Neon (company) explained

NEON Rated, LLC
Trade Name:Neon
Type:Subsidiary
Area Served:Worldwide
Industry:Film industry
Location City:New York City, New York
Location Country:U.S.
Num Employees:55 (as of March 2024)[1]
Parent:30West[2]
Foundation:[3]

NEON Rated, LLC, doing business as Neon (stylized in all caps), is an American independent film production and distribution company founded in 2017 by CEO Tom Quinn and Tim League, who also was the co-founder of the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema chain.[3] As of 2019, League is no longer involved with daily operations for the company.[4]

Its first film, Colossal, was released on April 7, 2017.[5] The company is best known for distributing such notable films as I, Tonya (2017), Three Identical Strangers (2018), Apollo 11 (2019), Parasite (2019), Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019), Palm Springs (2020), Possessor (2020), She Dies Tomorrow (2020), Flee (2021), Spencer (2021), The Worst Person in the World (2021), All the Beauty and the Bloodshed (2022), Fire of Love (2022), Triangle of Sadness (2022), Anatomy of a Fall (2023), Ferrari (2023), How to Blow Up a Pipeline (2023), Anora (2024), Longlegs (2024), and The Seed of the Sacred Fig (2024).[6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11]

Parasite went on to become Neon's highest-grossing film at the worldwide box office with $262 million and the first non-English-language film to win the Academy Award for Best Picture in February 2020.[12] In 2024, Longlegs surpassed Parasites domestic box office gross ($53.3 million), with a cume of $58.6 million in its third weekend, becoming the indie distributor's highest-grossing film ever in North America.[13]

Additionally, Neon has worked with several high-profile filmmakers, which includes the following: Ali Abbasi, Sean Baker, Bong Joon-ho, Brandon Cronenberg, David Cronenberg, Nia DaCosta, Sara Dosa, Julia Ducournau, Craig Gillespie, Reinaldo Marcus Green, Hirokazu Kore-eda, Harmony Korine, Pablo Larraín, Sam Levinson, Michael Mann, Todd Douglas Miller, Brett Morgen, Ruben Östlund, Laura Poitras, Jonas Poher Rasmussen, Mohammad Rasoulof, Michael Sarnoski, Céline Sciamma, Joachim Trier, Justine Triet, and Nacho Vigalondo.[14] [15] [16] [17] [18] [19]

History

During the 4th Annual Zurich Summit, Tom Quinn commented on Neon's intent to release titles that appeal to audiences who "skew under 45, that have no aversion to violence, no aversion to foreign language and to non-fiction".[20]

In September 2017, the company partnered with Blumhouse Productions to manage BH Tilt.[21] In 2019, a majority stake of Neon was sold to 30West, the media venture arm of "The Friedkin Group".[2] [22]

In February 2021, Bleecker Street partnered with Neon to launch the joint home entertainment distribution company Decal, which is a standalone full-service operation that handles distribution deals on the home entertainment rights to both Neon and Bleecker Street's features. The first film to be distributed through Decal was the Bleecker Street release Supernova in winter 2021. Additionally, Decal acquired North American distribution rights to the South African horror film Gaia for a summer theatrical release, marking their first ever acquisition.[23]

Andrew Brown (Co-President of Decal) oversaw the launch of Neon's home entertainment division. In 2022, Brown was promoted to "President of Digital Distribution". The exec, who has served as "SVP of Digital Strategy, Marketing, and Distribution" for Neon since 2017, also manages Neon's library, and oversees the annual FYC DVD Box Set and direct-to-consumer digital portal "Neon Cinema".[24] Prior to the joint-venture, Universal Pictures Home Entertainment, as well as The Criterion Collection and Well Go USA Entertainment (for the film Possessor which Neon and Well Go co-distributed), distributed several Neon films on home video.[25] [26] [27]

In August 2023, Neon hired former A24 employees Alexandra Altschuler as "VP Media" and Don Wilcox as "VP Marketing".[28] That same month, Neon hired former Sierra/Affinity employee Kristen Figeroid as "President of International Sales and Distribution", Laurel Charnetsky as "VP International Acquisitions & Operations", and Dan Stadnicki as "Manager, International Sales & Distribution".[29]

During the 2023 Hollywood labor disputes, which took place from May 2 to November 9, Neon was approved to continue promotional activities for its films, since the company does not have ties to the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) nor had encountered any issue in receiving SAG-AFTRA interim agreements.[30] [31] [32]

In May 2024, Neon hired marketing and publicity veteran Joey Monteiro as "EVP, International Marketing" and Ashley Hirsch as "Manager of International Sales and Marketing".[33] That same month, Neon promoted Elissa Federoff from "President of Distribution" to "Chief Distribution Officer" and Ryan Friscia from "EVP, Finance and Business Development" to "Chief Financial Officer".[34]

Additionally, Neon has acquired the distribution rights to five Palme d'Or winners at the Cannes Film Festival: Parasite (2019), Titane (2021), Triangle of Sadness (2022), Anatomy of a Fall (2023), and Anora (2024); all five won consecutively.[35] [36] [37] After acquiring Parasite in 2018, Neon financed and distributed the film the following year in U.S. territories.[38] The film subsequently became Neon's highest-grossing film with more than $200 million at the worldwide box office and won four Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director (Bong Joon-ho); Anatomy of a Fall and Triangle of Sadness were also nominated for the two aforementioned Academy Awards.[12] [39] [40] [41] [42]

In 2023, Quinn commented on the company's success at Cannes, saying: "We've seen over the years that each of these films, because of their credibility and success, the Palme d'Or has come to mean something quite impactful for a very young group of cinephiles. And the reason why we know this is we've tested all these movies and dating back to Parasite, probably I think, the fifth reason why people came to see the film, in its test screening in Sherman Oaks, was the fact that it won the Palme d'Or, and each subsequent year that went up. And this year, the number one reason why people came to see the film [''Anatomy of a Fall''], at a test screening in Burbank, was the fact that it had won the Palme d'Or."[43]

In July 2024, Neon received its biggest opening weekend at the box office with the horror thriller film Longlegs, after scoring $22.6 million from 2,510 theaters (a figure that includes $2.5–3 million in Thursday previews) and only behind Universal/Illumination's second weekend of Despicable Me 4. Initially projected to gross $7–9 million, the opening marked the biggest total for an original horror film of 2024, one of the top 20 weekends for an independent film and the best opening ever for an independent horror film.[44] [45] [46] To promote the film, Neon utilized guerrilla marketing tactics similar to those that led to the box office success of The Blair Witch Project (1999).[47] Director Oz Perkins credited Neon for the film's marketing, saying the studio "really responded strongly to the movie, the raw materials of the movie really excited them, the way it looks, the way it feels, the way it sounds. They asked me early on, 'Do we have your permission to kind of go nuts?' And I said, 'What else are we doing here? Go for it. Do your thing.[48] The film's total marketing budget was under $10 million, focusing on digital content and not having television ads.[44] During its third weekend, Longlegs became the company's highest-grossing film at the domestic box office, earning $58.6 million, surpassing what Parasite earned with $53.3 million in 2020.[13] [49] [50] Additionally, it became the top grossing R-rated horror film of 2024 and the highest-grossing indie horror film of the last decade, topping A24's Talk to Me (2022), (2015) from Focus Features, and A24's Hereditary (2018).[13] Afterward, furthering their unique marketing campaign, from August 1 to 4, Neon (partnering with Atom Tickets) offered free tickets to anyone who has a birthday that falls on the 14th of any given month. To get the tickets, those who registered and purchased tickets through Atom Tickets received a special promo code after verifying their date of birth and were able to get one free ticket per customer, while supplies lasted.[51] [52] [53]

Filmography

See main article: List of Neon films.

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 'Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire' Propels Franchise Past $1B as Sequel Opens to $45M+ – Sunday AM Update . D'Alessandro . Anthony . . March 23, 2024 . March 25, 2024.
  2. Web site: Dan Friedkin and Micah Green Name Venture: 30WEST . Fleming . Mike Jr. . . September 5, 2017 . May 27, 2020 . December 17, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20191217042045/https://deadline.com/2017/09/dan-friedkin-micah-green-30west-clarify-company-role-1202162003/ . live.
  3. Web site: Tom Quinn & Tim League Launch Distribution Shingle Neon for Sundance . Fleming . Mike Jr. . . January 13, 2017 . April 16, 2020 . February 5, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200205200046/https://deadline.com/2017/01/tom-quinn-tim-league-launch-neon-distribution-company-sundance-film-festival-1201885413/ . live.
  4. News: 'Parasite' Has Shocked the Box Office, Helped by an Upstart Studio . Sperling . Nicole . . November 27, 2019 . February 13, 2020 . registration . February 11, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200211205209/https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/27/business/media/parasite-movie-studio-neon.html . live.
  5. Web site: Neon's 'Colossal' Bows Big; STX's 'Their Finest' Solid – Specialty Box Office . Brooks . Brian . . April 8, 2017 . March 25, 2023.
  6. Web site: All Neon Movies, Ranked by Tomatometer . . August 8, 2024.
  7. Web site: The Best Movies of 2019: 'Parasite', '1917' Top Critics' Lists . Oleksinski . Johnny . Stewart . Sara . . December 28, 2019 . March 25, 2023.
  8. Web site: The Best Neon Films, From 'Palm Springs' to 'Parasite' . Mendelsohn . Jon . . August 3, 2020 . March 25, 2023.
  9. Web site: The 10 Best Neon Films to Stream on Hulu . Peters . Fletcher . . February 15, 2020 . March 25, 2023.
  10. Web site: From 'Parasite' to 'Portrait of a Lady on Fire': 10 Best Neon Movies to Watch Right Now . Gama . Daniela . . January 22, 2023 . March 25, 2023.
  11. Web site: The 10 Best Movies Made by Neon Films . Bundela . Rudransh . . January 5, 2024 . January 15, 2024.
  12. Web site: Box Office: 'Parasite' Heads for Huge $50M-Plus in U.S. After Historic Oscar Win . McClintock . Pamela . . February 18, 2020 . February 18, 2020.
  13. Web site: It's Official, 'Longlegs' is Neon's Top Grossing Film Ever; Sean Wang's 'Didi' Sees Nice Open in Limited Release – Specialty Box Office . Goldsmith . Jill . . July 28, 2024 . July 28, 2024.
  14. Web site: 'Colossal' Director Nacho Vigalondo on How He Made His 'Silly' Monster Movie . Weintraub . Steve . . September 16, 2016 . April 25, 2023.
  15. Web site: 'I, Tonya' Director Craig Gillespie on Tackling a Story You Think You Know . Weintraub . Steve . . September 15, 2017 . April 25, 2023.
  16. Web site: 'Parasite' Oscar Win Leaves Hollywood Desperate to Work with Bong Joon Ho and Neon . Lang . Brent . Kroll . Justin . . February 15, 2020 . April 25, 2023.
  17. Web site: How Tom Quinn's Indie Label Neon is Shining Bright with Its Pandemic-Proof Business Model . Lodderhose . Diana . . August 25, 2021 . March 25, 2023.
  18. Web site: How Neon, the Company Behind Parasite, Is Preparing for Its Next Big Awards Season . Ford . Rebecca . . September 8, 2021 . April 25, 2023 . limited.
  19. Web site: How Céline Sciamma's 'Petite Maman' Captures the Sublime Sweetness and Tragic Loss of Youth . Hutchinson . Chase . . April 22, 2022 . April 25, 2023.
  20. Web site: How new US distribution outfit Neon is chasing younger audiences . MacNab . Geoffrey . . October 1, 2017 . April 18, 2018 . June 15, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180615004430/https://www.screendaily.com/news/-how-new-us-distribution-outfit-neon-is-chasing-younger-audiences/5122827.article . live.
  21. Web site: Blumhouse Partners with Neon to Manage BH Tilt Label . McNary . Dave . Dave McNary . . September 7, 2017 . June 19, 2018 . June 12, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180612184538/https://variety.com/2017/film/news/blumhouse-bh-tilt-neon-1202550069/ . live.
  22. Web site: Why Neon is the Hot New Distributor in Town – Deadline Disruptors . Fleming . Mike Jr. . . May 13, 2018 . April 16, 2020 . February 28, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200228010434/https://deadline.com/2018/05/neon-tom-quinn-disruptors-commentary-news-1202382220/ . live.
  23. Web site: Decal Picks Up Horror Thriller 'Gaia' Ahead of SXSW Debut . N'Duka . Amanda . . March 5, 2021 . March 12, 2021 . March 10, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210310125839/https://deadline.com/2021/03/decal-acquires-gaia-jaco-bouwer-sxsw-1234707890/ . live.
  24. Web site: Neon Ups Andrew Brown to President of Digital Distribution . Grobar . Matt . . November 28, 2022 . April 3, 2023.
  25. Web site: Five Neon Films including 'Triangle of Sadness' & 'Moonage Daydream' Join The Criterion Collection . O'Rourke . Ryan . . January 13, 2023 . January 15, 2024.
  26. Web site: Andrea Riseborough's Sci-Fi Thriller 'Possessor' Nabbed by Neon . McNary . Dave . Dave McNary . . March 27, 2020 . January 15, 2024.
  27. Web site: 'Petite Maman', 'Moonage Daydream', 'Triangle of Sadness', and More Neon Films Have Joined The Criterion Collection . Colangelo . BJ . . January 13, 2023 . January 15, 2024.
  28. Web site: Neon Hires Marketing Execs Alexandra Altschuler & Don Wilcox . D'Alessandro . Anthony . . August 18, 2023 . August 18, 2023.
  29. Web site: Kristen Figeroid Joins Neon as President of International Sales & Distribution . D'Alessandro . Anthony . . August 30, 2023 . August 31, 2023.
  30. Web site: Michael Mann's 'Ferrari' Secures SAG-AFTRA Interim Agreement; Will Adam Driver, Penélope Cruz Promote Pic at Venice? . Grobar . Matt . D'Alessandro . Anthony . . August 11, 2023 . September 11, 2023.
  31. Web site: How Are These Celebs on a Red Carpet Right Now with the Strike? . Rindner . Grant . . August 31, 2023 . September 11, 2023.
  32. Web site: Distributor Neon Poised to Regain Its Glow Thanks to Strikes . Eriksen . Kaare . Variety VIP+ . September 13, 2023 . September 15, 2023 . registration.
  33. Web site: Neon Hires Joey Monteiro as EVP of International Marketing . Lodderhose . Diana . . May 1, 2024 . May 3, 2024.
  34. Web site: Neon Promotes Elissa Federoff to Chief Distribution Officer & Ryan Friscia to CFO . Lodderhose . Diana . . May 15, 2024 . May 15, 2024.
  35. Web site: The Palme d'Or Whisperer: Neon's Jeff Deutchman on the company's Cannes strategy . Kay . Jeremy . . May 18, 2024 . July 13, 2024.
  36. Web site: Fantastic Five! Neon Makes It Five Palme d'Or Winners in a Row as 'Anora' Scoops Cannes Top Prize . Wiseman . Andreas . . May 25, 2024 . May 25, 2024.
  37. Web site: Cannes, the Neon Film Festival . The Decision Magazine . May 31, 2024 . July 13, 2024.
  38. Web site: Bong Joon-Ho's 'Parasite' Lands U.S. Deal with Neon – AFM . Hipes . Patrick . . October 31, 2018 . October 31, 2018.
  39. Web site: How 'Parasite' Changed What Foreign-Language Films Can Do at the Box Office . Brueggemann . Tom . . January 18, 2020 . January 18, 2020.
  40. Parasites Best Picture Oscar is Historic. Is This the Beginning of a New Era in Film? . Chow . Andrew R. . . February 10, 2020 . February 10, 2020.
  41. Web site: Why Neon is Pushing 'Anatomy of a Fall' at the 2024 Oscars . Lee . Chris . . March 6, 2024 . July 30, 2024 . limited.
  42. Web site: Every Neon Movie Nominated for an Oscar . James . Devon . . February 28, 2024 . May 22, 2024.
  43. Web site: Neon on the Growing Power of the Palme d'Or, Black Bear on 'Ferrari' & New Henry Cavill Pic & Iconoclast on Company's Film Ambitions – Zurich Summit Studio . Wiseman . Andreas . . October 1, 2023 . October 1, 2023.
  44. Web site: How Neon Made 'Longlegs' Sexy at Box Office with Distrib's Record Opening of $22M+, Best Start for Original Horror Pic YTD – Sunday Update . D'Alessandro . Anthony . . July 15, 2024 . July 15, 2024.
  45. Web site: Box Office: 'Longlegs' Bedevils with Phenomenal $22.6 Million Debut, 'Fly Me to the Moon' Struggles to Lift Off with $10 Million . Lang . Brent . . July 15, 2024 . July 15, 2024.
  46. Web site: 'Longlegs' Lurks Behind 'Despicable Me 4' with Record Domestic Box Office Debut . Malhotra . Rahul . . July 15, 2024 . July 15, 2024.
  47. Web site: Horror movie 'Longlegs' has gone viral with its creepy marketing campaign. But is it more than just a stunt? . Mello-Klein . Cody . Northeastern Global News . July 11, 2024 . July 25, 2024.
  48. Web site: 'Longlegs' Director Oz Perkins Says the Wild Marketing Campaign is All Neon: 'I Would Be a Jackass to Take Too Much Credit' . Lattanzio . Ryan . . June 24, 2024 . July 26, 2024.
  49. Web site: 'Longlegs' Hits $58 Million, Surpassing A24's 'Talk to Me' as Highest-Grossing Indie Horror Movie in North America . Rubin . Rebecca . . July 28, 2024 . July 28, 2024.
  50. Web site: 'Longlegs' is Now Neon's Top-Grossing Domestic Box Office Release . Malhotra . Rahul . . July 28, 2024 . July 28, 2024.
  51. Web site: Neon's Latest Marketing Stunt: Free 'Longlegs' Tickets to Anyone with a Birthday on the 14th . Welk . Brian . . August 1, 2024 . August 3, 2024.
  52. Web site: 'Longlegs' Offering Free Tickets to Anyone Born on the 14th of Any Month! . Squires . John . . August 1, 2024 . August 3, 2024.
  53. Web site: Neon Treats Potential 'Longlegs' Victims to Free Screening . Vance . Grant . No Film School . August 1, 2024 . August 3, 2024.

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