On reading this title I can imagine this essay being about 1 of 2 things: 1. Is this essay going to be about A24's impact on Hollywood and the entertainment industry? 2. Or the hearts and minds of viewers around the world, predominantly Millennial, Gen-Z, and Alpha? Well, in this case it's the former, and it's *a big deal.* Here's the TLDR: A24 has fundamentally changed what Hollywood is making. Gone are the times of big studios ONLY making sequels and reboots, and gone are the no-color, new-IP one-off films that unsurprisingly perform so poorly for big studios. "*Urgh,* why doesn't Hollywood ever make any NEW movies?" Well Tina, that's because every time they try nobody goes and sees them. *It doesn't help that they tend to be quite bad and soulless.* As a result, the studios harken back to their tried and true 2000s [[guaranteed box-office hit formula]]. But then A24 showed up and changed the game. As viewers, we know that, but it's taken about 10 years for Hollywood to react... and I think they have, and I'm candidly shocked. My argument for A24 changing Hollywood isn't based in numbers — it's based in my experience watching the trailers that played before the non-IMAX F1 movie. Here's some of what I saw... [Ella McCay](https://youtu.be/hJYPGhJDjaU) | 20th Century Fox [Preparation for the Next Life](https://youtu.be/d-LdHBuxCvs) | Amazon MGM Studios [Twinless](https://youtu.be/pxseQQkGvb8) | Lionsgate [Good Fortune](https://youtu.be/ZKWndx83RwQ) | Lionsgate [A Big Bold Beautiful Journey](https://youtu.be/TozZ3hg4Kn4) | Colombia Pictures Watch these trailers... Do they feel *familiar*? To me, they all feel like they're trying to copy the A24 hyper-stylized look + strange story. You can even see the style applied to [The Conjuring: Last Rites](https://youtu.be/bMgfsdYoEEo) film! Here's what I see: - Stylized color grade - Really unique lenses + cinematography - Quirky ass story - NEW STORIES — not reboots. Yay, great! Hollywood is *changing* for the better! Well maybe, but it's *prediction time* (and I hope I'm wrong about this) — ***but I don't think most of these films will work.*** Despite the films being an improvement in style, I'm still *seeing* that *"varnished expensive studio film look"* with an A24 [LUT](https://youtu.be/4w3I4uRibOA) thrown on it. A24 works because they let the directors and producers *cook*, and oftentimes get weird. While I'm not *not* convinced these trad-studio films let the directors cook, I'd bet there's no big "A24 twist" or deeper depths explored. These kind of story changes completely rewrite the way a movie is marketed and pitched to executives — these twists often feel like throwing a hand grenade in the kitchen just as the food is being finished. They're risky, but they make A24 films, *A24 films.* To me, an A24 film is: - A director/creative led endeavor - Stylized ***for the sake of the story...*** - Includes the "A24 twist" — where ~halfway through the film the story completely changes from what it was marketed as; for example: - Civil War — It's not actually about an American civil war, it's about journalism - Anora — It's not actually about a stripper and a rich kid falling in love, it's about hunting down the rich kid - Everything Everywhere All at Once — It's not just a multiverse superhero story, it's a story about family - REALLY well marketed This, to me, is the A24 hit formula recipe. It's important to note too that A24 takes *A LOT* of shots on goal — in 2024 they released *19 movies!* Amazon MGM did 12, Lionsgate did 17... Not all of A24's films are hits, but each one is a solid, *real* swing at trying to tell a new story as best they can. Now, I think the non-A24, A24-inspired trailers linked above may perform fine in the box office — but again, I don't think they'll *work well*. But by "work well" I mean: - Do they JUMP above box office expectations? Are they breakout hits? - Do they have significant cultural impact? - Will they be films you and your friends talk about and go see, urgently? I would bet no, but I'd love to be wrong. Still, I'm really happy to see this growth and change in the way big-studio movies are being made. I wonder why this is happening: I think one idea is that new disruptors to Hollywood (like A24) and the imminent perceived threat of AI has been a wakeup call for executives and filmmakers — it's time to make *great* **new** movies again. And I'm all here for it, and can't wait to join the fray myself.