The slowing U.S. economy is taking its toll on this year’s edition of the Sundance Film Festival as movie studios would rather release fewer but safer films, instead of taking too many risks with independent flicks.

However, although a slightly more restrained affair than usual, with smaller crowds and less packed, the 25th edition of Sundance has still delivered some quality movies so far and a bit of deal making.

In a rare move for the current film-fest market, independent distribution company Senator Entertainment and partner Sony got their hands on Antoine Fuqua's police drama “Brooklyn's Finest,” by paying seven figures, reportedly no more than $5 million, less than 24 hours after the movie premiered.

Senator president Mark Urman praised the cop drama starring Richard Gere, Don Cheadle and Ethan Hawke but also called it a “work in progress” as there could be edits made to the current cut before its scheduled release next fall.

“Not all good films have a strong identity, and those deals take a little longer to come together,” Urman said, adding that Senator was just fortunate enough to come across one that does have an identity and fits with what they wanted to do on the day of their arrival at the event.

But the deal failed to trigger a larger sales frenzy, with some of the specialty world's biggest players, including Focus and Fox Searchlight, yet to make some serious acquisitions.

The market for independent films has been thrown off balance by last year's big Sundance acquisitions “Hamlet 2,” and “American Teen,” which failed to make money in theaters, while a large number of boutique distributors - the companies that traditionally exist to buy Sundance fare - went out of business in 2008.

However, out of the 200 movies to be screened at the festival, several films have nevertheless managed to create some buzz. Among the already-screened titles of special note are the Jim Carrey-Ewan McGregor gay story “I Love You Philip Morris”; “Big Fan,” a drama helmed by “Wrestler” scribe Robert Siegel; “Spread,” starring Ashton Kutcher in Warren Beatty “Shampoo” mode; “Humpday,” a quirky buddy comedy about two straight men who on a lark make a gay porno; “Push,” a bold adaptation of the popular Sapphire book with Mariah Carey and Mo'Nique; “The Greatest,” a three-hanky drama with Pierce Brosnan and Susan Sarandon; and R.J. Cutler's Anna Wintour doc “The September Issue.”

The 10-day Sundance festival kicked off on Thursday night with an Australian clay-animated film “Mary & Max,” about the unlikely pen-friendship between an eight-year-old girl in the suburbs of Melbourne and a 44-year-old Jewish man in New York with Asperger's syndrome, a form of autism.