And it was on the A24 [motorway]. And when youre a loser, you think for a split second, Maybe they got it wrong. Jenkins: They were like, Look. Fenkel: So hes booking, what, fifteen hundred screens? The company said he will exit to focus on "future opportunities," but did not clarify beyond that statement.. . Fenkel: Well, of course Selena Gomez in a bikini worked. Hodges had been an integral part of the studio since its inception in 2012, along with co-founders David Fenkel and Daniel Katz. 10001 NEW YORK, USA. 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. Katz: Maybe even greater. Well handle it! And if it works, its them; if it doesnt work, its all your fault anyway. Heavey: People were, like, crying. They entered into deals with DirecTV Cinema and Amazon Prime in late 2013, with some films distributed through them, and the name was changed to A24 in 2016.[3]. The photo has been replaced. II was tasked. 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. A24 Apr 2012 - May 20186 years 2 months Head of Production and Development Big Beach Films 2008 - 20124 years Greater New York City Area Development and Production Executive Michaels Goldwyn. 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. A24 (company) net worth 174 Million Millions of dollars 99% Net worth score Disclamer: A24 (company) net worth displayed here are calculated based on a combination social factors. Her film The Invitation" plays on agitation and insecurities between a group of old friends and some suspicious strangers at a lavish dinner party. (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.) The first: Barry Jenkins Moonlight, which chronicles a gay mans coming of age across three stages of his life in war on drugsera Miami. Worst case, youll get the trench-coat crowd. You know what the trench-coat crowd is? 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. Beth was also the first A24 movie since its inaugural release, the Charlie Sheen-starring A Glimpse Inside the Mind of Charles Swan III, not to receive a fresh score on Rotten Tomatoes. Filmmakersoften the toughest audiences for their own films marketing campaignsrecognize the companys real excitement for their films. And she said it sucked. But its present success and continued survival are dependent on a massive deal that seems to directly contradict everything thats made the company so special. Its DirecTV/A24 release grossed $229,094 and never played on more than 54 screens. And I think it is down to companies like A24. Take its efforts on Spring Breakers, for example. Other similarly sized outfits tend to flood the flooded marketplace with a steady barrage of quality independent and foreign fare in a way that can feel indiscriminate: Send the DCPs to Film Forum and let God sort em out. 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. So that was like their heyday. Losing a movieI wanted to jump off a bridge. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Cond Nast. But then also do things that other companies arent doing. Katz: Theres an A24 audience, and sometimes a movie connects with the A24 audience. Like, standing ovation, fucking applause in the middle of the movie. Youre incredible. If anything, it was the bastard stepchild at that point. I remember when all the commotion started, I look at David. Sacco: I show up at the airport. Memphis, Tennessee, United States. So it was strange, if you were a moviegoer in 2013, to see the A24 logo pop up again and again before movies as varied and weird as Harmony Korines Spring Breakers and Sofia Coppolas The Bling Ring, James Ponsoldts The Spectacular Now and Roman Coppolas A Glimpse Inside the Mind of Charles Swan III. 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. In 2017,[4] Moonlight won the Academy Award for Best Picture (the first such award for the company), Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Supporting Actor (Mahershala Ali). Information. And we werent thinking about that. It Follows takes the horror trope of getting punished for having sex to a new level. A24 is not like other entertainment companies. And so anytime you speak with someone whos not a pure accountant, is not a pencil pusher? John Hodges (co-founder and co-head of TV, A24): It was one of those conversations where it was always like, How would we do it differently? And it was usually fueled by beer and things scribbled down on napkins and a lot of bravado. Lady Bird remains its biggest success, earning $49 million domestically to date. God bless em. If theaters are to remain something more than a repository for superhero movies, everybody might have to be. You know, theyre big-time. This story appears in the summer issue of GQ Style. John Hodges is leaving A24, the Oscar-winning indie studio that he co-founded. We all go nuts for a few minutes, and then were all like, Okay, what do we do?. Aizenberg: I remember that Sunday we all got on the phone and were like, Were going over a thousand screens.. Ainzenberg: I remember I went and had to meet with Selena Gomezs team to prove that we were real people and we were gonna be legitimate in releasing the film. You know what? Trench coat was enough. And even this public face represents the companys nonhierarchical structure: Thats only funny, Beyer once observed, because youre not quite sure whos saying it. It was such an out-of-body experience. Dont get left behind. Variety and the Flying V logos are trademarks of Variety Media, LLC. Katz: In LAwhatever just transpired last month, you feel it in LA. So everyones wrapping up this gift basket that Im supposed to deliver to Megan [Ellison, one of the producers of Spring Breakers, who was on location in Pittsburgh] and say, like, This is why you should go with us. Some dissatisfied customers later accused the marketing campaign of misrepresenting the movie as a fun adolescent romp. Thats completely nuts. Aizenberg: I think we knew we had something at South By. Theyre just on it. Distribution: Theatrical, TV, DVD-video, VOD, USA. No!. That was just acting! It was not like being in a cinema. Focused on High Net Worth Policy holders where policy coverage exceeds $1 million. I think when movie companies get started, people want to define you immediately. Scarlett Johansson gives the most daring performance of her career in Jonathan Glazers surreal, experimental film. 2023 Variety Media, LLC. But what happens when the titles involved in this deal get bettera lot better? I think I made out with my wife in front of people. How A24 is Disrupting Hollywood. If its gonna be released the same way by another company, we usually dont go after it. junio 12, 2022. cottage for sale in timmins on . 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! Leave it to Jim Jarmusch to make the coolest vampire movie ever. [6] The name "A24" was inspired by the Italian A24 motorway Katz was driving on when he decided to found the company; coincidentally, the motorway is also renowned in Italian film history as the setting of many small Abruzzan towns and rural landscapes employed in the films of neorealist and surrealist masters. Aizenberg: I was already, like, putting together the distribution plans for Frances Ha. 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? Its infamously irreverent official Twitter account, run by an employee named Zoe Beyer, is as likely to tweet about the Spice Girls or trash-talk Tom Cruise as it is to tweet about one of the companys own movies. Other companies wanted to do stuff with it. Im dying. Fenkel: I remember we were just getting to know Scott Rudin. They kept shutting us down. Hollywood is run by accountants at this point. Your eyes dont gloss over James Franco as a trap music Jesus. Buying and burying not-great movies isnt necessarily a problem if it grows the business without harming the brand. Katz: Tuesday morning, I remember, we had a little whiskey for him. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED | TERMS OF USE|SUBSCRIBE|CONTACT. But the back end was so crazy. They have a very good understanding of the Zeitgeist. We closed the deal on The Bling Ring on the way to Sundance. And David cannot stop perspiring. Gif excerpt from the film Ex Machina via A24 Films. It is based in New York City . That was the first time it screened for U.S. audiences. Johns experience and taste is evident in the films he has developed and produced over the years. It made me crack up. Nandan: I remember seeing a screener of [The Witch], and yeah, it was like, oh, right, howd that movie not sell for more money? 2023 Deadline Hollywood, LLC. Hodges had run A24 with David Fenkel and Daniel Katz as a ruling troika, albeit one that operated without offices (located in Chelsea, the company was known for its open space and banquette tables). Karyn Kusama is a rapidly rising female director, and for good reason. [23], On March 26, 2018, co-founder John Hodges announced that he was exiting the company. I think that was Nicolette, actually: Consider This Shit.. With Hodges leaving, the. John Hodges will be leaving A24 to pursue other opportunities, the indie distributor announced Monday. Sacco: We were on our way to the bathroom. And so anytime you speak with someone whos not a pure accountant, is not a pencil pusher? Sacco: I used to think seeing people faint was what happened in movies. John. Quite often you finish a film, he told me, youve had no contact with the distributor, you hand it to them, you get a quick look at the poster. 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. But more independent existed then. Other 2013 theatrical releases included Sally Potter's Ginger & Rosa, Harmony Korine's Spring Breakers, Sofia Coppola's The Bling Ring, and James Ponsoldt's The Spectacular Now. Igoe: Even with Ex Machina at the time, we were getting bigger, but we still had that kind of start-up mentality that I dont know wed be able to get away with now. [25], On November 13, 2019, A24 entered into a premium cable television broadcast deal with Showtime Networks, covering all film releases through November 1, 2022. Katz: Theres all these really, really smart, capable, ambitious people that love movies. As Korine told Rolling Stone: I want to do the most radical work, but put it out in the most commercial way. A24 just took him up on it. @ 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. And I was ready to say: It was me! John has been a trusted partner who helped conceive A24 and for that we will always be grateful, A24 noted. 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. How do we get Spring Breakers? And then Noah got Spring Breakers. 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. Other indie labels, like Megan Ellisons Annapurna Pictures (which co-produced Spring Breakers), tend to go in the other direction, releasing a minuscule handful of movies into the currents of Oscar season in the hopes that the waters will carry them toward a crowd. A24 was founded on August 20, 2012, by film veterans Daniel Katz, David Fenkel, and John Hodges. Fenkel: Charlie Sheen was in this interesting place where maybe he was on the verge of a comeback, and Im saying that with a straight face. This monster slowly stalks you when you sleep with the wrong person, and the only way to pass it on is to bed another partner. The company said he will exit to focus on "future opportunities," but did not clarify beyond that statement. An Industry Arts Company. And then there was another one where hes deep-throating the gun, and we replaced it with a gold statue. And I remember hearing she was really upset. Katz: We did great movies. 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. I felt bad that David had to be put through that. For instance, an actress. I was proud of the film but I thought it was weird and boring. When I saw Robert Eggers The Witch at that same festival, I stumbled out of the 9 a.m. press screening convinced that I had just seen a masterpiece. A24 was founded in 2012 by Daniel Katz, David Fenkel and John Hodges. I liked the fact that they had never made a doc. Suddenly, in order to be financially viable, a project has to cost less than $2 million or more than $200 million. [8] In October 2012, Nicolette Aizenberg joined as head of publicity from 42West where she was senior publicity executive. With how bad it tested. [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. Sacco: Gun bongs. And yeah, I just think that it takesit doesnt happen that often that a new studio starts. Hodges teamed with Daniel Katz and David Fenkel to launch the company, which is based in New York City. People are like, Oh, I would have green-lit that! Im like, Come on!, Sacco: We had been talking about finding a person to produce for a long time. This elegant, yet sadistic horror film from Austria resembles Michael Hanekes Funny Games, yet the home invader was under the victims noses all along. Katz formerly led the film finance group at Guggenheim Partners, Fenkel was the president, co-founder and partner at Oscilloscope, and Hodges served as Head of Production and Development at Big Beach. Were putting together a gift basket of glass guns and a gift basket with munchies. Katz: We broke the record that weekend. No way., Katz: It was just like, Wait. James Franco (actor, Spring Breakers, The Adderall Diaries): This is one of the things theyre great at: taking something small and delicate and giving it the kind of support that other people cant. Annapurna Pictures/courtesy Everett Collection, Moonlights Mahershala Ali Picks His Own Oscar Winners. She looked great. Fenkel: Do you have to be a genius to do Sofia Coppolas movie, or Harmonys? Hodges, who previously served as head of production at the indie production company Big Beach (Little Miss Sunshine), did not announce any immediate career plans. In pretty decent seats, actually. 2023 Variety Media, LLC. 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. Garland: Under the Skin is exactly the kind of movie that you would not see distributed by a major studio. Stay plugged in to the industry with our free newsletter. Lets run there. In 2016, films distributed by A24 won Academy Awards for Best Actress (Brie Larson in Room), Best Documentary Feature (Amy), and Best Visual Effects (Ex Machina). Fenkel: We may have had to fire a fake intern for that.