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A screenshot of the list of titles entering the public domain in 2024.

Under the Copyright Term Extension Act, books published in 1928, films released in 1928, and other works published in 1928, enter the public domain in 2024. I put together a list of notable works. Read on!

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Do you remember the horror title WINNIE THE POOH, BLOOD AND HONEY? It’s an indie slasher film that turned the beloved A.A. Milne character into a feral, blood thirsty killer. It sounds silly but the filmmakers were onto something and this title did EXTREMELY well. It grossed $5.2 million worldwide against a $100,000 budget. A sequel and a shared universe are in development.

HOW?

In my professional opinion, this title did incredibly well. It might have been universally panned, but so what? The filmmakers and the distributor were smart and they’re laughing all the way to the bank. They understood that people’s innate morbid curiosity would compel them to check the title out.

And check it out they did. The film has DOZENS of articles written about it and reviews from Top Critics on Rotten Tomatoes. They didn’t necessarily like the film but what the filmmakers did was demonstrate that they had the business savvy to make a title that would grab people’s attention by taking a universally loved character like Winnie the Pooh and turn him into a deranged killer. Essentially they got everyone else to do the marketing for them by creating such an insanely outrageous project.

Or maybe they didn’t know that going in and they got incredibly lucky. But either way, it’s a business model that’s good to follow and you now know that going into 2024, a retelling of a classic story with a twist could potentially be the recipe for a breakout title. And by studying the shortcomings of a film like Blood and Honey, you can avoid making them yourself (I won’t list them, you can decide what those are for yourself) and make an even BETTER film: a true recipe for success.

So what’s coming up in 2024 that has the possibility for an updated twist?

I wanted to know so I pulled together a pretty comprehensive list and am sharing it with you here. I just ask that you share this list out and sign up for my newsletter.

Titles that go into the public domain on January 1, 2024 include titles from Agatha Christie and Virginia Woolf.

Most studios and execs prefer to have scripts based on IP and this list is going to give you a selection titles I could find that were going to be in the public domain in the coming year.

And there’s some INCREDIBLE titles available! Books by Agatha Christie, Nabokov, W.E.B. DuBois, D.H. Lawrence, H.G. Wells, Virginia Woolf, Evelyn Waugh, and A.A. Milne all have books entering the public domain in 2024. Not to mention the earliest incarnation of Mickey Mouse as well as Minnie Mouse through Steamboat Willie.

Films entering public domain include Charlie Chaplins’ The Circus. The titles In Old Arizona, The Man Who Laughs, Noah's Ark, The Passion of Joan of Arc, The Singing Fool are also entering public domain.

Wow.

You can view the whole list here.

And if you want to chat with me about your film in 2024, your LAST DAY to get $50 off my one hour consultations with code DANCES at checkout is 12/31/23. You can use the session any time during 2024 to talk about your film, project or small business. During the session we’ll build a roadmap tailored for you to act upon as you bring your project to life, step by step.

Book a session here or gift it to someone who could benefit from it!

On a closing note, quite a few songs are also entering the public domain this year so if you’re scrounging for budget for your film’s score, consider pulling some of your music cues from this list.

Happy New Year to us all! May this be the best year yet.

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