“The question is this,” he said. “Can you do what the studios normally do from a wide distribution standpoint, only with a lot fewer resources — spending on marketing — and with a much better economic structure for the people who actually made the film?”

The financial story of “Logan Lucky,” which arrives in theaters on Aug. 18, starts in the fall of 2014. According to Mr. Soderbergh, a “friend” asked him to read the script, about a ragtag group that robs a Nascar track, and suggest a director. Mr. Soderbergh said he loved the idea (Ocean’s 7-Eleven, if you will) and wanted to direct the film himself.

But first he needed a plan that satisfied his creative and economic demands. It was relatively easy to raise the $29 million or so needed to make “Logan Lucky,” which stars Channing Tatum, Daniel Craig and Riley Keough. Once his cast was in place — all agreeing to work for scale, with profit participation if the film succeeds — Mr. Soderbergh sold off overseas distribution rights, a standard practice in the independent film business. Voilà: creative control over the actual film.

But distribution would not be so easy.

The standard option for a wide release, meaning at least 2,500 locations in North America on opening weekend, involves renting a major studio’s machinery. A studio like Warner Bros. foots the marketing bill (about $40 million is standard for a production like “Logan Lucky”) and handles all aspects of the release. For its services, the studio collects a fee (roughly 15 percent of total ticket sales) and deducts its expenses. Any remaining profit goes to the owners of the film.

For Mr. Soderbergh, that route was a nonstarter. “You’re way too far away from your money,” he said.