But I think she saw this, and it hijacked her image and personality, and we didnt ask her. Itd be very unlikely for that to happen. It was social media. Lets run there. This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. [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. Suddenly, in order to be financially viable, a project has to cost less than $2 million or more than $200 million. I was like, Fuck yeah!, Sacco: I think its inspiring and motivating to a younger generation: Oh, that movie cost this, and it did this. A24 co-founder John Hodges is exiting the indie companyto focus on future opportunities, he and the company jointly announced on Monday. The company said he will exit to focus on "future opportunities," but did not clarify beyond that statement.. [19], In January 2017, the company acquired the United States and Chinese distribution rights for their first foreign language film, Menashe. Jax Media Taps A24 Co-Founder John Hodges as Head of New Film - Variety The Bling Ring provoked Emma Watson to cast off the shadow of Hermione Granger and step into the pink Juicy Couture sweatpants of a spoiled teen criminal in contemporary Hollywood. No Comments Yet Be the first to comment on John Hodges! Pattinson: Theyre definitely the place to be now. There was nothing bad-spirited about it. Fenkel: Well, of course Selena Gomez in a bikini worked. I think we lost control. The companys best known movies include Ex Machina, Room, The Witch, Amy and Moonlight, which won the 2016 Academy Award for best picture, best adapted screenplay and best supporting actor for Mahershala Ali. And so anytime you speak with someone whos not a pure accountant, is not a pencil pusher? This is before Wolf of Wall Street came out, but Margot Robbie, I didnt know her, but she was working with somebody that knew my costumer or something, and got in touch with me and was like, Can you print me a photo of the tattoos in detail, so that I can get this costume perfectly? Because she was fucking Alien that year. Maybe even that guy with a two-way radio who keeps you from walking through a movie set. 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. A Glimpse Inside the Mind of Charles Swan III, Frankenstein's Monster's Monster, Frankenstein, Would It Kill You to Laugh? Rather than focusing on acquisitions, as was its early strategy, A24 is now producing its own movies, as well as its own podcast. So whos to say that, you know, A24 wont become Warner Brothers five years from now? Lady Bird remains its biggest success, earning $49 million domestically to date. It is based in New York City . And when youre a loser, you think for a split second, Maybe they got it wrong. Beyer: It was all about this tension between, like, trying to legitimize ourselves as a real company that can handle working with, like, big. Logo by GrandArmy Photos via A24. And she said it sucked. This elegant, yet sadistic horror film from Austria resembles Michael Hanekes Funny Games, yet the home invader was under the victims noses all along. Mahershala Ali (actor, Moonlight): I definitely have a lot more opportunity right now than Ive ever had before. In 2016, A24 expanded into original production with Moonlight. It also put out some of its weirder and most singular movies to date: Trey Edward Shultss micro-budget family drama Krisha; Swiss Army Man, in which Daniel Radcliffe plays a corpse; and Yorgos Lanthimoss romantic tragedy, The Lobster. In February, Robert Eggerss The Witch, which A24 bought at Sundance for one million dollars, made $40 million and became the companys highest grossing film to date (Moonlight has since surpassed it). It was also that A24 was releasing these films not with a sigh and a shrug, but with panache, style, and humor: bright neon colors, guerrilla marketing tactics, and in the case of James Francos Britney Spears-loving gangster character from Spring Breakers, an actual Oscar campaign. They wanted, like, the Disney, massive one. Fenkel: I was at the Union Square theater, and they couldnt have had enough theaters. But then also do things that other companies arent doing. But we said, Lets invest in it. Theres a difference. And suddenly its all over, and you think, Of all people, I knew the most about my film, so why was I was on the periphery of its release? But working closely with A24 throughout Rooms pre-release has altered his philosophy on film marketing: I used to think that the publicity process was both morally questionable and smoke and mirrors, that it was one of those invented jobs. People want to see movies. 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.. Sacco: It was my first festival ever. I think he would say something now. Fenkel: And we did this, like, illegal Tinder stuff. [21][22] Episodes are based around a discussion between two members of the film industry. Zach Baron is GQs staff writer. 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. 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. Fenkel: And they were like, You cant do that! Your vision is incredible.. Aizenberg: When I started, we didnt have Spring Breakers yet, but the whole focus of that very first meeting I went to was like, How do we get Spring Breakers? Talk me through it. How A24 is Disrupting Hollywood. Hodges: The office literally looked like a pump-and-dump stock operation. Katz: I think if you had asked us beforehand, we would have said, you know, La La Lands gonna win. Were always cognizant of trying to sell the film by not selling it, said marketing exec Jesse Patrone-Werdiger, speaking to A24s rare faculty for promoting around the product its trying to push, shifting the tectonic plates of culture in the hopes of giving rise to a mountain. Thats an achievable budget number for me. You know what I mean? Usually you talk to somebody and they tell you all the reasons they shouldnt make something, and why its so difficult. Scarlett Johansson gives the most daring performance of her career in Jonathan Glazers surreal, experimental film. [9], The company began its distribution of films in 2013. A24 Co-Founder John Hodges Exits - Yahoo The whole thing was really intense. And I felt with these guys it was a dialogue. Im dying. So everything had to be explained to me, and by the time it was explained, it was over. It wasnt going to get lost in the shuffle. A24 thinks hard about the landscape of distribution, and they think hard about the models, and the models are changing. Katz, Fenkel and Hodges prior to A24 worked in film and production, before leaving to eventually co-found the company, And it was like a snowy and rainy day, and there was a ton of traffic. 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. Gif excerpt from the film The End of the Tour via A24 Films. [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. Daniels like, Okay. And then it was consolidation. Oh my god, its new! All Rights Reserved. The things about it that didnt were what made me most excited, both for Moonlight and the future of a company thats confident enough in its sense of self to stretch toward something new. Fenkel: I think we had to sell them on, like, Hey, were gonna push this thing.. 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. Garland: I didnt know what Tinder was until the festival. God bless em. If theaters are to remain something more than a repository for superhero movies, everybody might have to be. Heading into production nearly a decade after the premiere of Jenkins only other feature (the excellent Medicine for Melancholy), the film has been waiting a long time for a company with the confidence required to finance it. 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. 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. A24 has an estimated net worth of about $1.89 million. Coppola: I was a little nervous about not going with a company that I knew had a track record, but I knew that they were going to really do their best. And it was like. Focus and Fox Searchlight had become kind of isolated in what they did. John Hodges will be leaving A24 to pursue other opportunities, the indie distributor announced Monday. 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. [8][28] Its five highest grossing films are Everything Everywhere All at Once ($107.2 million), Hereditary ($82.5 million), Lady Bird ($79 million), Moonlight ($65.3 million) and According to Ponsoldt, who recently became the companys first repeat filmmaker: A24 films run the gamut of genre and style, but they all seem to be incredibly specific, personal visions.. But if it is, a monastic degree of focus will be required to recognize which A24 titles might fare better on VOD. From Distributing to Dominating: The Rise of A24 | FSU Student Union 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. Four short years later, the companys first original production, Barry Jenkinss Moonlight, won the Academy Award for Best Picture. If the companys success continues apace, it might not be long before a profitable mid-budget movie no longer seems like a unicorn, and it might not be much longer until being an A24 film is the only hook a film needs. Thats the chief message of an A24 campaign, really, from elegant design to sharp social media to clever co-branding choices: This is a company that gets it. Pattinson: I mean, with Twilight, the first tour we did was literally going to suburban shopping malls and doing local-news stuff. BREAKING: John Hodges, one of the founding members of A24, has announced his departure from the production and distribution studio to focus on future opportunities. Miramax, they were a huge deal, and also Fox Searchlight. Hodges had been an integral part of the studio since its inception in 2012, along with co-founders David Fenkel and Daniel Katz. Most importantly, an A24 film is a happening. Igoe: At SXSW, we had Spectacular Now, and Spring Breakers showed there. But it was word of mouth. He recently profiled Conor McGregor for GQ Style. And you can really see over the past few years, it really, really hasnt at all. Whoa! Because theyd made a curated, awesome, crafted film. a24 john hodges net worth Dede Gardner (producer, Plan B, Moonlight): When we and Barry said it was absolutely critical that we shoot in Miami, they said, Of course it is. And you know, many, many others wouldve said, Well, you can get the rebate if you go to Atlanta. But anyone whos read it knows that Liberty Square and that particular light and that particular culture was a character. This is Rudin. Some dissatisfied customers later accused the marketing campaign of misrepresenting the movie as a fun adolescent romp. The Rover found a mentally deficient Robert Pattinson singing Keri Hilsons Pretty Girl Rock in the deserts of post-apocalyptic Australia. But we liked them. I think what theyve understood is theres a sufficient number of people out there who want more challenging or different material. With Hodges leaving, the company behind the Oscar-winning best pictureMoonlight made it clear that no additional changes in management will be made. Fenkel: We knew we were releasing the movie. We tried to get the Union Square movie theaterwe didnt have a theatrical booking yet. We get movies. And the only thing we could put it in was a cardboard box with duct tape. You know what? Trench coat was enough. IP & Literary Intern, Literary & IP Acquisitions at Amazon Studios, Assistant, Physical Production at Lionsgate, Executive Assistant/Production Office Coordinator for iONE Digital (NY), Manager, Scripted Film and Television, Cond Nast Entertainment. David Fenkel (co-founder, A24): We find movies [for which] our perspective, our system, our people, can act to make it something special. I think when movie companies get started, people want to define you immediately. Aizenberg: Remember he didnt show up to the premiere? The Oscar-nominated actor gives us his all-time favorites of film. Its exciting. 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). Aizenberg: Nine to ten people walked out. I just Eddie Guy. Sacco: Youre not like, Oh, we got a Best Picture winner! Youre just like, Oh, we got a great movie.. Hollywood is run by accountants at this point. You get a movie with them and it represents something. 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 then you meet Barry and hear Barry talk, and its like, Of course! Like Under the Skin, Locke, Enemy. Katz: Theres all these really, really smart, capable, ambitious people that love movies. They didnt have a ton of movies, you know? And Under the Skin, from Jonathan Glazer, is one of my favorite movies in the past 15 or 20 years, you know? Daniel Katz (co-founder, A24): We used to always talk about Oh, theres gotta be a better way.. No one in the office is older than 42, including co-founders John Hodges, David Fenkel, and Daniel Katz. Filmmakersoften the toughest audiences for their own films marketing campaignsrecognize the companys real excitement for their films. Fenkel: In LA, every meeting is about the hot air. And they even never uttered the words, What would it be like in a cheaper state? Franco: I remember the South by Southwest festival, the screeningit was like a rock concert. The tech titan is reportedly in the midst of dropping $1 billion on original content, but has yet to make a major film market move. I won, I think, L.A. Film Critics and maybe one other. Still, A24 has never enjoyed a box-office breakout hit. See what happens.. Jennifer Kents drama is a psychological heavyweight that examines how parents feed their demons to quell the pain. And on some level, honestly, I was afraid to go out on my own and try to make it work. A24 went on a spending spree and released 11 movies in their second year of operation. With Hodges leaving, the. 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. Key grip. Jon Hodges - Chief Executive Officer/Founder - LinkedIn 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? And that question is the birth of fandom. Jax Media Taps A24 Co-Founder John Hodges as Head of New Film - Variety 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. I think that was Nicolette, actually: Consider This Shit.. But I feel that the fact that it was their first filmthere was a lot of idealism around the process. Fenkel: Do you have to be a genius to do Sofia Coppolas movie, or Harmonys? A24s initial funding came via an infusion of capital from Guggenheim Partners, the investment firm at which Katz previously oversaw film financing. Steven Soderbergh retired. Spike Lee turned to Kickstarter. A24's television division has produced The Carmichael Show, At Home with Amy Sedaris, Ramy, Euphoria and Mr. Corman. Halfway through the campaign, I think it went the other way. Katz: There was still, I think, the element ofthey thought we got lucky. John Heavey (distribution, A24): Especially the first two years, we fell in love with every movie. a24. 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. 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. Judging by the fact that the trailer racked up more than 3 million views in its first week online, the crowds are ready with their pitchforks. The filmmakers were like, I made a good movie. They had heart to them. How do we get Spring Breakers? And then Noah got Spring Breakers. Heavey: People were, like, crying. [7], Guggenheim Partners provided the seed money for A24 The company was started to share "movies from a distinctive point of view". If its gonna be released the same way by another company, we usually dont go after it. John Cornelius Hodge (Squatty Roo, Jeep, Rabbit) was born on 25 July, 1907 in Cambridge, MA, is an American saxophonist. 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. Jenkins: I just would never allow myself to believe that something I made could win Best Picture. Her film The Invitation" plays on agitation and insecurities between a group of old friends and some suspicious strangers at a lavish dinner party. SIGN UP FOR OUR FREE DAILY NEWSLETTER, FIRST TAKE, Sundance, SXSW Comedy 'Never Goin' Back' Sells to A24. Fenkel: Look at The Witch. Its exciting. How A24 Revolutionised What It Means To Be A Film Studio A24 Films - Production List | Film & Television Industry Alliance Take the fate of John Macleans Slow West, one of the years best films, a neo-Western starring Michael Fassbender as a bounty hunter. A24 Co-Founder John Hodges Exits - Variety And yeah, I just think that it takesit doesnt happen that often that a new studio starts. Thats someone else. . Nandan: I remember seeing a screener of [The Witch], and yeah, it was like, oh, right, howd that movie not sell for more money? Theyre on the tarmac, and were having to find a new jet for them within twenty minutes. In between, A24 went from being a tiny, disorganized room of eight or so people to being the place where big stars like Robert Pattinson and Scarlett Johansson go to make small, strange movies, and auteurs like Jonathan Glazer and Denis Villeneuve go to make deeply personal films unmolested by studio notes or clueless executives. We still dont. Annapurna Pictures/courtesy Everett Collection, Moonlights Mahershala Ali Picks His Own Oscar Winners. Sacco: I used to think seeing people faint was what happened in movies. I dont think that switch in psychology is supposed to happen that dramatically, or that abruptly. Jenkins: They were like, Look. For instance, an actress. When your audience does the work for you. He later left A24 on March 2018 to focus on future opportunities. That was a thing. If the cost of helping great movies find their theatrical audiences and lure them into theaters is to release other great movies that audiences have to find for themselves, thats probably a price most of us are willing to pay. 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. And you could tell that it was in their reach. When your business model is predicated on treating each movie like an event, how do you get bigger without changing who you are? . Distribution: Theatrical, TV, DVD-video, VOD, USA. A24 was set up ten years ago by David Fenkel, John Hodges and Daniel Katz, all veterans of New York's independent film business. I liked the fact that they had never made a doc. I just started talking. 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]. He also produced . Barry Jenkins (director, Moonlight): A24s the kind of company where they say, Yeah, they dont need to know what its about. Gif excerpt from the film Under the Skin via A24 Films. For the company's filmography, see, 20142017: Television and later productions, 2018present: Management changes, partnerships. But the back end was so crazy. And I was ready to say: It was me! Like I had glandular problems. And I think it is down to companies like A24. Read Next: Cate Blanchett Talks Tr and Fulfilling the Awards Prophecy of Winning an Oscar Every Nine Years, Tom Sizemore, Saving Private Ryan Actor, Dies at 61, Reality TV Star Stephen Bear Jailed for 21 Months Over OnlyFans Sex Video, Jonathan Majors Confronts Those Terrible Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania Reviews: It Doesnt Change How I See Myself, New Alien Movie Starts Filming in March, Reveals Cryptic Synopsis and Full Cast, Why Sylvester Stallone Is Not in 'Creed 3', Michelle Yeoh Says Hollywood Questioned If I Even Spoke English After 1997 Bond Film: I Didnt Work for Two Years Due to Stereotype, Woody Harrelson Slams COVID Set Protocols as 'Nonsense,' Urges Hollywood to 'Stop' Forcing 'Vaccination': Thats 'Not a Free Country', Idris Elba Says Backlash Over Not Calling Himself a Black Actor Is Stupid: Where Am I Denying My Blackness?, Ke Huy Quan Lost His Health Insurance Right After Filming Everything Everywhere All at Once: Nobody Else Wanted to Hire Me, Harry Potter Star Evanna Lynch: I Wish People Would Give J.K. 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. You prepare like for your dissertation at Harvard. And I think A24 and companies like that areyou know, people want to go to the cinema. Like Get Out, or Baby Driver. Aizenberg: I remember that Sunday we all got on the phone and were like, Were going over a thousand screens.. 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. Fenkel: You dont know how to control yourself. How Much is A24 Studios Worth? : boxoffice - Reddit They just seem like theyre the first company thats really abandoned a lot of the old models. All Rights Reserved. The world opened itself up. And it satisfied something they werent getting. 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. . That was just acting! It was not like being in a cinema. BREAKING: John Hodges, one of the founding members of A24, has announced his departure from the production and distribution studio to focus on future opportunities. 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.. At a time when young people are increasingly going to the movies only for blockbuster spectacle, A24 has established itself as the film industrys most forward-thinking company by releasing the kind of midsized, stylish, quality films that seemed on the verge of going extinct, transforming them into a collective theatrical experience, and aiming them squarely at a demographic that would rather watch movies on their phones. Wanna follow A24 (company)'s net worth? 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. A24 is an American independent entertainment company that specializes in film and television production, as well as film distribution. Katz: Tusk, we were like, oh, Kevin Smith! Variety is a part of Penske Media Corporation. We literally didnt know what to do. Prior to A24, all had worked extensively in film and production before leaving their current positions to co-found the company, originally A24 Films, which specialized in film distribution. A24 Founder John Hodges To Part Ways With The Company [laughs] I remember I had to have a conversation with Alicia about it, where she was saying, What the hell? and I was saying, I dont know. 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. Who are A24 - the company behind Uncut Gems, Euphoria and Hereditary? Robert Pattinson (actor, The Rover, Good Time): Its crazy that there is an article about a distribution company. 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. Zoe Beyer (marketing, A24): Spring Breakers had a whole Oscar campaign. (Make a left out of the elevators, and then a right at the cafeteria workers.). Where its like: Im in. Franco: All the distributors knew it was great. A24 co-founder John Hodges is exiting the indie company to "focus on future opportunities," he and the company jointly announced on Monday. Kapadia: There were other films that had a lot more money in their campaign and were everywhere. Fenkel: Id love to say from the first cut we knew. Fenkel: I remember we were just getting to know Scott Rudin. Korine: I could tell that they were on some new shit, you know? a24 john hodges net worth. Its not remarkable that A24 had set such a goalits remarkable that the company is accomplishing it.