Sundance 2026: How TikTok Is Fueling Film Fandom

Sundance 2026: How TikTok Is Fueling Film Fandom

Fandom on TikTok is more powerful than ever, with communities like #FilmTok driving conversation and connection around entertainment. In 2025 alone, an average of 6.5 million posts about film and TV were shared every day on TikTok, a reflection of how deeply fans engage with entertainment content on the platform. Throughout the 2026 Sundance Film Festival, we are excited to bring together creators, filmmakers, and industry leaders to explore fandom and storytelling.

Conversations Shaping the Future of Film

As the film world gathers in Park City for Sundance 2026, TikTok will be on the ground with creators, spotlighting the next generation of filmmakers and giving audiences an authentic, behind-the-scenes look at the festival.

To kick off the festival, TikTok will host a creator welcome event celebrating Sundance’s final year in Park City. The event with A24 will feature a special integration with The Moment, a meta-mockumentary starring Charli xcx, with Charli in attendance to spotlight TikTok’s role in shaping pop culture narratives. Dawn Yang, TikTok’s Global Head of Entertainment Partnerships, will join a Variety panel at Adobe House on the future of audience engagement, examining how platforms are shaping discovery, fandom, and connection around film. She will also moderate a conversation exploring how creators and fans are redefining film culture and storytelling today, featuring TikTok creators @cvnela and @moviesaretherapy and Erica Elson of the Sundance Institute.

TikTok Entertainment Ad Solutions

Beyond on-the-ground moments at festivals like Sundance, TikTok fuels discovery and engagement directly on the platform, shaping entertainment trends, culture, and viewership. 4 in 5 users say TikTok inspires their streaming choices and encourages them to explore more content (1) and 167% of TikTok users are more likely to maintain a streaming service subscription to participate in online discourse. (2) To help entertainment advertisers reach this community of highly engaged fans, we are launching TikTok Streaming Ads and New Title Launch.

Powered by Smart+, Streaming Ads are a performance ad solution that seamlessly converts viewers into new subscribers. Streaming Ads deliver personalized ad experiences to users who have shown interest in entertainment specific content and shows them the most relevant shows in an advertiser's catalog — whether it be horror, comedy, or unscripted. Built specifically for streaming platforms, the ads showcase multiple titles within a single ad experience with two creative formats:

For entertainment advertisers' biggest moments — like new season premieres, franchise drops, big sports games or any marquee release — we are also announcing New Title Launch, TikTok's performance solution built to turn tentpole moments into subscription and ticket sales. New Title Launch allows advertisers to reach high-intent users using specific signals, such as users' favorite movie genre or pricing sensitivity, to turn fandom into sales.

"Entertainment advertisers are increasingly turning to TikTok as a powerful audience-building engine," said Tao Baecklund, Global Head of Content & Services Ads at TikTok. "We're listening to their evolving needs and are continuously developing new tools that allow them to reach high-intent viewers and drive key business results like subscriptions and ticket sales - all while delivering a more personalized, engaging experience for our users."

Creators on the Ground at Sundance 2026

From red carpets and cast interviews to attending world premieres for Josephine, Rock Springs, and more, these creators will produce real-time content, helping audiences explore behind-the-scenes moments of the festival and inspiring their audiences' next watch:

With over 3 million combined posts and a 54% increase in posts in 2025, #FilmTok and #MovieTok continue to shape how film culture is discovered, discussed, and celebrated.

TikTok doesn’t just surface new releases; it also brings forgotten favorites back into the spotlight. A recent Ipsos study found that nearly half of users (46%) discover old movies or TV shows they wouldn’t have otherwise known about, and 38% re-watch content they hadn’t seen in a while. (3) Tools like TikTok Spotlight help amplify these discoveries, connecting audiences to trending titles, fan content, and official film accounts. This culture of discovery and engagement puts TikTok at the center of the biggest entertainment moments, from the Oscars to Cannes to Sundance.

#FilmTok has become a hub for film conversation and creativity, and we’re excited to see the community at Sundance 2026. Explore #Sundance2026 in the app or visit the in-app Sundance search hub to discover official Sundance content and join the conversation.