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How A24 has established itself as one of Hollywood’s leading studios
Since its creation, the American production and distribution studio A24 (Midsommar, Euphoria) has taken Hollywood and its competitors by surprise, leaving great artistic freedom to its directors and actors. As The Smashing Machine, one of its productions, is about to be released, the studio remains constantly in the spotlight. Throwback to the reasons behind the success of the company founded in 2012 by Daniel Katz, John Hodges and David Fenkel.
Poignant and bold stories
In 13 years, the American production and distribution studio A24 (Midsommar, Pearl, Euphoria, Moonlight) founded by Daniel Katz, John Hodges and David Fenkel has shaken up the landscape of Hollywood giants. One of its strengths? Films that address a wide range of poignant themes – family conflicts, coming-of-age, grief, immigration, depression… While some studios are still reluctant to bring certain stories to the big screen, A24 has made a daring bet on different types of projects since its launch in 2012.
And the risk-taking is paying off. A24 films often come with prestigious awards at award ceremonies. Indeed, the studio has been carving out a place for itself at the Oscars and Emmys Awards for several years. He has allowed Brendan Fraser, Brie Larson, Mahershala Ali and Ke Huy Quan to win the precious golden statuette.
The studio’s strong presence at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival
Always ahead of the curve, A24 made a bold statement at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, reaffirming its status as a daring and visionary studio. This year, it showcased three highly anticipated feature films: Highest 2 Lowest by Spike Lee, carried by an outstanding cast including Denzel Washington, A$AP Rocky, and Jeffrey Wright.
A24 also unveiled Eddington, the latest creation from horror master Ari Aster, starring Joaquin Phoenix, Emma Stone, and Pedro Pascal. Finally, the American studio presented Pillion, a romantic drama by Harry Lighton starring Alexander Skarsgård, alongside Harry Melling.
A prestigious selection that reflects A24’s ability to bring forth distinctive projects, powered by stellar casts. At the 2025 Venice Film Festival, audiences were also treated to another eagerly-awaited feature, The Smashing Machine, starring Dwayne Johnson.
A24, an inclusive studio
Another strong point of A24 ? The studio shows an inclusiveness that is still too rare in Hollywood. Relentless, Past Lives,… Several projects have been led by Asian filmmakers who stage narratives based on their own life experiences.
The film Moonlight (2016), a coming-of-age film about a young black gay man, was a turning point in the journey of A24. The feature film is almost entirely composed of actors of color, including its director Barry Jenkins.
Issues of ethnicity and sexuality are not the studio’s only priorities, as several female heroines and female directors from diverse cultures are also at the center of the studio’s projects (Lady Bird, Love Lies Bleeding).
Movie stars star in A24 movies
Robert Pattinson, Anya Taylor-Joy, Michelle Yeoh, Kirsten Dunst… Big names in cinema have played in A24 productions. It was an opportunity for some actors to try their hand at new genres, such as Awkwafina in The Farewell, who swapped comedy for a more serious register.
For others, it’s about getting behind the camera, like Jonah Hill with his film 90s (2019) and Bo Burnham with Last Year (2018).
The presence of great directors (Sofia Coppola, Denis Villeneuve, Sean Baker, Greta Gerwig) in the credits of the films is also one of the major assets of A24. By offering filmmakers greater creative freedom, A24’s projects enjoy a strong visual identity in which the filmmaker’s vision flourishes.
Merchandise, dating app… A24’s original marketing
By asserting its presence on social networks, the A24 studio was very quickly able to adapt to its audience by communicating with them in a unique way on its films. In 2014, to promote Alex Garland’s film Ex Machina, the marketing team created a fake profile on the dating app Tinder in the image of Alicia Vikander’s character: a humanoid with a deceptively innocent appearance.
Today, the studio continues to use its imagination to promote its films, since for the film Beau is afraid (2023), an Instagram account dedicated to the fictional company MW was created, responding to messages from Internet users. On the occasion of the American screenings of the drama film L’Amour au présent with Florence Pugh last October, packets of tissues were distributed at the entrance to the theaters, with the inscription: “It’s ok not to be ok“.
Beyond the promotional aspect of the films, the A24 studio also offers some merch with its logo available on its official website. There, fans can buy t-shirts, sweatshirts, socks and vinyls of Euphoria, MaXXXine and Uncut Gems. A clever way to get people talking about A24 productions, borrowed from the music industry and highly efficient in the world of rock’n’roll. Finally, the studio has also expanded into a music label and a restaurant. A24 has partnered with New York restaurants Frenchette and Wild Cherry to open a new spot in Cherry Lane Theatre.
The Smashing Machine (2025) by Benny Safdie, coming out in theatres on October 29th, 2025.
