Archived release
Public accuracy correction
anatomy-of-a-produced-screenplay-2026-09-v4
437 features; Nell excluded, Memory identified as the 2023 drama, and figures use eligible samples. Median 117.5 pages (n=436).
This is an earlier release. Read the current corrected study.
- Published
- 20/09/2026
- Cohort
- 437 features
- Measurement engine
- 1.5
Inspect the full manifest and checksums (JSON)
Screenplay credit corrections
Added 20 September 2026. A title-level review found four screenplay credits in this release that include source/story authors or omit a screenwriter. The correct screenplay credits are below. The original downloadable files remain unchanged so their checksums can be reproduced; these corrections do not change any measured count or aggregate result.
- Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse: Phil Lord and Rodney Rothman. Credit source.
- The Grand Budapest Hotel: Wes Anderson. Screenplay by Wes Anderson; story by Wes Anderson and Hugo Guinness. Credit source.
- Train Dreams: Clint Bentley and Greg Kwedar. Credit source.
- Sentimental Value: Eskil Vogt and Joachim Trier. Credit source.
Use these reviewed credits when citing the titles. They will be included in the next reviewed metadata release.
Published figures
The original aggregate table, with each measure’s eligible sample. Missing values are unavailable, not zero. The package includes genre and decade tables and code to reproduce them.
| Measure | Eligible n | Median | Middle half |
|---|---|---|---|
| pages | 436 | 117.5 | 106 to 132 |
| scenes | 411 | 124 | 93 to 162 |
| mean scene eighths | 411 | 7.1 | 5.6 to 9.4 |
| median scene eighths | 411 | 4 | 3 to 5 |
| interior share pct | 411 | 62.4 | 52.15 to 72.6 |
| day share pct | 361 | 60 | 45.5 to 72.5 |
| unique locations | 411 | 62 | 45 to 84.5 |
| location changes | 411 | 105 | 79 to 143 |
| speaking characters | 430 | 43 | 32 to 58 |
| dialogue blocks | 436 | 893 | 734 to 1,057 |
| dialogue words | 436 | 8,677.5 | 6,629.25 to 10,503 |
| dialogue action ratio | 436 | 1.09 | 0.74 to 1.58 |
| monologues | 436 | 18 | 10 to 30 |
| top character pct | 430 | 27.3 | 20.9 to 34.4 |
| dialogue line share pct | 436 | 39 | 33 to 45 |
| action line share pct | 436 | 36 | 28 to 44 |
| runtime minutes (modelled estimate) | 436 | 118 | 108 to 128 |
| parenthetical rate | 436 | 0.11 | 0.06 to 0.16 |
Reproduce this release
The ZIP contains the original CSV, complete derived rows and aggregate tables, an expanded analysis CSV, manifest, field dictionary, inclusion/exclusion records, measurement guards, checksums, licence and a standalone reproduction script. No screenplay text or private file links are included.
Original files retained unchanged. These releases predate the per-record metadata review ledger; missing historical provenance and incomplete credits are disclosed in the package. Approval preserves the published record and does not certify missing metadata.
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Use this research
The PreList Industry Intelligence. The Anatomy of a Produced Screenplay. Snapshot anatomy-of-a-produced-screenplay-2026-09-v4; cohort n=437, eligible n varies by measure. https://www.theprelist.io/research/versions/anatomy-of-a-produced-screenplay-2026-09-v4
Licensed CC BY 4.0: reuse the figures, charts and dataset with attribution and a link back to this page. Snapshot anatomy-of-a-produced-screenplay-2026-09-v4; every number above traces to it.