Success Index
In 2001, the Canadian feature film policy began a decade of measuring the success of Canadian films based on their performance at the box office. As the years went by, however, it became evident that the Canadian films that received critical acclaim and won awards were not necessarily the ones earning big box office numbers in theatres.
A comprehensive measure of success
Canadian films needed a more complete measure of success, while still taking box-office ticket sales into consideration. Given the growing appeal of Canadian films internationally, on emerging digital platforms, and on television screens, we envisioned a more comprehensive measure that took three types of success into account: commercial, cultural, and industrial.
The Index is a key performance indicator for measuring changes in the overall success of the films we finance from year to year, extending from a baseline established in 2010.
What is the Success Index?
The Success Index is calculated annually, and is expressed as the sum of three weighted sub-indices:
Commercial
(60% of the total index)
40%
box-office receipts in Canada
10%
gross domestic sales excluding box office
10%
international sales
Cultural
(30% of the total index)
10%
selections at certain international festivals and events
10%
prizes received at certain international festivals and events
10%
awards won at national competitive events and festivals
Industrial
10%
the ratio of private versus public funding in Telefilm-supported productions
Telefilm Canada’s Success Index, a tool to achieve success
- Allows Telefilm to better understand the realities and dynamics of the industry, year over year, based on market intelligence provided.
- Allows Telefilm and the industry to adjust strategies based on the commercial, cultural and industrial results achieved.
- Enables Telefilm to provide more strategic, better-targeted support to the industry in the years ahead.
- Paints a more accurate and global picture of the performance of feature films funded by Telefilm – making it possible to better demonstrate the industry’s significant contribution to Canada.
Individual company scores
As part of our programs, we evaluate the projects we receive based partially on the overall score of the applicant production company, and key members of its creative team. This score provides us with basic quantitative data for assessing applications.
This score is obtained by adding up the scores for the films produced and theatrically released by a production company of the last five years (since January 1st of that year). Both the total and average score are calculated using this model.
Production companies with an existing profile can access their score online.