Aidan Reidy is a writer who’s currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in motion pictures screenwriting at the University of Miami. He is passionate about the entertainment industry and enjoys watching most genres. He is interested in every aspect of filmmaking ranging from technical aspects like editing and sound mixing to acting and directing styles. Hollywood Insider’s commitment to substance-filled articles rather than gossip columns attracted him to the website, creating an enjoyable environment for him to write in and aligning with his personal values, as well.
Jun 14, 2025
How the sixty-person company has overtaken A24 as the most consistent and successful indie distributor in the United States:
The 2020s have been a rather interesting decade for the world of Cinema to say the least. Blockbusters have been designed to be massive IP event movies for the most part, while comedies are being relegated straight to streaming, with wide theatrical releases becoming virtually extinct for the genre. Among this chaos, independent film has been thriving more and more each year, partly in thanks to indie distributors that have built themselves up as a “brand”, such as A24 and Neon, the latter achieving great success at the big film festivals and with their Oscar campaigns. Neon will look to continue their hot streak after acquiring several contenders at the Cannes Film Festival last month, while also having many acclaimed films releasing in theaters in the coming months.
The Cannes Film Festival has served as a jumping off platform for films, some with less name recognition than others, to break out before award season kicks off, as seen last year with Sean Baker’s‘Anora’. Baker was a relatively known name before his massive success in 2024, but his films, despite being critically acclaimed after their initial festival runs, were often disregarded by the Academy and other voting bodies.
Following ‘Red Rocket’, one of the best films of the decade in my humble opinion, he cited his displeasure with A24’s handling of the release, mainly because it was only shown in limited theaters, so he decided to strike a deal with Neon for a wide theatrical release of ‘Anora’. Going on to make $20 million in North America against a $6 million budget, it quickly became Baker’s highest grossing film, which definitely wasn’t a fluke.
A24’s release schedules were, and are still, not the best, mainly because they put them in theaters in big cities like New York and Los Angeles before going nationwide a week or two later, but their movies still may not be playing in theaters in your area during this wide release.
In 2018, before it went on to win the Palme d’Or and Best Picture at the Oscars, Neon acquired the rights to Bong Joon Ho’s‘Parasite’ for a theatrical run in the United States and Canada for 2019. This ultimately proved to be the first of many wins for Neon: ‘Parasite’ went on to gross $53 million in North America against an $11 million budget, then skyrocketing them to newer heights after the historic Oscars ceremony.
One of Neon’s biggest success stories stemmed from the marketing and theatrical release of Oz Perkins’ ‘Longlegs’ in the Summer of 2024. Rolling out billboards with cryptic messages and voicemails left by Nicholas Cage in character as Longlegs created excitement for what was being called, “the scariest movie ever made.” Was this true? Not really. But it got people to the movie theater, grossing $74 million in North America against a $10 million budget, marking the best opening for Neon and of any horror film in 2024.
Six Straight Palme d’Ors
Something that’s become extremely more important and apparent recently is that Neon’s success isn’t just limited to theatrical runs. They’ve been making a massive dent at the Cannes market, either buying films in advance to compete for the Palme, or after their premiere, somewhat depending on the critical response. Most, if not all, of these movies then in turn get a theatrical release, which helps smaller yet talented filmmakers get their name recognized and grow a following.
2025 has been a massive year for Neon so far, acquiring the theatrical rights to the Palme d’Or winner ‘It was Just an Accident’, the Grand Prix winner, ‘Sentimental Value’, and ‘The Secret Agent’, which won the prize for Best Director (Kleber Mendonça) and Best Actor (Wagner Moura).
This has become a pattern for them, winning the coveted award every year starting in 2019 with ‘Parasite’ followed by ‘Titane’, ‘Triangle of Sadness’, ‘Anatomy of a Fall’, ‘Anora’, and of course, ‘It was Just an Accident’ this year. Their catalogue has expanded every year, allowing cinephiles to see movies they may have not been able to see previously, like ‘The Seed of the Sacred Fig’, released in theaters in 2024.
Neon has faced some slight criticism, similar to the criticism A24 has faced, for making the movies more about them, the distributor, than the actual filmmakers. After winning the Palme d’Or this year, Neon’s Twitter account posted a picture of Michael Jordan holding six rings with the caption, “Palme d’Or X six. Merci, Cannes,” not mentioning the film or filmmaker. It’s certainly not the worst thing a studio can do in this day and age, but this sets a bad precedent going forward. Films should celebrate those who worked tirelessly, day and night, on them, not the distributor.
Along with Neon, A24 has become one of the more recognizable distribution and production companies, in the United States at least, because they have built a brand around themselves. It’s not rare to see people wearing their merch, especially in a large city, because of how extensive they’ve made their website, selling things like hats, clothes, and other accessories. They’ve recently tapped into the physical media market as well, selling things like blu-rays and vinyls with custom artwork. Neon also sells merchandise, but their website is nowhere near as big as A24’s, so you will most likely rarely see anyone walking around with an ‘Anatomy of a Fall’ T-shirt.
Conflating A24 with the director of a film has become a common misconception in the “Letterboxd Era” of Cinema, with people often labeling a film distributed by the company as the “new A24 movie”. There’s nothing wrong with this, because it’s technically true, but if they weren’t involved in the production of the movie and just act as the distributor, it’s quite strange. It seems to only be happening with A24 movies, now more recently Neon movies as well. I’ve never met anyone who says they are excited for the new Bleecker Street release!
By Aidan Reidy
Click here to read The Hollywood Insider’s CEO Pritan Ambroase’s love letter to Cinema, TV and Media. An excerpt from the love letter: The Hollywood Insider’s CEO/editor-in-chief Pritan Ambroase affirms, “We have the space and time for all your stories, no matter who/what/where you are. Media/Cinema/TV have a responsibility to better the world and The Hollywood Insider will continue to do so. Talent, diversity and authenticity matter in Cinema/TV, media and storytelling. In fact, I reckon that we should announce “talent-diversity-authenticity-storytelling-Cinema-Oscars-Academy-Awards” as synonyms of each other. We show respect to talent and stories regardless of their skin color, race, gender, sexuality, religion, nationality, etc., thus allowing authenticity into this system just by something as simple as accepting and showing respect to the human species’ factual diversity. We become greater just by respecting and appreciating talent in all its shapes, sizes, and forms. Award winners, which includes nominees, must be chosen on the greatness of their talent ALONE.
I am sure I am speaking for a multitude of Cinema lovers all over the world when I speak of the following sentiments that this medium of art has blessed me with. Cinema taught me about our world, at times in English and at times through the beautiful one-inch bar of subtitles. I learned from the stories in the global movies that we are all alike across all borders. Remember that one of the best symbols of many great civilizations and their prosperity has been the art they have left behind. This art can be in the form of paintings, sculptures, architecture, writings, inventions, etc. For our modern society, Cinema happens to be one of them. Cinema is more than just a form of entertainment, it is an integral part of society. I love the world uniting, be it for Cinema, TV, media, art, fashion, sport, etc. Please keep this going full speed.”
Aidan Reidy is a writer who’s currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in motion pictures screenwriting at the University of Miami. He is passionate about the entertainment industry and enjoys watching most genres. He is interested in every aspect of filmmaking ranging from technical aspects like editing and sound mixing to acting and directing styles. Hollywood Insider’s commitment to substance-filled articles rather than gossip columns attracted him to the website, creating an enjoyable environment for him to write in and aligning with his personal values, as well.
Aidan Reidy is a writer who’s currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in motion pictures screenwriting at the University of Miami. He is passionate about the entertainment industry and enjoys watching most genres. He is interested in every aspect of filmmaking ranging from technical aspects like editing and sound mixing to acting and directing styles. Hollywood Insider’s commitment to substance-filled articles rather than gossip columns attracted him to the website, creating an enjoyable environment for him to write in and aligning with his personal values, as well.
Aidan Reidy is a writer who’s currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in motion pictures screenwriting at the University of Miami. He is passionate about the entertainment industry and enjoys watching most genres. He is interested in every aspect of filmmaking ranging from technical aspects like editing and sound mixing to acting and directing styles. Hollywood Insider’s commitment to substance-filled articles rather than gossip columns attracted him to the website, creating an enjoyable environment for him to write in and aligning with his personal values, as well.
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