An A24 project is far more likely to be female-driven than a film released by another company, and it is typically directed by a major filmmaker (Sally Potter, Sofia Coppola, Noah Baumbach) or a filmmaker on the cusp of becoming one (J.C. Chandor, James Ponsoldt). Its like, oh, this person has no idea what Moonlight is, and it just won Best Picture. You look at the underdog story, I think thats not by accident. He recently profiled Conor McGregor for GQ Style. We step up to a guy we really respect. This is Rudin. Karyn Kusama is a rapidly rising female director, and for good reason. And in that moment I was like: Now its time to go do this. It would cost too much to buy Mississippi Grinda fighting chance in theaters, so the film is making its way into the world through 20 million smaller screens rather than a few dozen large ones, and more viewers will have a chance to appreciate it as the sublime hangout movie that it is. The company said he will exit to focus on "future opportunities," but did not clarify beyond that statement.. 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. 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 I was ready to say: It was me! Katz: David and I are sitting next to each other. That kind of audience. For instance, an actress. I am incredibly proud of the company we created and of the amazing team at A24 that has been integral to its success. While there is speculation in the trades that A24 may be on the block, I get the impression that sale rumors are just that rumors. you never leave your partner especially in a fire villas san angel rosarito a24 john hodges net worth. But A24 has the money to acquire a steady slate of releases, the model to support them, and the chutzpah to make nearly each one into a mini-phenomenon. The initial agreement covered 12 films, the first of which was Denis Villeneuves jaundiced doppelgnger freakout, Enemy, starring Jake Gyllenhaal. Im dying. A24 will. It was social media. "I'm thrilled to be joining the team at Jax,". Producer: Safety Not Guaranteed. . You know what? No way., Katz: It was just like, Wait. John has been a trusted partner who helped conceive A24 and for that we will always be grateful, A24 noted. And Im not saying theyre magicians. This fall A24 enters the awards race in a serious way for the first time, with two movies: the accessible David Foster Wallace biopic The End of the Tour, and the Brie Larsonstarring literary adaptation Room, which recently won the coveted Peoples Choice Award at the Toronto International Film Festival. Many of the countrys most vital filmmakers, unwilling to accept that their next movie would have to be either shot on an iPhone or connected to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, have begun to abandon ship. John Hodges is leaving A24, the Oscar-winning indie studio that he co-founded. Probably the best place to screen-test the movie. I agree with TheWrap's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy and provide my consent to receive marketing communications from them. I just trust, you know, Drag City or Merge or SST or Dischord. They rented some office space in Manhattan. 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. [23], On March 26, 2018, co-founder John Hodges announced that he was exiting the company. Suddenly, in order to be financially viable, a project has to cost less than $2 million or more than $200 million. 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. [15], In January 2016, Sasha Lloyd joined the company to handle all film, television distribution and business development in the international marketplace. And on some level, honestly, I was afraid to go out on my own and try to make it work. Agent. 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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. [9], The company began its distribution of films in 2013. On the TV side, Jaxs current projects include the recently released Russian Doll on Netflix, starring Natasha Lyonne; The Other Two, which was just picked up for a second season; and the final season of Broad City for Comedy Central. Miramax, they were a huge deal, and also Fox Searchlight. But in general distribution is like plumbing: unseen, unnoticed, and notable only when it malfunctions. Earlier this year I was drinking in a hotel bar with the head of another distribution company at a film festival. (Blindsided teens, many of whom had been intrigued at the thought of seeing former Disney star Selena Gomez in a more mature performance, assailed the Internet with complaints that they had paid to see the Worst Movie Ever Made.) I think that was Nicolette, actually: Consider This Shit.. Since the small blast of trade articles that greeted the companys inception, theyve remained unusually quiet. It was like two hours before, and they were like, Hes not gonna make it. But we liked them. And, I mean, there was one moment in the movie when my character was booed and hissed so vociferously, I felt as though I was in a Roman arena and my life was at stake. [24], On November 15, 2018, A24 and Apple announced that they had entered into a multi-year partnership where A24 will produce a slate of original films for Apple. First movies gonna be so exciting! And I remember everyone came back from that test screening. With Hodges leaving, the. Fenkel: [Katz] is a better runner than I am. 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. We had a good history. GQ may earn a portion of sales from products that are purchased through our site as part of our Affiliate Partnerships with retailers. But I feel that the fact that it was their first filmthere was a lot of idealism around the process. It was like being in some kind of arena. Alex Garland (director, Ex Machina): They make things work that according to standard procedures really shouldnt work. But I do remember finally looking over, because I didnt know where they were sitting, and I spotted Dan Katz and Dave Fenkel, and, man, the smile on their faces! But I remember vividly that they had chosen some specific movies, one of which was Under the Skin. Signup for Breaking News Alerts & Newsletters. That suits a company whose websites About page consists of nothing beyond an Eadweard Muybridge plate of a cockatoo flapping its wings. You know what? Trench coat was enough. 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. [27], A24 distributes and produces around 18 to 20 films a year. Jeremy Kleiner (producer, Plan B, Moonlight): It wasnt like, Oh, this is low-hanging fruit, lets grab on to this one. It was a passionate embrace of the movie. Jenkins: I dont know if [Moonlight] was a glittering jewel of a project. And theyre aiming at them. There has been speculation for the past six months that the company is for sale. And we got Best Picture [also for Room]. Aizenberg: Ex Machina winning for visual effects was the most shocking thing. Fenkel: And we had a booker at the time, this big old school guy, gentle giant, hes a sweet guy, but kind of a gangster, but levels of, like, cool gangster. Tinder was yelling at us. This story appears in the summer issue of GQ Style. Although A24's actual net worth is not known. There was nothing bad-spirited about it. John has been a trusted partner who helped conceive A24 and for that we will always be grateful, noted A24. A24 was set up ten years ago by David Fenkel, John Hodges and Daniel Katz, all veterans of New York's independent film business. Sacco: Gun bongs. Zach Baron is GQs staff writer. All rights reserved. (Make a left out of the elevators, and then a right at the cafeteria workers.). Fenkel: Lenny [Abrahamson, for Room] beats out Ridley Scott! In the fall of 2012, A24 arrived at the Toronto International Film Festival with a plan to acquire several movies. You walk through that office, and there arent a lot of people that look like theyre from Liberty City, Miami. 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. And it just kept getting better and better and better. [21][22] Episodes are based around a discussion between two members of the film industry. Sacco: I used to think seeing people faint was what happened in movies. [Sofia] was like, Oh, will you at least partner with Harvey? We were like, No!. I mean, I have no idea what theyre doing, really. Moonlight is nominated for eight Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Supporting Actor, but loses Best Picture to La La Landwait, what? But we got A Glimpse Inside the Mind. And although it describes itself as Midnight Madness, the film didnt start until close to one oclock in the morning. And then its like on the biggest stage, I didnt thank anybody! People want to see movies. Right after we did those three films, I dont think we had really purchased a film for the following year. Theyre super-smart people. in the past 3 years a24 has managed to make from 90 - 110 million at the yearly box office. They had faith that people would continue to show up. We werent a fully formed company yet. [He won at least six.] 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. The division of labor is clear, but there arent any titles for the companys employees, who all work elbow to elbow in a single room. Its such a really fucking well-executed movie. Katz: I was very concerned that people were gonna think Room kind of stepped into shit and got lucky with awards. 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.. So, um, well done, A24! And so with [The Rover], they took that into account, and instead of blowing loads of money, [they did] more targeted marketing and also really sophisticated online campaigns and stuff. You could tell that they wanted to be great. It was like Broadcast News. For Ponsoldts latest, A24s marketing efforts followed the films example of approaching a highbrow topic with a low bar for entry, partnering with Medium.com for a project called Just Words, for which writers, artists, and other intellectual types collectively celebrated the life and work of David Foster Wallace. And [my producer] kept saying it, and I kept thinking, Okay, at some point Ill figure out what hes talking about. 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. Across 96 films released at the time of this article, the average Production Budget on each film rounds out to a cool $6 million, with the Box Office revenue across the 96 films adding up to $798 million. The End of the Tour freed Jason Segel from the succubus of network sitcoms by allowing him to inhabit the image of an iconic American writer. It made me crack up. And we still have a great relationship now. The only monsters we ever see in "It Comes at Night" are the ones that live under one roof. Mr Katz had worked in film financing at Guggenheim Partners, and . Korine: I dont think I was there, but I heard people were walking out. Hollywood is run by accountants at this point. 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.. Its not remarkable that A24 had set such a goalits remarkable that the company is accomplishing it. Sacco: Its sobering and motivating in a different way. That didnt come with any veto rights or cut rights, Abrahamson told me. Community content is available under CC-BY-SA unless otherwise noted. A24 was founded in 2012 by Daniel Katz, David Fenkel and John Hodges. Focused on High Net Worth Policy holders where policy coverage exceeds $1 million. John Hodges will be leaving A24 to pursue other opportunities, the indie distributor announced Monday. Thus far, A24 hasnt made any of the movies its released, but its made all of them A24 movies. Not heyday. (For context, the Spring Breakers Facebook page has 1.1 million likes, while that for Fox Searchlights Best Picture-winning Birdman has only 289,000.) 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. So everything had to be explained to me, and by the time it was explained, it was over. We wanted to deliver in a meaningful way. Daniel Katz (co-founder, A24): We used to always talk about Oh, theres gotta be a better way.. Correction, Sept. 30, 2015: This article originally contained a photo of John Hodges, a film producer, rather than John Hodges, co-founder of A24. Kapadia: Theyve won Best Picture. It wasnt disrespectful. All Rights Reserved. I actually tied with Jared [Leto], who obviously won the Oscar that year, for L.A. Film Critics. Katz: Theres an A24 audience, and sometimes a movie connects with the A24 audience. All contents 2023 The Slate Group LLC. Really? [7], Guggenheim Partners provided the seed money for A24 The company was started to share "movies from a distinctive point of view". Robert Pattinson (actor, The Rover, Good Time): Its crazy that there is an article about a distribution company. Please, just let those two!. How great it was. I was thrilledwhen the news broke that A24 had acquired the domestic rights, and then gutted to learn that it was part of the DirecTV pact. This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. Surely theyve learned by now that theres a ceiling for arthouse films these days. Thats not a go-wide movie. And someone was like, Where did those images come from? And I was like, Google? Garland: Under the Skin is exactly the kind of movie that you would not see distributed by a major studio. Notable guests on the show have included Bo Burnham, Paul Schrader, Sofia Coppola, Alia Shawkat and Martin Scorsese. 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. 2023 The Hollywood Reporter, LLC. This is a growing company, not a struggling one. Nandan: I remember seeing a screener of [The Witch], and yeah, it was like, oh, right, howd that movie not sell for more money? [10] The company's first theatrical release was Roman Coppola's A Glimpse Inside the Mind of Charles Swan III, which had a limited release. Saulnier expertly contains conflict, depth and gore within small confines. A24s initial funding came via an infusion of capital from Guggenheim Partners, the investment firm at which Katz previously oversaw film financing. All Rights Reserved. When I was explaining to people what I was doing, it felt like a political campaign. Steven Soderbergh retired. Spike Lee turned to Kickstarter. 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. . I was like, I think I need to find another job., Aizenberg: They were basically like, Dont release this movie.. The second title was Life After Beth, the domestic theatrical haul of which was a paltry $88,273. Hodges, along with Katz and Fenkel, largely shunned the spotlight, giving few interviews even as A24 made a name for itself by releasing edgier, filmmaker-driven fare from directors such as Lenny Abrahamson, Alex Garland, and the Safdie Brothers. No!. Jenkins: What theyre doing is so fluid and free-form that two years from now, it could be quite different than it was two years ago. And while they invited me into their headquarters to get a feel for the place and chat on background with the core team, they stressed that theyd prefer their movies to speak for themselves. Here's who: Daniel Katz, David Fenkel, John Hodges and James Schultz. Gif excerpt from the film Under the Skin via A24 Films. 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. When your business model is predicated on treating each movie like an event, how do you get bigger without changing who you are? So long as A24 continues tooperate independently and make edgy films from newcomers and established veterans alike, Ill be a happy moviegoer. Her film The Invitation" plays on agitation and insecurities between a group of old friends and some suspicious strangers at a lavish dinner party. John Cornelius Hodge (Squatty Roo, Jeep, Rabbit) was born on 25 July, 1907 in Cambridge, MA, is an American saxophonist. 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. Please only use it for a guidance and A24 (company)'s actual income may vary a lot from the dollar amount shown above. John Heavey (distribution, A24): Especially the first two years, we fell in love with every movie. Fenkel: So hes booking, what, fifteen hundred screens? Mahershala Ali (actor, Moonlight): I definitely have a lot more opportunity right now than Ive ever had before. [19], In January 2017, the company acquired the United States and Chinese distribution rights for their first foreign language film, Menashe. The company may be a lovely acquisition target for a buyer seeking an arthouse pipeline,but A24 is still building itself as a brand one that is synonymous with quality. Katz: There was still, I think, the element ofthey thought we got lucky. The optimistic way to view this situation is that A24 is getting much better at buying good movies for its DirecTV deal, rather than filler like Barely Lethal. All rights reserved. Login to view all information @ Katz: Some of it was probably misplaced, dont you agree? Kleiner: They had the movie, I want to say, 22, 23 weeks in theatrical release? Subsequent DirectTV titles havent fared much better (in fact, most have fared much worse), and it soon became clear that these early acquisitions were the unloved stepchildren of the A24 family. And when youre a loser, you think for a split second, Maybe they got it wrong. 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. The company has laid the groundwork to evolve from just another upstart distribution label into a multiheaded ministudio capable of developing its own contentand so far theyve done it by releasing movies that tend to earn more cultural cachet than they do money. Still, A24 has never enjoyed a box-office breakout hit. Katz: We broke the record that weekend. That was a thing. Its funny. Where its like: Im in. By subscribing, I agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. And that was our communication for booking theaters. Most importantly, an A24 film is a happening. Sasha Lane (actress, American Honey): They were like, You guys are who you are and were not going to change that. No one had to be perfected for anything. Filmmakersoften the toughest audiences for their own films marketing campaignsrecognize the companys real excitement for their films. Katz: Tuesday morning, I remember, we had a little whiskey for him. We had to get a second one. The story behind the studio that brought you Moonlight and It Comes At Night, as told by Barry Jenkins, Sofia Coppola, James Franco, Robert Pattinson, and the founders of A24 themselves. Trey Edward Schultz's moody, atmospheric thriller plays on our country's present division and how mistrust in others can come back to harm us. The world opened itself up. And it satisfied something they werent getting. 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. But I put no limitations on what theyre capable of. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement and Your California Privacy Rights. Usually you talk to somebody and they tell you all the reasons they shouldnt make something, and why its so difficult. A24 FILMS. Whatever lingering reservations I had about the VOD side of A24s business were dismantled by the recent rumblings of a demonically possessed goat: The DirecTV logo may still be lurking toward the bottom of The Witchs teaser poster (which accurately identifies and champions Black Phillip as the movies breakout star), but at some point along the way it was decided that this crowd-pleasing, pants-ruining work of art has the makings of a communal sensation, and A24 pivoted. Katz: They were kind of comfortable with the Under the Skin release. A24 typically pays a bit more for these movies than it does the ones the it buys itself, andlike most VOD content providersit doesnt make its grosses public. The company said he will exit to focus on "future opportunities," but did not clarify beyond that statement. (He won the Los Angeles Film Critics Association award for Best Supporting Actor). Like Under the Skin, Locke, Enemy. I dont mean it that way. Harmony Korine (director, Spring Breakers): They have balls. No one in the office is older than 42, including co-founders John Hodges, David Fenkel, and Daniel Katz. Were good. And check out the haunting synth score by Disasterpiece. Sacco: Youre not like, Oh, we got a Best Picture winner! Youre just like, Oh, we got a great movie.. And there are studio subdivisions, like Fox Searchlight, that have consistently guided films like 12 Years a Slave and Birdman to Academy Awards and box office success over the past twenty years. Brie Larson (actress, Room, The Spectacular Now): A24 has the unique ability to find and champion authentic narratives that cut to the core in a raw and honest way. Hodges teamed with Daniel Katz and David Fenkel to launch the company, which is based in New York City. And you can really see over the past few years, it really, really hasnt at all. And it was on the A24 [motorway]. [26], In July 2021, A24 reportedly explored a possible buyout for between $2.5 billion to $3 billion. Itd be very unlikely for that to happen. Coppola: That was the worst. From It Follows to The Babadook, these horror gems didnt have blockbuster budgets. When Ex Machina director Alex Garland was asked what he liked about working with A24, he compared the major studios to ocean liners: To change direction it takes them two days to even start to make that turn. We tried to put together a slate in, like, four months, as opposed to just really growing it, building it in the right way. And integral and critical for the film to rise on its own feet. No additional changes in management will be made, said A24, which will continue to develop and produce a growing slate of content across film and television. The companys expansion into film is a natural progression as the company continues to produce scripted and non-scripted television as well as stand-up comedy specials. Also Read: Sundance, SXSW Comedy 'Never Goin' Back' Sells to A24, John has been a trusted partner who helped conceive A24 and for that we will always be grateful, the studio said in a statement. They didnt have a ton of movies, you know? Franco: I hope they dont get too big that they forget what got them started. Katz: I always had dreams of [starting a company]. Ali Herting (acquisitions and development, A24): We were never gonna get Place Beyond the Pines. YOU'VE REACHED YOUR MONTHLY ARTICLE LIMIT. See what happens.. Aizenberg: I was already, like, putting together the distribution plans for Frances Ha. But youre in a tuxedo and everyone around you is older and theyre quiet Jenkins: It sucks, man, because of how it happened, none of us thanked them! They just need to know how it feels.. A24 has also been nominated and won many Golden Globes, British Academy Film Awards, and Critics' Choice Movie Awards. All three had grown up admiring the rich world of 90s independent cinema, and they noticed a void where those movies had once been. Its super inspiring. Key grip. I think he would say something now. Well handle it! And if it works, its them; if it doesnt work, its all your fault anyway.