Company type | Subsidiary |
---|---|
Industry | Film industry |
Founded | January 13, 2017 [1] |
Founder |
|
Headquarters | , U.S. |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | |
Number of employees | 55 (as of March 2024) [3] |
Parent | 30West |
Divisions |
|
Website | neonrated |
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. [1] 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), Spencer (2021), The Worst Person in the World (2021), All the Beauty and the Bloodshed (2022), Triangle of Sadness (2022), Anatomy of a Fall (2023), Ferrari (2023), Anora (2024), and The Seed of the Sacred Fig (2024). [6] [7] [8] [9] Parasite is Neon's highest-grossing film at the worldwide box office with more than $200 million and became the first non-English-language film to win the Academy Award for Best Picture. [10] As of 2019, League is no longer involved with daily operations for the company. [11]
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. [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17]
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". [18] In September 2017, the company partnered with Blumhouse Productions to manage BH Tilt. [19] In 2019, a majority stake of Neon was sold to 30West, the media venture arm of "The Friedkin Group". [20] [21]
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. [4] Additionally, Decal acquired North American distribution rights to the South African horror film Gaia for a summer theatrical release, marking their first ever acquisition. [22]
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". [23] 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. [24] [25] [26]
In August 2023, Neon hired former A24 employees Alexandra Altschuler as "VP Media" and Don Wilcox as "VP Marketing". [27] 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". [28]
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. [29] [30] [31]
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". [32] 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". [33]
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. [34] After acquiring Parasite in 2018, Neon financed and distributed the film the following year in U.S. territories. [35] The film subsequently became Neon's highest-grossing film with more than $200 million at the 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. [10] [36] [37] [38] 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." [39]
The Palme d'Or is the highest prize awarded at the Cannes Film Festival. It was introduced in 1955 by the festival's organizing committee. Previously, from 1939 to 1954, the festival's highest prize was the Grand Prix du Festival International du Film. In 1964, the Palme d'Or was replaced again by the Grand Prix, before being reintroduced in 1975.
Bong Joon-ho is a South Korean film director, producer and screenwriter. The recipient of three Academy Awards, his filmography is characterised by emphasis on social and class themes, genre-mixing, black humor, and sudden tone shifts.
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Parasite is a 2019 South Korean dark comedy thriller film directed by Bong Joon-ho, who co-wrote the screenplay with Han Jin-won and co-produced. The film, starring Song Kang-ho, Lee Sun-kyun, Cho Yeo-jeong, Choi Woo-shik, Park So-dam, Jang Hye-jin, Park Myung-hoon, and Lee Jung-eun, follows a poor family who infiltrate the life of a wealthy family.
Gravitas Ventures is a film distribution company owned by Anthem Sports & Entertainment. The company was founded by Nolan Gallagher in Los Angeles, California in 2006 and moved its headquarters to Cleveland, Ohio in 2019. It focuses on the distribution of Independent feature films and documentaries.
Portrait of a Lady on Fire is a 2019 French historical romantic drama film written and directed by Céline Sciamma, starring Noémie Merlant and Adèle Haenel. Set in France in the late 18th century, the film tells the story of love between two young women: an aristocrat and a painter commissioned to paint her portrait. It marked Haenel's final film role prior to her retirement from the French film industry in 2023.
Topic Studios is an American film production company owned by First Look Media. The company is known for producing films Leave No Trace (2018), Luce (2019), The Climb (2019), The Mauritanian (2021). The company also produces television shows including Love Fraud (2020) and 100 Foot Wave (2021).
Triangle of Sadness is a 2022 satirical black comedy film written and directed by Ruben Östlund in his English-language feature debut. The film stars an ensemble cast led by Harris Dickinson, Charlbi Dean, Dolly de Leon, Zlatko Burić, Iris Berben, Vicki Berlin, Henrik Dorsin, and Woody Harrelson. It follows a celebrity couple on a luxury cruise with wealthy guests that end stranded on a desert island and fighting for survival.
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