It sounds like A24, one of the mainstays of interesting and original cinema, could be shifting its strategy toward making blockbuster films.
It sounds like a course change is on the cards for A24, the darling of arthouse fans everywhere. For years now A24 has demonstrated a steadfast commitment to smart takes on genre films and lavish arthouse productions. However according to reports that’s set to change, as the studio looks to change direction and invest in action movies and (gulp), ‘big IP projects’.
According to The Wrap, the studio is ‘de-emphasising the traditional character/auteur-driven dramas’ partly because they aren’t performing well enough. Instead, they are ‘widening the aperture’ to produce more mainstream films. A24 has put out a reliable string of critically successful ‘smart’ movies for a decade now and has actually enjoyed growing commercial success in that time too, with films like Everything Everywhere All At Once and Midsommar enjoying very successful runs, theatrically and beyond.
However, there’s also been some misses too, commercially speaking at least, This year’s Beau Is Afraid is the one that’s made the most headlines, with reports emerging today that the film lost the studio up to $35m. That’s no small amount of lost cash for a company of A24’s size to absorb but even so the scaling back of its bold cinematic offerings will feel like a stinging blow to many a film fan.
From Uncut Gems to Under The Skin, The Lighthouse to Aftersun, A24 has always been involved in producing films that often offer a refreshing alternative to the more commercial fare that you often find in cinemas. There are still a few of those on the way, with the trailer for based-on-a-true-story drama The Iron Claw recently being released. As it stands though, only time will tell how committed the studio is towards continuing to put these projects out in light of its new strategic direction. Now excuse us whilst we go and lie down in a dark room for a while.
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