They dont have the personality of movie executives. Prior to A24, all had worked extensively in film and production before leaving their current positions to co-found the company, originally A24 Films, which specialized in film distribution. Katz: People say, Oh, Barry, why didnt you bring us Moonlight?As if that was the most obvious Best Picture! A mile and a half. So we ran there. We allowed them to come on set to see what was happening, and they in turn were sharing their release plans and their marketing materials, and we were commenting on that. That shift points to a greater move afoot at A24, as the company begins to develop its own projects from within. Katz: Yeah! 10001 NEW YORK, USA. YOU'VE REACHED YOUR MONTHLY ARTICLE LIMIT. Hes not gonna be able to do this right now. Our first release. And it was on the A24 [motorway]. I asked him what he wants his company to be. The movie was Spring Breakers, it played like a Kesha music video as directed by Terrence Malick on MDMA, and it debuted to the highest per-screen average of any film released that year to date. But as A24 initiates the second phase of its existence, a transition that includes financing its own films and branching out into television, the companys exponential growth may find it becoming part of the problem it had once seemed destined to solve. On the most literal level, an A24 film is budgeted from anywhere between $1 million (Obvious Child) and $20 million (A Most Violent Year). Its like, oh, this person has no idea what Moonlight is, and it just won Best Picture. A Glimpse Inside the Mind of Charles Swan III, Frankenstein's Monster's Monster, Frankenstein, Would It Kill You to Laugh? Sure, were talking about an aggressively uncommercial director whose previous feature was called Trash Humpers, but the success of Spring Breakersand how it was achieveddemonstrated that theres still an audience for the kind of challenging and essential medium-budget movies that most in the business left for dead. [26], In July 2021, A24 reportedly explored a possible buyout for between $2.5 billion to $3 billion. Yes, Scream VI Marketing Is Behind the Creepy Ghostface Sightings Causing Scares Across the U.S. David Oyelowo, Taylor Sheridan's 'Bass Reeves' Series at Paramount+ Casts King Richard Star Demi Singleton (EXCLUSIVE), Star Trek: Discovery to End With Season 5, Paramount+ Pushes Premiere to 2024. 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I dont think it was related to her professional career. The deal, intended to grant A24 the capital it needed to grow and DirecTV some much-needed cultural cachet, stipulated that the two companies would jointly acquire new titles, and that those titles would be eligible to premiere on DirecTVs on-demand platform 30 days prior to a theatrical release. From award-winning writing and photography to binge-ready videos to electric live events, GQ meets millions of modern men where they live, creating the moments that create conversations. Its exciting. So, um, well done, A24! How A24 is Disrupting Hollywood | GQ This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. The tech titan is reportedly in the midst of dropping $1 billion on original content, but has yet to make a major film market move. And then it was consolidation. But we said, Lets invest in it. Theres a difference. A24 may not yet inspire the same kind of blind devotion in theatergoers that the Criterion Collection does in home video obsessives, but its the only indie distributor that feasibly could. Slate is published by The Slate Group, a Graham Holdings Company. You know what? To revisit this article, select My Account, thenView saved stories. Im thrilled to be joining the team at Jax, Hodges said. It premiered at Sundance in January, where it deservedly won the World Cinema Dramatic Competition. We get movies. And the only thing we could put it in was a cardboard box with duct tape. Since then his contributions to growing the company have been invaluable and we cant wait to see what he does next., Added Hodges, I am incredibly proud of the company we created and of the amazing team at A24 that has been integral to its success. Photos courtesy A24, by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images, and Janette Pellegrini/WireImage/Getty Images. Fenkel: I stare straight ahead. You know what? Trench coat was enough. He later left A24 on March 2018 to focus on future opportunities. Katz: I was very concerned that people were gonna think Room kind of stepped into shit and got lucky with awards. Eddie Guy. A24 thinks hard about the landscape of distribution, and they think hard about the models, and the models are changing. Theyre one of the few companies that have shown that indie films can still be viable. Dave Franco & Alison Brie Take a Couples Quiz, Heres a First Look at Daniel Lees Burberry, Bubba Wallace and Daniel Suarez Are Shaping NASCAR's Future, Inside Daniel Lee's Burberry Debut, London Fashion Week's Biggest Show. Johns experience and taste is evident in the films he has developed and produced over the years. Everybody was talking a few years ago how cinema had died. And, you know, partly as a filmmaker, youre like, My God! I open the curtains when Im in L.A., and everywhere I see films on billboards. Over the past six years I have been fortunate to work with a diverse group of talented storytellers across film and TV and look forward to continuing those collaborations in my future endeavors.. You want to have a grown-up conversation about the best way to get your work to the people who would spend money to see it, Abrahamson concludes. There are more glamorous things to be, in Hollywood, than an independent distribution company. Sacco: Youre not like, Oh, we got a Best Picture winner! Youre just like, Oh, we got a great movie.. But A24, it became clear when I spoke to the companys employees, saw Spring Breakers as a Trojan horse for progressive cinemathe company less concerned about the nine kids who found the film too weird than they were the one kid who went home and rented Gummo. They had heart to them. With Hodges leaving, the. When your audience does the work for you. A24 is an American independent entertainment company that specializes in film and television production, as well as film distribution. Sacco: And people on planet Earth, you know, they go see movies that they need to want to see or hear about. We had a good history. All Rights Reserved. junio 12, 2022. cottage for sale in timmins on . We literally didnt know what to do. @ After a brief flurry of acquisitions gossip, and Monday's announcement that A24 co-founder John Hodges will exit the company, A24 and/or Apple "insiders" let it be known that Apple wasn't. I think what theyve understood is theres a sufficient number of people out there who want more challenging or different material. You could tell that they wanted to be great. It specializes in film distribution, and film and television production. Memphis, Tennessee, United States. Over the past six years I have been fortunate to work with a diverse group of talented storytellers across film and TV and look forward to continuing those collaborations in my future endeavors, added Hodges. In the last 18 months alone,along with Room and The End of the Tour,it has pioneered the abortion comedy with Obvious Child, scored a commercial hit with the seductive thriller Ex Machina, released one of the most daring science fiction films this side of 2001 in Under the Skin, and driven the most lucrative documentary in years with Asif Kapadias Amy Winehouse portrait, Amy. Franco: I remember the South by Southwest festival, the screeningit was like a rock concert. In 2013, A24 released their first five films: Sally Potters Ginger & Rosa, Harmony Korines Spring Breakers, Sofia Coppolas The Bling Ring, James Ponsoldts The Spectacular Now, and Roman Coppolas A Glimpse Inside the Mind of Charles Swan III, starring Charlie Sheen. By the end of its opening weekend, it had raked in more money than all of Korines other films combined. The world opened itself up. And it satisfied something they werent getting. Although A24's actual net worth is not known. Korine: I dont think I was there, but I heard people were walking out. It was another way of getting the message out there. Signed on as producer beginning with the second season. Were passionate. John Hodges is a producer and the founder of A24 alongside David Katz and David Fenkel. But I think in experiences since then, doing mid-budget or relatively low-budget movies, if you try to do a toned-down version of thatIve just seen it not work, again and again and again. (He won the Los Angeles Film Critics Association award for Best Supporting Actor). We get credit for it even when we have nothing to do with it. Which, if you look two years back, theres just no way in hell anybody would have thought that A24 would finance a film like Moonlight and release it in the way they did, to the tune of a Best Picture and $55 million in international box office. In 2021, A24 won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress (Yuh-jung Youn in Minari, who became the first Korean actress to win an Oscar). A24 Films is a US theatrical distribution and production company founded by Daniel Katz, John Hodges and David Fenkel. New York, no one gives a shit. Garland: I didnt know what Tinder was until the festival. David Fenkel and I have had some great conversations about film - the whole A24 team have a great and deep love for cinema. Thats someone else. Coppola: I was a little nervous about not going with a company that I knew had a track record, but I knew that they were going to really do their best. Other companies wanted to do stuff with it. Colin Farrell (actor, The Lobster, The Killing of a Sacred Deer): They have such a great eye for these small little films and rich and unique stories that may have not found it to the big screen if it wasnt for them. Fenkel: Id love to say from the first cut we knew. See what happens.. Wed be like, Heavey, just make sure hes alive and you can get him to communicate.. The films backers will be made whole, its makers will get another chance at bat, and its distributors will continue to enjoy the financial solvency provided by the DirecTV dealnot to mention the $50 million line of credit the company secured last fall. Sacco: I used to think seeing people faint was what happened in movies. Dont get left behind. Not heyday. And although it describes itself as Midnight Madness, the film didnt start until close to one oclock in the morning. Its funny. Worst case, youll get the trench-coat crowd. You know what the trench-coat crowd is? Art and Experience : John Hodges is leaving A24, the Oscar-winning indie studio that he co-founded. When you can get a distribution company that likes the film for the same reasons that people that made it like the filmIve found that rare. With Hodges leaving, the. He recently profiled Conor McGregor for GQ Style. An A24 film has an affinity for subverting a celebritys established persona. Fenkel: That kind of hit. Notable guests on the show have included Bo Burnham, Paul Schrader, Sofia Coppola, Alia Shawkat and Martin Scorsese. And someone was like, Where did those images come from? And I was like, Google? Eggers: In the very beginning, when we went to Sundance initially, I didnt think that this was going to have such a large audience. Distribution: Theatrical, TV, DVD-video, VOD, USA. All Rights Reserved. Its super inspiring. He also produced . "I'm thrilled to be joining the team at Jax,". Released in the wake of Anton Yelchins untimely passing, Jeremy Saulniers Green Room is a grizzly and intense thriller in which a young punk rock band witnesses a murder and fights off a group of Neo Nazis, led by Patrick Stewart no less. By surgically inserting each release into the zeitgeist, it has paved a new road for provocative, modestly sized cinema, bridging the gap between microbudget indies and monolithic studio products in much the same way Italys Autostrada A24 connects Rome to Teramo. Send us a tip using our annonymous form. It wasnt just that, for a new distribution company, it seemed to have a level of taste and an instinct for cool that is atypical in Hollywood. Since then his contributions to growing the company have been invaluable and we cant wait to see what he does next., Added Hodges, I am incredibly proud of the company we created and of the amazing team at A24 that has been integral to its success. It was like two hours before, and they were like, Hes not gonna make it. They came on strong in the late 90s, really. How do we get Spring Breakers? And then Noah got Spring Breakers. Deadline is a part of Penske Media Corporation. Signed on as producer beginning with the third season. First movies gonna be so exciting! And I remember everyone came back from that test screening. John Hodges will be leaving A24 to pursue other opportunities, the indie distributor announced Monday. The things about it that didnt were what made me most excited, both for Moonlight and the future of a company thats confident enough in its sense of self to stretch toward something new. [16] The company, with cooperation from Bank of America, J.P. Morgan & Co. and SunTrust Banks, also raised its line of credit from $50 million to $125 million a month later to build upon its operations. And integral and critical for the film to rise on its own feet. When an A24 acquisitions exec pitched the story to me, excitedly laying out the plot in broad but heartbreaking strokes, he asked if it sounded like an A24 film. A24 Founding Partner John Hodges to Exit Daniel Katz and David Fenkel will continue to oversee the NYC-based indie Thom Geier | March 26, 2018 @ 10:08 AM A24 founding partner John Hodges. TV production powerhouse Jax Media is expanding into film and tapped John Hodges, one of the founding partners of A24, as its new head of film. And that question is the birth of fandom. Fenkel: You dont know how to control yourself. Or a director. The company said he will exit to focus on "future opportunities," but did not clarify beyond that statement.. And I felt with these guys it was a dialogue. They kept shutting us down. I kept calling the guy. And suddenly its all over, and you think, Of all people, I knew the most about my film, so why was I was on the periphery of its release? But working closely with A24 throughout Rooms pre-release has altered his philosophy on film marketing: I used to think that the publicity process was both morally questionable and smoke and mirrors, that it was one of those invented jobs. And they even never uttered the words, What would it be like in a cheaper state? So long as A24 continues tooperate independently and make edgy films from newcomers and established veterans alike, Ill be a happy moviegoer. I say, Dont go there. Because what happened was, someone ran out with a red envelope. I agree with TheWrap's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy and provide my consent to receive marketing communications from them. The fact theyre vampires might just be an excuse for them to wear sunglasses indoors. [27], A24 distributes and produces around 18 to 20 films a year. Like I had glandular problems. All Rights Reserved. [8][28] Its five highest grossing films are Everything Everywhere All at Once ($107.2 million), Hereditary ($82.5 million), Lady Bird ($79 million), Moonlight ($65.3 million) and A24 - Crunchbase Company Profile & Funding Maybe we werent geniuses with Spring Breakers, but we were the ones who said, Lets put it in theaters, because we could build on that. People liked Spring Breakers. And I was ready to say: It was me! 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Rowling More Grace and Listen to Her, Britain's $4 Billion Boss: ITV Chief Carolyn McCall Bets It All on Talent, 2023 Music Festivals: How to Buy Tickets to Coachella, Governors Ball, Lollapalooza and More. And I think thats the main thing, Id say. Asif Kapadia (director, Amy): I had never heard of A24. I remember the thing that got him was like, Listen. It wasnt disrespectful. The latest is Hereditary, the debut film of Ari Aster that premiered at Sundance and is quickly earning a reputation as one of the scariest movies ever. Maybe even that guy with a two-way radio who keeps you from walking through a movie set. Aizenberg: That Oscar-nomination morning, I remember walking into the office that day, and I was like, Please, dear God, just let Amy and Brie get nominated. John has been a trusted partner who helped conceive A24 and for that we will always be grateful, A24 noted. Essie Davis is insanely good as a single mother on the brink of a mental breakdown as she attempts to care for her troubled young son. John. Fenkel: Well, of course Selena Gomez in a bikini worked. That was 2013. Like Get Out, or Baby Driver. John Hodges is leaving A24, the Oscar-winning indie studio that he co-founded. It was me! . Garland: I would say that if Ex Machina had been distributed by a big studiothis isnt actually a criticism of studios; its actually just a statement of factthe film would not have been remotely as well received or successful as it was. Likewise, A24 loves Sundance acquisition Mississippi Grind, a tremendously appealing riff on Robert Altmans California Split that co-stars Ryan Reynolds and Ben Mendelsohn as compulsive gamblers on a road trip to nowhere. When I was explaining to people what I was doing, it felt like a political campaign. Daniels like, Okay. Igoe: At SXSW, we had Spectacular Now, and Spring Breakers showed there. Since then his contributions to growing the company have been invaluable and we cant wait to see what he does next, said A24 in a statement. I think that was Nicolette, actually: Consider This Shit.. The best scares always come from unexpected places. Really? All Rights Reserved. And you could tell that it was in their reach. How Much is A24 Studios Worth? : boxoffice - Reddit BREAKING: John Hodges, one of the founding members of A24, has announced his departure from the production and distribution studio to focus on future opportunities. A24 was set up ten years ago by David Fenkel, John Hodges and Daniel Katz, all veterans of New York's independent film business. Not like we should have paid more. Suddenly, in order to be financially viable, a project has to cost less than $2 million or more than $200 million. Like, no way in hell. John has been a trusted partner who helped conceive A24 and for that we will always be grateful, noted A24. Beyer: It was all about this tension between, like, trying to legitimize ourselves as a real company that can handle working with, like, big. Jax Media Taps A24 Co-Founder John Hodges as Head of New Film - Variety I felt like there was a huge opportunity to create something where the talented people could be talented. John Hodges - IMDb Some dissatisfied customers later accused the marketing campaign of misrepresenting the movie as a fun adolescent romp. A vital piece of work far too delicately perverse to have sustained a theatrical run, it was the ideal choice to launch the program. If its gonna be released the same way by another company, we usually dont go after it. Katz: We did great movies. Theyre super-smart people. The photo has been replaced. Variety and the Flying V logos are trademarks of Variety Media, LLC. We tried to get the Union Square movie theaterwe didnt have a theatrical booking yet. Asif Kapadia (director, Amy): I suppose most filmmakers have had bad experiences in the past where you do all the hard work, and then these guys in slick suits come along and theyre like, We know what were doing now! A24 FILMS - Cinando There was nothing bad-spirited about it. Fenkel: And we did this, like, illegal Tinder stuff. That suits a company whose websites About page consists of nothing beyond an Eadweard Muybridge plate of a cockatoo flapping its wings. According to Ponsoldt, who recently became the companys first repeat filmmaker: A24 films run the gamut of genre and style, but they all seem to be incredibly specific, personal visions..