A24 Made 16 Movies for Less Than ‘Red One’s Budget

As we reflect on the cinema landscape in 2024, people are examining the year’s output and assessing its performance at the box office and among critics and audiences. A significant aspect of this analysis has been a critique of escalating production costs for Hollywood movies, which often struggle or fail outright at the box office, while some modestly budgeted films find success. This isn’t just about quality versus quantity; studios can create more high-quality films by spending less than what it takes to produce one mainstream film that underperforms. The most compelling demonstration of this is the fact that A24 was able to produce 16 films for almost the same cost as Red One’s budget.

Yes, indeed, the holiday action film featuring Dwayne Johnson and Chris Evans carried an astronomical production cost of approximately $250 million. This figure is equivalent to the combined budget for 16 narrative feature films produced by A24 in 2024, excluding their eight low-cost documentaries with a total budget under $10 million. The movies in question are: “Civil War”, “Queer”, “Love Lies Bleeding”, “Babygirl”, “We Live in Time”, “Y2K”, “MaXXXine”, “I Saw the TV Glow”, “Heretic”, “The Brutalist”, “Sing Sing”, “The Front Room”, “Problemista”, “Tuesday”, “Janet Planet”, and “A Different Man”.

To put it simply, I find it quite astounding that the combined cost to produce seventeen movies, including projects like “We Live in Time” and others from A24, is still less than what Dwayne Johnson was paid for leading “Red One.” In fact, Chris Evans alone earned $15 million for “Red One,” which is more than the entire budget of “We Live in Time” starring Andrew Garfield and Florence Pugh. Remarkably, these sixteen films collectively outperformed “Red One” at the box office. Furthermore, apart from “Y2K” and “The Front Room,” all these A24 productions have a critics’ rating of over 75% on Rotten Tomatoes, while “Red One” has a mere 30%. Despite this, “Red One” boasts an impressive audience score of 90%, but unfortunately, this didn’t translate to box office success, with the film grossing only $186 million.

Dwayne Johnson Was Paid Enough for ‘Red One’ to Make Seven A24 Movies

A number of the previously mentioned A24 movies are exceptional, with some being true cinematic masterpieces. “The Brutalist,” a film made on an approximately $10 million budget, is a strong contender for the upcoming Academy Awards and has been featured in most top film critics’ lists for 2024. “A Different Man” is a significant film that has received critical acclaim, with Sebastian Stan earning a Golden Globe for his performance. “Civil War,” a topic of much debate, managed to gross $127 million at the box office, falling just $60 million short of “Red One” (which had a production budget five times as large). “Heretic” and “I Saw the TV Glow” were two of the top horror films in 2024.

Given these points, it’s challenging to support, both financially and ethically, the massive production costs of big-budget Hollywood movies, especially when you consider that such funds could be used to create over a dozen intriguing and distinct films instead.

A24 movies may not seem like they’re low on star power – it’s not their lack of celebrity that makes them cheaper to produce. Instead, talented actors often agree to work for less money to bring their art to life and tackle roles that push them out of their comfort zone. In 2024, some of the A-list stars gracing A24 productions include: Daniel Craig, Rachel Zegler, Adrien Brody, Kristen Stewart, Andrew Garfield, Florence Pugh, Kirsten Dunst, Dave Franco, Ed Harris, Kevin Bacon, Hugh Grant, Colman Domingo, Halsey, Lily Collins, Antonio Banderas, Guy Pearce, Tilda Swinton, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Giancarlo Esposito, Sebastian Stan, and many more.

These renowned individuals have opted for artistic pursuits instead of lucrative mainstream roles. In other words, they declined offers to earn $50 million per film, and instead, they may not have been punctual on set or left behind some unexpected items (like empty water bottles) during production.

By purchasing a movie ticket, you are casting a vote. This vote signifies your interest in specific genres or themes. Therefore, to support more and higher quality films, consider watching lesser-known productions. Make your preferences known.

2025-01-13 16:05

Dwayne Johnson Was Paid Enough for ‘Red One’ to Make Seven A24 Movies

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