FILE - In this Thursday, Jan. 22, 2015, file photo, the Egyptian Theatre is lit up on Main Street during the first night of the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah. (Photo by Arthur Mola/Invision/AP, File)
PARK CITY, Utah (AP) — An economic impact study estimates that attendance at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival saw a slight drop from the previous year.
The study from Y2 Analytics released Wednesday says that nearly 122,000 people attended some part of the 11-day Utah event in 2019, down from the about 125,000 attendees in 2018.
Sundance Institute CFO Betsy Wallace partially attributed the smaller crowds the heavier snowfall Utah experienced last winter and schedule overlap as some would-be attendees chose to watch or attend the Super Bowl and a major ski competition happening during the festival instead.
Attendance was estimated by anonymously tracking people’s cell phones as they move throughout the festival.
Analysts said the event generated an estimated economic impact of $182.5 million.