The company was founded in 2012 by Daniel Katz, David Fenkel, and John Hodges.[5] All had worked in film and production before leaving their positions to co-found the company, originallyA24 Films, which specialized in film distribution. Starting off in 2013 withA Glimpse Inside the Mind of Charles Swan III, the company's growth started with the release ofSpring Breakers later that year. In 2014, A24 picked up the U.S. rights toEx Machina andRoom in 2015, before obtaining worldwide rights toThe Witch, which was released theatrically in 2015.[6] They entered into deals withAmazon Prime Video, andDirecTV Cinema in late 2013, with some films distributed through them, and the name was changed to just A24 in 2016.[citation needed] In 2022, A24 produced the filmEverything Everywhere All at Once, which won theAcademy Award for Best Picture and six moreOscars; the film has also received acclaim from both audiences and critics. It is their first film to reach $100 million at the box office.[7][8][9]
A24 has developed a reputation for their passionate fanbase, described as anindependent film "cult".[14][15] Its projects have also had a major influence on style in contemporary horror and arthouse films, among other areas.[16][17][18] A24 is also known for the originality and artistic style of films it produces, generally shunning the style of films produced or released by themajor film studios. Lately the producer is increasingly aligned with commercial cinema.[7][18][19]
A24 was founded on August 20, 2012, by Daniel Katz, David Fenkel, and John Hodges.[5] Katz formerly led the film finance group atGuggenheim Partners, Fenkel was the president, co-founder and partner atOscilloscope, and Hodges served as "Head of Production and Development" atBig Beach.[5] The name "A24" was inspired by the ItalianA24 motorway Katz was driving on when he decided to found the company.[20]
Guggenheim Partners provided theseed money for A24. The company was started to share "movies from a distinctive point of view".[21] In October 2012, Nicolette Aizenberg joined as head of publicity from 42West where she was senior publicity executive.[22]
A24 contacted GrandArmy, a creative design agency based in New York to design their logo in 2012. They had tasked the agency with creating a branding and logo which was modern but also echoed the golden age of Hollywood. GrandArmy made the logo and motion graphic intro for A24 alongside its website, their deco influenced look was featured internally and externally.[23]
In September 2013, A24 entered a $40 million deal withDirecTV Cinema, where DirecTV Cinema would offer day-and-date releases 30 days prior to a theatrical release by A24;Enemy was the first film to be distributed under the deal.[29] That same year, A24 entered a deal withAmazon Prime, where A24-distributed films would be available onAmazon Instant Video after becoming available onBlu-ray andDVD.[30]
In May 2015, A24 announced that it would start atelevision division and began producing theUSA Network seriesPlaying House, as well as working to develop a television series that would later becomeComrade Detective, produced byChanning Tatum. The company also announced that they would also finance and developpilots.[31]
In January 2016, Sasha Lloyd joined the company to handle all film, television distribution and business development in the international marketplace.[32] The company, with cooperation fromBank of America,J.P. Morgan & Co. andSunTrust Banks, also raised itsline of credit from $50 million to $125 million a month later to build upon its operations.[33] In April, the company acquired all foreign rights toSwiss Army Man, distributing the film in all territories, and partnering with distributors who previously acquired rights to the film, a first for the company.[34] In June, the company, along with Oscilloscope and distributor Honora, joinedBitTorrent Now to distribute the work of their portfolio across the ad-supported service.[35]
In January 2017, the company acquired the United States and Chinese distribution rights for their first foreign language film:Menashe.[36]
On February 28, 2018, A24 launched apodcast titled "The A24 Podcast".[37] Episodes are based around a discussion between two members of the film industry. Guests on the podcast have includedBo Burnham,Sofia Coppola,Paul Schrader,Martin Scorsese, andAlia Shawkat. Despite lacking any pre-defined structure, episodes generally contain discussions around recent works of the two guests, allowing for branching discussions to other areas. The first two guests wereBarry Jenkins (director of A24'sMoonlight) andGreta Gerwig (director of A24'sLady Bird), who both discussed what it's like to make a movie about the place they grew up.[38] As of October 18, 2023, 38 episodes have been released.[39][40]
On March 26, 2018, co-founder John Hodges announced that he was exiting the company.[41] On November 15, 2018, A24 andApple announced that they had entered into a multi-year partnership where A24 will produce a slate of original films for Apple. This was not afirst-look deal, meaning that A24 can continue to produce and acquire films to release outside of the deal, and that it would not affect previous deals that A24 had signed with other companies. It is currently unknown if this slate of films will have a theatrical release or be exclusive to Apple's streaming service,Apple TV+.[42]
On November 13, 2019, A24 entered into a premium cable television broadcast deal withShowtime Networks, covering all film releases through November 1, 2022. The deal excludes films that are already part of the Apple partnership.[43]
2020s–present: Academy Awards win, further agreements, and expansion
In July 2021, A24 explored a possible buyout for between $2.5 billion to $3 billion.[44] In January 2022, formerHBO andAmazon MGM Studios TV executive Nick Hall joined A24 to oversee creative for the company's growing television slate.[45] In April 2022, the company released its membership "AAA24" forsubscription; members' benefits include early access to merch drops, exclusive merch for members only, monthly merch discounts for members, and azine every four months.[6]
In May 2023,Leonine Studios, a German independent film distributor, partnered with A24 to set up a joint label called "A24 | Leonine Studios", which will distribute films in Austria and Germany.[53] The next month, it was reported that formerDisney General Entertainment ChairmanPeter Rice signed a deal with A24 as an independent producer, agreeing to co-finance films for global distribution.[54]
In October 2023,TheWrap's Umberto Gonzalez exclusively reported that A24 is planning to expand its "strategy fromarthouse films to more commercial films", including "action and big IP projects". According to one production executive from the company, A24 "took a beating ondramas, especially the ones they made," the top agent said. The production exec added that A24 would still acquire dramas, but would move away from making as many of them. "Theauteur business is a lousy, high-risk business that does not attract potential buyers ... That's a big problem if you're looking to sell or seek additional investment," another top agent toldTheWrap. This decision has been met with mixed responses from some journalists.[56][57] That same month, A24 forged an exclusive output deal with "Happinet Phantom Studios" covering the distribution in Japan of A24's upcoming releases; this marks A24's first major international theatrical output deal. The companies will also build A24brand awareness across the region, and deepen relationships with local talent and audiences off screen beyond film releases.[58]
In January, 2024, it was announced that A24 struck a deal withUnited Talent Agency (UTA) to produce scripted and unscripted television via the latter's Civic Center Media banner. The deal will see Civic Center Media given resources for development and production via A24. UTA stressed that Civic Center Media will work with talent from all agencies and UTA will continue to work with all studios, with A24 similarly continuing to work with all agencies. "We are excited to partner with A24," said UTA CEOJeremy Zimmer. "Their brand stands for quality and originality, and we believe the Civic Center Media collaboration will provide a great experience for writers, actors, directors and IP holders."[62]
When A24 launched in 2012, they focused on the idea of saving money through lower cost digital marketing and social media as opposed to more traditional forms of media from TV to radio and billboards.[63] The rise of images and memes across social media served as a means to promote their films' art direction and cinematography.[14]
In a 2013 interview, creative director Zoe Beyer discussed her approach to A24's social media:
"...For most of the content, I think of what will be relevant to people who like A24 movies. Fans of Harmony Korine or Sofia Coppola or Jonathan Glazer aren’t going to be offended if we use the word shit or poke fun at Hollywood or take a stab at Jaden Smith’s twitter activity.Very occasionally, I will tweet something with no regard for whether it’s relevant to anyone besides myself. This is probably bad practice, but I think the film industry in particular can be so opaque, it is nice to know there are actual human personalities behind these companies. That’s why, sometimes, I will tweet about exotic pets or the NBA. The idea is just to keep it authentic."[64]
The action thrillerCivil War (2024), written and directed byAlex Garland, is A24's most expensive in-house production yet, holding a budget of $50 million.[66] The film is described as "an adrenaline-fueled thrill ride through a near-future fractured America balanced on the razor's edge";Kirsten Dunst stars in the lead role as a reporter.[67][68][69]Civil War was released in the United States on April 12, 2024, having been moved up from a release date of April 26, 2024.[70][71]
Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022) is currently A24's highest-grossing film and the first film of the company to cross the $100-million mark worldwide.[72]
The company distributes and produces artistic, psychologically disturbing, and mind-bendinghorror films often referred to as "Elevated horror".[17][85][86][87] Most of these films share a similar approach, including ambiguity, bleak atmosphere, disruptive formulas, outbursts of violence, psychological dilemmas, and realistic character drama; these includeHereditary (2018),It Comes at Night (2017),The Killing of a Sacred Deer (2017),Men (2022),Under the Skin (2013), andThe Witch (2015).[88] The term also refers togenre films with a seemingly more artful sensibility than most fare, plus a focus on dramatic themes such as grief and trauma.[89]
"A24 is a business whose aspirations are unlimited," said one high-level Hollywood executive.[who?] "They're not trying to becomeFocus [Features]. They want to become a big media company."[99]
FilmmakerDavid Lowery (director of A24'sA Ghost Story andThe Green Knight) praised A24, saying: "The great thing about A24 is that they're always up for a challenge. They remain undaunted; they'll take the most difficult, unsaleable aspect of your movie and turn it into its greatest asset." Fellow filmmakerJames Ponsoldt (director of A24'sThe End of the Tour andThe Spectacular Now) also applauded the company, saying: "A24 is remarkable at championing specific cinematic voices because they genuinely adore their films — and that enthusiasm is reflected in the creativity and laser-like precision of their marketing and releases."[16]
Later in 2023,Talk to Me (2022), directed by twin brothersDanny and Michael Philippou, and released theatrically in the United States on July 28, became a triumphant success at thebox office and surpassedHereditary as A24's highest-grossing horror film domestically with a running total of $44.5 million on September 3.[119][120][121] The film received positive reviews from critics, who praised its story, direction, horror sequences, practical effects, sound design, and performances.[122] In a statement toNewshub, filmmakerPeter Jackson highly praised the film, saying: "Talk to Me isn't just good – it's very very good. The best, most intense, horror movie I've enjoyed in years." Aster,Stephen King,George Miller, andSteven Spielberg have all praised the film as well.[123] A sequel is currently in development.[124]
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