An A24 production stamp is usually a good sign of indie excellence for any new feature.
And their latest eccentric hit ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’ is no exception, passing $100 million in global ticket sales.
With an impressive slate of cult productions, the company’s thrilling reputation extends to the unexpected twists and turns of its zany, artisanal show list.
From sundry acquisitions to risky originals, here’s what A24 is all about.
How did A24 get started?
New York City saw the early beginnings of this joint venture, which was launched as a film distribution company in 2013.
Daniel Katz, David Fenkel and John Hodges each brought their arthouse acumen to this speculative venture.
Their direction – and location – were far from the mainstream, with around a quarter of their films to date by sophomore directors or those returning to A24 for the second time.
Although their first gamble in 2013, ‘A Glimpse Inside the Mind of Charles Swan III’ didn’t necessarily pay off, the same year they hit the jackpot with ‘Spring Breakers’.
Budding success was found through gems sourced at the Sundance Film Festival.
Following on from this, their first feature film ‘Moonlight’ won Best Picture at the 89th Academy awards in 2017.
Speaking to the Washington Post, director Barry Jenkins said: “The biggest thing that stood out to me — and why I was so ready to make ‘Moonlight’ — was that I always felt you could feel the filmmakers’ voices in their films.
“That’s why everyone says, ‘I know what an A24 film is, but no A24 film is like any other.’”
While the minds behind A24 have remained in relative obscurity, it is known that John Hodges left the core team in 2018 for Jax Media - producers of ‘Emily in Paris’.
What are A24’s most successful movies?
Buzzy titles include Great Gerwig’s Lady Bird (2017) and Bo Burnham’s Eighth Grade (2018) – both earning 99 per cent approval ratings, the highest rated on Rotten Tomatoes.
A24 has broken its own records in 2022 as ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’ passed Ari Aster’s Hereditary as the highest-grossing movie worldwide.
The company has made history with diversity too, making space for Asian stories and leads in their movies.
Youn Yuh Jung, of Minari, won Best Supporting Actress in 2021 – making her the first Korean actress to win an Oscar.
Awkwafina (born Nora Lum) also hit a powerful milestone as the first Asian-American to win Best Actress at the 2020 Golden Globes for A24’s ‘The Farewell’.
What are A24 vibes?
A24 is a studio, a brand and, crucially, a vibe.
While the phrase has colloquially been used to describe films with distinct aesthetics (think outlandish aspect ratios and moody colour grading) it also describes the confidence of young directors forging their own path.
The ‘vibe’ commercialised, describes unconventional marketing tactics, such as their zine and podcast launch, which bypass the usual Hollywood-poster-approach.
Merchandise is equally creative, with hot dog finger gloves and an auditor of the month trophy candle from Michelle Yeoh’s blockbuster.
As the studio has greenlit UK shipping, this may be a sign for worldwide distribution of their films and brand, allowing A24 to exist everywhere (all at once).
