A24

A24, independent film and television production and distribution company based in New York City and founded in 2012 by film executives Daniel Katz, David Fenkel, and John Hodges. The company first gained recognition for critically acclaimed films such as Spring Breakers (2013), The Spectacular Now (2013), and The Bling Ring (2013), swiftly becoming a major player in the art-house film distribution and film production industries.

Beginnings

Daniel Katz, a former film industry finance specialist, had long dreamed of starting his own film company. In 2012 while driving in Italy, he experienced an inspirational awakening and decided to make his dream a reality. To credit the location of his inspiration, the A24 motorway, he named his company A24. Katz was aware that there was no guarantee of success, because independent films typically generate minimal profits (if any). The film mogul brought in David Fenkel and John Hodges as partners in the company.

A24 started out as strictly a film distributor in order to build relationships with gifted directors who would appeal to younger, artistically educated audiences looking for more than the typical Hollywood blockbusters and sequels that were being made at the time. This strategy allowed A24 to promote their films without the upfront financial risks involved in film production.

Formula for success

A24 does not concentrate on a specific genre; the studio distributes films in genres ranging from drama to comedy. The company is particularly known for its horror films, such as The Lighthouse (2019), Hereditary (2018), and MaXXXine (2024). A24 emphasizes giving filmmakers creative control over projects, regardless of genre.

A24 approaches marketing differently than most distribution companies. Rather than spending money on traditional advertising outlets, such as television and print, the company spends approximately 95 percent of its marketing budget on online outlets, with a focus on social media. A24 is known for creating viral, interactive content, such as fake social media accounts for movie characters. Its branded merchandise, which is often playfully themed after its films (such as hot dog finger gloves, in reference to Everything Everywhere All at Once), also frequently sells out. Such efforts generate buzz about its films while sparing A24 the expenses associated with traditional advertising.

Films

During A24’s first four years, it released several critically and commercially successful films. Spring Breakers (2012), a dark comedy directed by Harmony Korine and starring actress Selena Gomez, gained attention for its provocative, neon-lit portrayal of four college girls who are determined to have a good spring break, even if it requires them to resort to crime. The Spectacular Now (2013), a coming-of-age romance, directed by James Ponsoldt and starring Miles Teller and Shailene Woodley, won the Sundance Film Festival’s special jury prize for the actors’ honest, natural portrayals of teenage characters.

In 2014 A24 released Ex Machina, a sci-fi thriller directed by Alex Garland and starring Alicia Vikander as the film’s eerily human robot character and Oscar Isaac as the robot’s creator, a reclusive tech entrepreneur. The film was praised for its atmospheric tension and thought-provoking themes and garnered A24 its first Academy Award, for the film’s visual effects. Based on Emma Donoghue’s book of the same name, Room (2015), directed by Lenny Abrahamson and starring Brie Larson and Jacob Tremblay, earned accolades for its portrayal of the unbreakable bond between a parent and child forced to endure intolerable conditions and earned Larson an Oscar for best actress in a leading role.

In 2016, after having gained firm financial footing, A24 began its first in-house production. The studio partnered with Brad Pitt’s Plan B Entertainment and film producer Adele Romanski to make Moonlight (2016), directed by filmmaker Barry Jenkins. The coming-of-age drama, which follows the life of a young African American man named Chiron (Trevante Rhodes) as he struggles with his identity and sexuality, received eight Academy Award nominations and three wins: best picture, best adapted screenplay, and best supporting actor for Mahershala Ali, who plays a drug dealer and mentor to Chiron.

In 2018 A24 released Hereditary, a chilling suspense film directed by filmmaker Ari Aster. The film was a box office hit when it was released, earning more than $80 million worldwide. The horror film, while retaining many traditional supernatural elements, was described by Aster as being a film about the “corrosive effects of trauma on a family unit.” The following year, Aster directed another highly successful A24 horror film, Midsommar, which uses the metaphor of a Swedish cult to portray the tenuous nature of a relationship on the rocks. Talk to Me (2023), directed by Danny and Michael Philippou, explores addiction and grief through the lens of a group of teenagers who realize that they can conjure spirits by using an embalmed hand. A24’s varied approach to horror has resulted in many of its films gaining cult followings; the explorations of grief and family dynamics in the context of the genre set A24’s films apart from most traditional supernatural or slasher flicks.

A24 had its most successful Oscar season to date in 2023; the studio received 18 nominations and 9 wins across 6 films. Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022) was a standout and won 7 out of the 11 awards for which it was nominated. Directed by Dan Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, the genre-bending dark comedy tells the story of a Chinese immigrant and mother, Evelyn Wang (Michelle Yeoh), who discovers she exists in a multiverse after being audited by the IRS. Notable wins for the film include best picture, best actress (Yeoh), best supporting actor (Ke Huy Quan, who plays Wang’s husband), and best supporting actress (Jamie Lee Curtis, who plays the tax auditor).

Garnering three nominations that year, The Whale (2022), directed by filmmaker Darren Aronofsky, earned Brendan Fraser the best actor Oscar for his portrayal of a severely obese recluse who tries to reconnect with his estranged teenage daughter. The film also won best achievement in makeup and hairstyling for the team’s creation of Fraser’s fat suit.

Television

A24 added television to its repertoire in 2014 with the debut of Playing House, a sitcom that ran through 2017 on the USA Network. Since then, A24 has produced or developed more than 40 programs across a wide variety of genres.

The Hulu original series, Ramy (2019– ), earned stand-up comedian Ramy Youssef a 2020 Golden Globe award for best performance by an actor in a television series (musical or comedy) for his semi-autobiographical portrayal of a first-generation Egyptian American navigating his spirituality in a politically divided New Jersey neighborhood. In HBO’s coming-of-age drama Euphoria (2019– ), actress Zendaya plays a teenager struggling with drug addiction while navigating the pressures of high school. The series’ first two seasons, including two one-hour specials, received 25 Emmy Award nominations and earned nine trophies, including outstanding lead actress in a drama series for Zendaya.

In 2018 A24 released Pod Save America, a four-part special that covered the 2018 midterm elections, with former Obama administration staffers Jon Favreau, Tommy Vietor, Dan Pfeiffer and Jon Lovett. The A24 Podcast, featuring in-depth conversations with film creators about the process of filmmaking, debuted in 2018. In 2019 A24 launched a book imprint to issue creator-driven books in conjunction with film releases. The books include screenplays, production sketches, original essays inspired by films’ themes, and director-selected frames from films. A24 partnered with Mack, a London-based publisher of art and photography books, in September 2024 to offer the titles at brick-and-mortar retailers. In early 2023 A24 purchased the Cherry Lane Theatre, an Off-Broadway venue in Manhattan’s West Village, with plans to present plays, other forms of live entertainment, and occasional film screenings.