a24 john hodges net worth

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. So that was like their heyday. 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). A24 is not like other entertainment companies. 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. 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. 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. And Under the Skin, from Jonathan Glazer, is one of my favorite movies in the past 15 or 20 years, you know? Nathan (Oscar Isaac) and Kyoko (Sonoya Mizuno). They had heart to them. Like Under the Skin, Locke, Enemy. Take its efforts on Spring Breakers, for example. 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. Aizenberg: There was a week in January where we dropped the trailer of Spring Breakers. And A24 was the place that took the risk. Talk me through it. Theyre super-smart people. This elegant, yet sadistic horror film from Austria resembles Michael Hanekes Funny Games, yet the home invader was under the victims noses all along. Its like, oh, this person has no idea what Moonlight is, and it just won Best Picture. We spoke with the companys friends, collaborators, and employees to make sense of how A24 became the most interesting, creative, and reliable film company of the 21st century. And then there was another one where hes deep-throating the gun, and we replaced it with a gold statue. 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. 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 she said it sucked. 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). All contents 2023 The Slate Group LLC. Because even the companys failures are interesting. It was millions in one day. Jul 2021 - Present1 year 7 months. in the past 3 years a24 has managed to make from 90 - 110 million at the yearly box office. By the end of its opening weekend, it had raked in more money than all of Korines other films combined. Its exciting. A24 FILMS. Please! Robert Pattinson (actor, The Rover, Good Time): Its crazy that there is an article about a distribution company. 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. The filmmakers were like, I made a good movie. 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. If I had to guess, Id wager that Hodges was simply ready to move on after reaching the top of the mountain winning Best Picture for Moonlight. 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. An A24 film has an affinity for subverting a celebritys established persona. Prior to joining Jax in 2019, John was a founding partner of A24, where he helped oversee acquisition and distribution on some of the company's roster of more than 70 films, which includes Spring Breakers, Ex Machina, Amy, Lady Bird, and Best . And that takes time. 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. A24 will. An Industry Arts Company. Fenkel: And they were like, You cant do that! The bottom line is that there were 677 new releases in 2013, and that number is only getting bigger. Sacco: We were on our way to the bathroom. Heavey: People were, like, crying. 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). Aizenberg: I think we knew we had something at South By. 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. When I was explaining to people what I was doing, it felt like a political campaign. Your vision is incredible.. 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. On a notepad and Post-Its. Not necessarily, like, to win Best Picture and ten Oscar nominations. Said Korine: They saw that marketing was a creative act that could be entertaining in and of itself. 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). Katz: Theres all these really, really smart, capable, ambitious people that love movies. Theyre just on it. Like, no way in hell. YOU'VE REACHED YOUR MONTHLY ARTICLE LIMIT. Fenkel: If you look at our films, we bought The Lobster in February and released it in May. 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. Subscribe to Deadline Breaking News Alerts and keep your inbox happy. From award-winning writing and photography to binge-ready videos to electric live events, GQ meets millions of modern men where they live, creating the moments that create conversations. 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. But I think in experiences since then, doing mid-budget or relatively low-budget movies, if you try to do a toned-down version of thatIve just seen it not work, again and again and again. Katz: Yeah! John Hodges (co-founder and co-head of TV, . Youre incredible. Denis Villeneuve (director, Enemy): I never saw them as businessmen. "I'm thrilled to be joining the team at Jax,". Of the 174 million impressions that the movie made in the weeks leading up to its debut, 49 percent were organic, meaning that you were just as likely to learn about a new Harmony Korine film from your weird aunts personal page as you were from a promoted update in your news feed. 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. I think Spring Breakers really put them on the map, as far as I could tell. So Im showing up to the airport with no luggage and a cardboard box with duct tape wrapped around it. Theirs is a potent brand that Ive admired for a long time, and their reputation as innovative partners to talent is second to none.. But I remember vividly that they had chosen some specific movies, one of which was Under the Skin. And we werent thinking about that. Theres aesthetic and political values to the people behind the company. New York, no one gives a shit. 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. And that was our communication for booking theaters. A24s initial funding came via an infusion of capital from Guggenheim Partners, the investment firm at which Katz previously oversaw film financing. I actually tied with Jared [Leto], who obviously won the Oscar that year, for L.A. Film Critics. I was like, I think I need to find another job., Aizenberg: They were basically like, Dont release this movie.. 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. Fenkel: I stare straight ahead. [16] The company, with cooperation from Bank of America, J.P. Morgan & Co. and SunTrust Banks, also raised its line of credit from $50 million to $125 million a month later to build upon its operations. Since 1957, GQ has inspired men to look sharper and live smarter with its unparalleled coverage of style, culture, and beyond. It is based in New York City. Garland: I would say that if Ex Machina had been distributed by a big studiothis isnt actually a criticism of studios; its actually just a statement of factthe film would not have been remotely as well received or successful as it was. Fenkel: I was at the Union Square theater, and they couldnt have had enough theaters. IMDb, the world's most popular and authoritative source for movie, TV and celebrity content. We step up to a guy we really respect. 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. Whoa! Because theyd made a curated, awesome, crafted film. A24 knew that Slow West was great well before it premiered to rave reviews, but the company also recognized that it was an odd duck, neither broad enough to be a prestige picture nor strange enough to galvanize a legion of fans. Katz: People say, Oh, Barry, why didnt you bring us Moonlight?As if that was the most obvious Best Picture! You get a movie with them and it represents something. I just started talking. Sacco: Frances Ha was the first heartbreak. Other companies wanted to do stuff with it. It was like two hours before, and they were like, Hes not gonna make it. I go, Huh., It Sucks, Man. From It Follows to The Babadook, these horror gems didnt have blockbuster budgets. And when youre a loser, you think for a split second, Maybe they got it wrong. And I think A24 and companies like that areyou know, people want to go to the cinema. Aizenberg: That first private plane didnt make it to Austin. I asked him what he wants his company to be. I was proud of the film but I thought it was weird and boring. 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. Photos courtesy A24, by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images, and Janette Pellegrini/WireImage/Getty Images. 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 someone was like, Where did those images come from? And I was like, Google? Jennifer Kents drama is a psychological heavyweight that examines how parents feed their demons to quell the pain. We had a good history. Sacco: Youre not like, Oh, we got a Best Picture winner! Youre just like, Oh, we got a great movie.. 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. Aizenberg: Yeah. For a medium-size film to succeed without a marketing blitz twice the size of its production budget, its not enough for it to be goodit has to have a hook. I dont even look at him. Get our latest storiesin the feed of your favorite networks. When I arrived at A24s office, in an anonymous building so close to the western lip of lower Manhattan that it can practically taste New Jersey, my fears that the company might be growing too fast werent exactly assuaged by learning that within weeks it was moving to an enormous office closer to midtown. Katz, Fenkel and Hodges all got together in 2012 and decided to make their late night yammerings a reality.