Inside Neon and A24’s Blockbuster Success with Longlegs and Civil War
How Indie Films Are Shaking Up the 2024 Box Office?
The 2024 box office has seen fluctuations, but independent distributors Neon and A24 continue to hit significant milestones, proving their power outside the traditional studio system. Neon’s horror film Longlegs opened to $22 million last weekend, marking the distributor’s best wide opening to date, surpassing records set by Immaculate in March and Ferrari last December. Similarly, A24 achieved a comparable milestone three months ago with Civil War.
These record-breaking openings are largely due to extensive marketing campaigns, though their strategies differ. Longlegs employed unconventional tactics, such as a ‘90s-style website dedicated to its serial killer theme and a hotline where callers could hear Nicolas Cage singing Happy Birthday in a creepy manner. This unique marketing helped Longlegs stand out amid major studio releases like Despicable Me 4 and Inside Out 2, which have overshadowed other films this year, especially with the calendar disrupted by strike-related delays.
Unlike major studios that spend hundreds of millions on franchise films, Longlegs quickly recouped its costs with a modest budget under $10 million, including marketing. This has made 2024 Neon’s best year at the box office so far. The film also overshadowed A24’s recent horror release MaXXXine, but A24 is still having a strong year thanks to Civil War. As A24’s most expensive film to date, the war thriller capitalized on a less crowded spring calendar and a politically charged election year, drawing viewers to Imax showings and surpassing the record opening of the 2018 horror film Hereditary.
Civil War’s success mitigated the underperformance of last year’s Beau Is Afraid, a $35 million production from Hereditary director Ari Aster, which struggled to earn $10 million domestically. A24 rebounded with the acquisition of Sundance hit Talk to Me, ensuring 2023 was another record year.
A24 is also venturing into bigger budgets with plans to co-produce and distribute the adaptation of the PlayStation game Death Stranding. Meanwhile, Neon is taking calculated risks, securing deals for higher-budget films like the upcoming horror flick Cuckoo and expanding its portfolio with acquisitions such as Sean Baker’s Anora and the sequel to It Follows, titled They Follow. Neon’s collaboration with Osgood Perkins on The Monkey, an adaptation of a Stephen King short story, further cements its position in the horror genre, with a release date already set. Neon is set to capitalize on its recent successes and maintain its momentum.
SOURCE: Variety
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How Indie Films Are Shaking Up the 2024 Box Office?
The 2024 box office has seen fluctuations, but independent distributors Neon and A24 continue to hit significant milestones, proving their power outside the traditional studio system. Neon’s horror film Longlegs opened to $22 million last weekend, marking the distributor’s best wide opening to date, surpassing records set by Immaculate in March and Ferrari last December. Similarly, A24 achieved a comparable milestone three months ago with Civil War.
These record-breaking openings are largely due to extensive marketing campaigns, though their strategies differ. Longlegs employed unconventional tactics, such as a ‘90s-style website dedicated to its serial killer theme and a hotline where callers could hear Nicolas Cage singing Happy Birthday in a creepy manner. This unique marketing helped Longlegs stand out amid major studio releases like Despicable Me 4 and Inside Out 2, which have overshadowed other films this year, especially with the calendar disrupted by strike-related delays.
Unlike major studios that spend hundreds of millions on franchise films, Longlegs quickly recouped its costs with a modest budget under $10 million, including marketing. This has made 2024 Neon’s best year at the box office so far. The film also overshadowed A24’s recent horror release MaXXXine, but A24 is still having a strong year thanks to Civil War. As A24’s most expensive film to date, the war thriller capitalized on a less crowded spring calendar and a politically charged election year, drawing viewers to Imax showings and surpassing the record opening of the 2018 horror film Hereditary.
Civil War’s success mitigated the underperformance of last year’s Beau Is Afraid, a $35 million production from Hereditary director Ari Aster, which struggled to earn $10 million domestically. A24 rebounded with the acquisition of Sundance hit Talk to Me, ensuring 2023 was another record year.
A24 is also venturing into bigger budgets with plans to co-produce and distribute the adaptation of the PlayStation game Death Stranding. Meanwhile, Neon is taking calculated risks, securing deals for higher-budget films like the upcoming horror flick Cuckoo and expanding its portfolio with acquisitions such as Sean Baker’s Anora and the sequel to It Follows, titled They Follow. Neon’s collaboration with Osgood Perkins on The Monkey, an adaptation of a Stephen King short story, further cements its position in the horror genre, with a release date already set. Neon is set to capitalize on its recent successes and maintain its momentum.
SOURCE: Variety
