The Hollywood Reporter (Weekly)
How A24 Made Oscars History
The indie studio capitalized on the underdog charisma of the films’ casts, but some competitors have complained about alleged breaches of Academy rules
This time last year, all I was hoping for was just a job.” That’s how Ke Huy Quan opened a tearful acceptance speech at the Gotham Awards in November, when the possibility that the Vietnam-born, Chinese American actor might be nominated for — and even win — an Oscar for his performance in
Everything Everywhere All at Once was starting to crystallize. Quan would go on to help drive a wildly successful Oscar night for Everything Everywhere All at Once’s indie producer and distributor, A24, which became the first studio in history to sweep the top six awards in a single year. The studio’s stunning Oscar haul, which also included Brendan Fraser’s win for
The Whale, owes a lot to the appeal of its actors, and to the deft deployment of their charm at screenings, events and on social media.
Winners Michelle Yeoh, Jamie Lee Curtis,
Quan and Fraser are all industry veterans who have ridden out career lows. “They focused rightly on the cast,” says a strategist at another studio. “And their actors are so lovable that you wanted good things for them.” Says an executive at another competing studio: “Their comeback narratives — Ke’s particularly — really resonated with voters.”
Much of A24’s campaigns for both Everything Everywhere All at Once and Fraser relied on traditional tools, such as cast Q&As with guilds and media coverage. Strategists at Cinetic Marketing and Divergent PR coordinated those efforts, which benefited from a growing and fervent fan base for the film and for the actors, who had great chemistry. Some guild audiences would return for multiple viewings, and those audiences in turn helped recruit skeptical awards voters. Some competing strategists looked with envy at how well A24’s actors used their own social media accounts, particularly Curtis, who has 5 million followers, and Yeoh, who has 1.8 million. As she did in awards shows, Curtis served as an enthusiastic wing woman for Yeoh, which had the effect of reflecting well on her.
Some of the events and social media use in support of the film fell into a gray area when it comes to Academy rules, however, prompting some competitors to complain to the Academy. After Oscar nominations are announced, and until the final polls close, film companies are not permitted to invite Academy members to any parties or other non-screening events that promote nominated films. A24 itself followed those rules, according to multiple sources connected with the studio, but friends of the actors hosted their own gatherings. Academy members including Jodie Foster, Jake Gyllenhaal and Melanie Griffith threw Curtis a party in Marina del Rey on Feb. 15, and the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Beverly Hills hosted a dinner for Yeoh on Feb. 12 that was attended by Academy members including producers Jerry Bruckheimer and Jon Landau and directors Michael Mann and Oliver Stone. Yeoh also shared — and then deleted — a Vogue story on her Instagram, which noted that Cate Blanchett has “already won two Oscars.” The Academy forbids social media that singles out the competition.
Some competitors say that after the Academy declined to take any punitive action against the people behind the unconventional best actress campaign for Andrea Riseborough, the events for Curtis and Yeoh didn’t surprise them. The Academy, which did not respond to a request for comment about the competitors’ complaints, is expected to review its campaigning rules this summer. “It’s the wild, wild West out here now,” says a strategist for another studio. “If the Academy isn’t willing to set the tone in a way where there are repercussions when those rules aren’t followed, what do you expect?” Says the executive at the competing studio: “I don’t begrudge them pushing the envelope. They won it in the end, and that’s all anyone’s going to remember.”