A24, the studio behind best picture winner “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” already had an enthusiastic following for its highbrow films and its reputation as a youthful, edgy tastemaker.
That cinephile credibility was on full display at Sunday night’s Oscars, where the shy New York indie actress picked up her second best picture win, six years after her upset win for “Moonlight.”
“Everything Everything All at Once,” a fast-paced, multi-generational, multi-versal story about a struggling Chinese-American immigrant family, won seven statuettes at the 95th Academy Awards, making it the highest-winning film of all time. the night.
In addition to the first prize, “Everything Everywhere” won for Director (Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert), Lead Actress (Michelle Yeoh), Supporting Actress (Jamie Lee Curtis), Supporting Actor (Ke Huy Quan), Original Screenplay, and Film Editing. . .
A24 garnered more accolades than any other distributor, winning nine Oscars, including Lead Actor (Brendan Fraser) and Makeup and Hairstyling for “The Whale.” The company beat out Oscar stalwarts including streaming giant Netflix, Searchlight Pictures and Warner Bros.
The success of the study was not a surprise. “Everything Everywhere,” a quirky sci-fi action comedy that premiered at last year’s South by Southwest film festival, has cleaned up during previous awards, including those given by SAG-AFTRA, Directors Guild of America and Writers Guild of America.
It is the latest sign that the company has established itself as the independent powerhouse to beat.
Founded in 2012 by Daniel Katz, David Fenkel and John Hodges, the studio has had a string of critical hits including “Ladybird,” “Minari” and “The Farewell.” He is also on television with the Emmy-winning hit “Euphoria” for HBO and the Golden Globe-winning “Ramy” on Hulu.
“Moonlight,” the coming-of-age story of a black gay man in Miami (A24’s first in-house production), scored an upset victory over Lionsgate’s “La La Land” at the 2017 Oscars.
A24 box office winners have included heady, filmmaker-driven horror pictures (Ari Aster’s “Hereditary” and “Midsommar”) and Adam Sandler’s edgy thriller “Uncut Gems.”
The victory of “Everything Everywhere” comes at a time when Hollywood is undergoing a wave of change.
There is growing hope that moviegoers will return to theaters after the COVID-19 pandemic triggered shutdowns and triggered a new wave of streaming growth as entertainment companies sent their movies directly to streaming platforms for meet the audience on the sofa.
Lately, streaming services have been curtailed, and studios have largely reverted to the practice of putting movies in theaters for weeks, and sometimes months, before they’re available for home viewing.
A24’s win is also another feather in the top of traditional film distribution after years of streaming, including Netflix, trying to spend their way to Oscar glory. Last year, Apple TV+ became the first streaming service to win best picture with its feel-good family drama “CODA.”
A24 is a small but growing operation, employing 200 people in the US and UK. One of its founders, Katz, has a background in banking, having worked at the Guggenheim.
A24 recently announced the acquisition of New York’s Cherry Lane Theater and launched a music venture with Apple and Larry Jackson. He recently raised $225 million in a fundraiser run by investment group Stripes. That 10% stake gave the studio a valuation of $2.5 billion, allowing it to remain independent and expand production and distribution globally.
A24 entered the awards show with 18 nominations, a record for the studio and the most of any independent distributor, buoyed by 11 nominations for “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” three for “The Whale” and additional recognition for ” Aftersun” and “Marcel the shell with his shoes on”.
“Everything Everywhere All at Once” was A24’s most nominated film to date and its highest-grossing opening, surpassing $108 million in worldwide ticket sales.
Los Gatos, California-based streaming giant Netflix fared well with its six awards, considering its World War I German epic “All Quiet on the Western Front” wasn’t considered a major contender until shortly before for the nominations to be announced.
The Edward Berger-directed anti-war film, which garnered critical acclaim for its unflinching portrayal of young fighters, won for Cinematography, Production Design, Original Score and International Feature. Netflix also won animated feature for “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio” and documentary short for “The Elephant Whisperers.”
Netflix came in with 16 nominations, up from 27 the year before.
Walt Disney Co.’s Searchlight Pictures went home empty-handed for its grim Irish comedy “The Banshees of Inisherin.”
But its owner, Disney, took home Oscars for “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” for costume design and James Cameron’s “Avatar: The Way of Water” for visual effects.
Universal Pictures also went home empty-handed for Steven Spielberg’s semi-autobiographical drama “The Fabelmans.”
Warner Bros.’ The over-the-top music biopic “Elvis” and “The Batman” were scrapped, but the Burbank studio won an award for CNN Films’ “Navalny” (documentary feature).
Paramount Pictures took home a trophy for “Top Gun: Maverick,” which it won for sound.
MGM won the adapted screenplay award for Sarah Polley’s “Women Talking.”
Apple, last year’s best picture winner, took home an Oscar for Animated Short with “The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse.”
