
- Individual Film Tickets: Walk-up tickets available for non-badge holders at $15 each, released to the public 10 minutes before screenings after badge holders are accommodated.
- Sponsorship: Corporate sponsorships and partnerships including Alamo Drafthouse, Sony Pictures, and others. Contact: [email protected] for sponsorship inquiries.
- Film Submissions: Film submission fees collected through FilmFreeway platform for filmmakers submitting features (70+ min) and shorts (under 25 min) for festival consideration.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Full 8-day access with premium perks including early ticket reservation, exclusive merchandise box, collectible 2026 poster, $350 Alamo Drafthouse gift card, and access to all parties/events |
| Subscription | Annual | Full 8-day access with early ticket reservation and party/event access |
| Subscription | Annual | Full 8-day access with up to 5 tickets/day and party access including opening/closing night festivities |
| Subscription | Annual | Last 4 days of festival (9/21-9/24) with up to 5 tickets/day and party access including closing night festivities |
| Subscription | Annual | Full 8-day industry access including daily P&I screenings, up to 5 tickets/day, and party access (subject to qualification review) |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Individual film screening tickets for non-badge holders |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
Fantastic Fest product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Fantastic Fest operates the largest genre film festival in the United States, an annual 8-day event at Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar in Austin, Texas, featuring world premieres of horror, fantasy, sci-fi, and action films alongside parties, panels, and special events. The festival sells tiered badge packages (CULT MEMBER, SUPERFAN, FAN, INDUSTRY, SECOND HALF) and walk-up individual tickets, and accepts filmmaker submissions globally via FilmFreeway.
Product overview
Fantastic Fest is the largest genre film festival in the US, operating as a single unified event product centered on its 8-day annual festival at Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar in Austin, Texas. The core offering includes festival badge tiers (CULT MEMBER, SUPERFAN, FAN, INDUSTRY, and SECOND HALF) providing access to film screenings, events, and parties. Supporting products include the Fantastic Pitches competition ($100,000 micro-budget feature funding), film submission program (via FilmFreeway), Burnt Ends micro-budget cinema sidebar, Fantastic Shorts competition, special events, awards, and film restorations in partnership with AGFA. The festival champions horror, fantasy, sci-fi, action, and fantastic movies with world premieres, outlandish events, and wild parties.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Fantastic Pitches: A feature pitch competition awarding $100,000 funding to produce a micro-budget feature genre film, launched in celebration of Fantastic Fest's 20th anniversary in partnership with Chroma.
- Burnt Ends
- Alamo Drafthouse
Products and services
- Fantastic Fest Film Festival The largest genre film festival in the United States, an annual 8-day event at Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar in Austin, Texas, featuring world premieres of horror, fantasy, sci-fi, and action films, plus parties, panels, special events, and unique programming sidebars. Access is sold via tiered badge packages and walk-up individual tickets.
- Fantastic Pitches A feature pitch competition offering $100,000 in funding to produce a micro-budget feature genre film, operated in partnership with Chroma independent studio. Finalists present projects live to a judges panel and audience during the festival; the selected film has one year to complete production and premieres at the following year's Fantastic Fest. Targeted at emerging and independent genre filmmakers.
- Film Submission Program
Companies that use Fantastic Fest
Customer profileSegments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Fantastic Fest technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration2 records
Fantastic Fest partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- ChromacorePartnership with Chroma, an independent studio, to launch Fantastic Pitches - a feature pitch competition offering $100,000 in funding to produce a micro-budget feature genre film. Finalists present projects live to judges panel and audience during festival. Selected film has one year to complete production with premiere at following year's Fantastic Fest.
- Indie Meme and Wench Film FestivalminorPartnership with Indie Meme and Wench Film Festival for FANTASTIC INDIA sidebar - a curated selection of Indian genre cinema showcasing films that move beyond formulaic depictions of ghosts and monsters, embracing psychological tension, folklore, and social realities.
- Maskoon Fantastic Film FestivalminorCo-presentation partnership for ARAB GENRE RISES sidebar - a short film program celebrating voices from a new generation of Arab filmmakers. Part of Fantastic Fest's commitment to showcasing lesser-known film regions.
- American Genre Film Archive (AGFA)coreOngoing partnership with AGFA (501(c)(3) non-profit formed in 2009) to bring restoration selections to the festival, including world premieres of new restorations. AGFA is dedicated to preserving the legacy of genre movies through collection, conservation, and distribution.
- Alamo Drafthouse CinemascoreFantastic Fest is owned and operated by Alamo Drafthouse Cinemas. Festival takes place at Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar venue in Austin, TX. Alamo Drafthouse provides venue, gift cards for CULT members, and operational infrastructure.
- FilmFreewaycoreOfficial film submission platform for Fantastic Fest. Filmmakers submit features (70+ min) and shorts (under 25 min) through FilmFreeway. Also used for Fantastic Pitches competition submissions.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Fantastic Fest competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Beyond Fest: Beyond Fest is an annual genre film festival in Los Angeles focused on horror, sci-fi, and cult cinema. Closest comparable US peer to Fantastic Fest, with multi-day premieres, special events, and celebrity guests serving an adult genre audience.
- Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival: Sitges is the premier genre film festival in Spain, dedicated to fantasy and horror. Established international reference point for Fantastic Fest's genre focus and curatorial reputation, running annually since 1968.
- Fantasia International Film Festival: Fantasia is a Montreal-based genre film festival running annually since 1996 with parallel programming for horror, fantasy, and Asian cinema. Comparable multi-week scale with extensive world premieres similar to Fantastic Fest.
- FrightFest: FrightFest is the UK's leading genre film festival held annually in London, focused on horror and fantastic cinema. Comparable in curation model and audience demographics to Fantastic Fest with multi-day screenings, special events, and filmmaker Q&As.
- Screamfest Horror Film Festival: Screamfest is a long-running independent horror film festival based in Los Angeles. Comparable in size and genre focus to Fantastic Fest, with annual programming of independent horror features and shorts alongside a screenplay competition.
- Popcorn Frights: Popcorn Frights is a multi-day genre film festival held annually in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, focused on horror, sci-fi, fantasy, and mystery. Comparable scope and programming model to Fantastic Fest with overlapping audience demographics.
- SXSW Film & TV Festival: SXSW's film festival in Austin shares Fantastic Fest's host city and overlapping badge-based film programming. Competes directly for Austin-based sponsorship dollars, filmmaker submissions, and the same genre-adjacent indie audience.
Broad incumbents
- Sundance Film Festival: Sundance is the largest US independent film festival held annually in Park City, Utah. Comparable as a US multi-day festival with badge-based access and world premieres, but broader in scope and less specialized than Fantastic Fest.
- Tribeca Film Festival: Tribeca is a New York-based multi-day film festival with badge and ticket tiers and curated programming. Comparable scale and audience model to Fantastic Fest, but broader in genre scope and family-friendly programming.
- Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF): TIFF is one of the world's largest film festivals held annually in Toronto. Comparable as a destination festival with world premieres of major studio and independent titles, but significantly broader in scope and reach than Fantastic Fest.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Fantastic Fest social profiles
Digital presenceFantastic Fest financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Fantastic Fest leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
Fantastic Fest funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Fantastic Fest M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Fantastic Fest
What does Fantastic Fest do?
Fantastic Fest operates the largest genre film festival in the United States, an annual 8-day event at Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar in Austin, Texas, featuring world premieres of horror, fantasy, sci-fi, and action films alongside parties, panels, and special events. The festival sells tiered badge packages (CULT MEMBER, SUPERFAN, FAN, INDUSTRY, SECOND HALF) and walk-up individual tickets, and accepts filmmaker submissions globally via FilmFreeway.
Is Fantastic Fest a public or private company?
Fantastic Fest is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Fantastic Fest founded?
Fantastic Fest was founded in 2006. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Fantastic Fest based?
Fantastic Fest is headquartered in Austin, United States, in the North America region.
How does Fantastic Fest make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Badge Sales are the primary driver. The others are individual Film Tickets, sponsorship and film Submissions.
Who are Fantastic Fest's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Beyond Fest, Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival, Fantasia International Film Festival, FrightFest, Screamfest Horror Film Festival, Popcorn Frights and SXSW Film & TV Festival. Broad incumbents are Sundance Film Festival, Tribeca Film Festival and Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF).
Does Fantastic Fest have an API?
No public API is recorded for Fantastic Fest.
What industry is Fantastic Fest in?
Fantastic Fest's product category is Film Festival. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPADAKAD, Film Festivals & Festival Organizers. Its NAICS code is 713 and its SIC code is 7900.