It was a different time; it was the nineties. As Dickens would say- “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” However, when it came to the film industry, “gilded” was the most appropriate adjective to describe the then-prosperous era of the studio system. Theatrical releases were no less than a celebration. There was something regal about the whole affair. But alas! All good times must come to an end, and so did the fairytale era of the studios. The advent of OTT platforms has robbed the old charm of theatrical releases; their rapid production pace is almost impossible to follow by the traditional production company (except few exceptions). But even during the reign of the OTT platforms, a single production house kept production companies running in the race. And it is none other than the oddball among the production companies, A24. The reason I am calling A24 the oddball of the movie production companies is not just their eccentric film aesthetics. Many production companies before A24 tried their luck in making niche films and building a specialty company, such as Focus Features.
But what set A24, a Manhattan-based American independent company founded in 2012 by Daniel Katz, David Fenkel, and John Hodges, apart was their business strategy of curating indie films with a vibey aesthetic and marketing them online for more virality at a lower cost. Even though A24 started with only distributing movies with their unprecedented and unconventional marketing strategy, soon after getting the well-deserved recognition, they began to produce and distribute critically acclaimed award-winning films like The Spectacular Now (2013), Ex Machina (2014), Room (2015), Moonlight (2016), Minari (2020) and Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022); to name a few.
A24 primarily focuses on producing and distributing movies prioritising artistic vision and storytelling. A24 came up with many unprecedented elements in Hollywood, like making neon colour palettes a staple of their films, not being afraid to create striking and bold visual choices, and so on. Spring Breakers (2012) comes to mind as a unique visual aspect of a film. It was one of the first A24 movies talked about because people could see ‘girl next door’ actors like Ashley Benson and Selena Gomez in an entirely new light. But Spring Breakers got recognition mainly because it was beautiful in its own sordid, horrible way.
The first A24-produced film was Moonlight (2016), a coming-of-age drama film written and directed by Barry Jenkins, whose last and only other project was Medicine for Melancholy (2008). Barry was given complete creative freedom and delivered too, as Moonlight received critical acclaim and won the Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor, and Best Adapted Screenplay in the 89th Academy Awards. This marked their first Oscar success, following earlier nominations for Best Actress in a Leading Role for Room, Best Visual Effects for Ex Machina, and Best Documentary for Amy.
Since 2017, A24 has consistently had at least one film nominated for an Oscar almost every year, including Lady Bird (2018), Minari (2020), and The Tragedy of Macbeth (2022). But the most significant achievement of A24 in the Academy Awards was when Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022) swiped the Oscars with multiple wins and nominations. The movie garnered seven Oscar wins, including Best Picture, Best Actress, Best Director, and Best Supporting Actor. In addition to the film, A24 expanded to TV in 2017 with a broad spectrum of drama series like Euphoria (2019-present) and BEEF (2023).
The strategy that worked the best for A24 was that they supported independent filmmakers and independent cinema by giving them a platform to showcase their work in front of the world. They are offering a break to a visionary filmmaker like Ari Aster is a testament to that. Ari Aster’s debut feature film, Hereditary (2018), shows bone-chilling and, quite frankly, very unsettling storytelling, spreading A24’s name to people who like thought-provoking and critically acclaimed content. A24 actively seeks out and collaborates with emerging talents, providing them with the requisite resources and support to make their creative visions come to life. Their assistance to Greta Gerwig, Jonah Hill, and Bo Burnham in their directorial debuts proves that.
A24 strategically selects diverse and niche films across various genres, including drama, horror, comedy, and science fiction. They maintain their worldwide appeal by catering to the eclectic tastes of their audience, recognising the importance of appealing to a specific range of people passionate about the unique storytelling experience. That’s not to say that they don’t make bad films ever. But their hugely effective strategies come to an advantage here too. A24 puts out a ton of movies every year. Just in 2022, they made 20 films, two more than Paramount, a studio that’s way bigger and much more popular. Their strategy with the bad films is to leverage partnerships with DirecTV and AppleTV to ensconce the movies they don’t think are up to par. This is how movies like The Adderall Diaries (2015), The Kill Team (2019), and Revenge of the Green Dragons (2014) get quietly shuffled away to appeal to a smaller audience.
That being said, A24’s filmography is a testament to its unwavering commitment to quality and its appreciation for innovative storytelling. With a diverse range of genres, A24 caters to discerning demographics, fostering a rich and nurturing environment for exceptional and limit-pushing storytelling in Hollywood. As A24 continues to push the boundaries of visionary storytelling and solidify its position as a force to reckon with in the industry, the likelihood of A24 shaping the future of cinema and leaving a lasting impact behind for others to follow for years seems more and more likely.
Author- Adrita Zahin Hai
