Big news for Letterboxd power users: A24 is relaunching its membership program with a perk made for movie buffs: tickets to A24 movies on their opening weekends.
Since June 2022, independent film studio A24 has offered a membership program, AAA24, to fans willing to shell out $5 a month. Membership comes with a subscription to A24’s zine (this month’s is themed around the Hugh Grant-starring thriller Heretic thriller), a logo pin, a membership card and fob for priority access to live events, and an exclusive merch shop.
Perhaps most enticing for movie buffs of certain tastes, membership includes status as a “close friend” on A24’s Instagram account which offers exclusive drops and peeks behind the scenes of upcoming films or goings on in its office. A peek behind the curtain is particularly rare for the studio, which has kept its operations shrouded in secrecy (case in point: the company refused to be quoted in this article).
Today, the company is relaunching that membership at a price of $10 a month (though old members will be grandfathered in at $5). AAA24 2.0 includes all of the same perks with a big new benefit: members will receive a ticket to every A24 movie on opening weekend in their area. To do this, the company has partnered with cinema chains including AMC, Regal, and Alamo Drafthouse. The membership is substantially cheaper than subscription offerings from the theater brands, though it is more limited—A24 releases roughly 20 films a year).
A24 executives told Fast Company that the AAA24’s ultimate goal is to make the studio’s world more accessible, giving members the opportunity for an in-depth experience of every release via the AAA24 app. Take the upcoming Nicole Kidman vehicle Babygirl as an example. In the app, members get a free ticket to see the film opening weekend, and might also receive a credit towards Babygirl merch in A24’s shop, and be able to pre-order a digital copy of the music Sky Ferreira wrote for the movie that will auto-download when it is released. The new perk should make it easier for people—most of whom likely weren’t on the croisette for some member events in Cannes—to enjoy the membership offerings wherever they are.
Though the perk is not expected to meaningfully impact opening weekend box offices, membership fees are a significant source of revenue for the company and allow it to provide even more exclusive experiences to fans, like flying them out for a movie premiere, or arranging visits to movie sets—perks executives said members may see down the line.
A24 has successfully become a name brand studio through a combination of robust fundraising, critically acclaimed movies, and trendy merch that capitalizes on many movies’ cult-fave status. Over the summer, after raising $75 million from Thrive Capital, A24 was valued at $3.5 billion— after just 12 years in business. In that time, it’s developed a slate of movies that includes Academy Award winners (Everything Everywhere All at Once) and nominees (Uncut Gems), as well as buzzy TV series like Euphoria and Beef.
Its supreme-like merch drops have included a diamond grading chart similar to the one used by Adam Sandler in Uncut Gems, t-shirts featuring a wedding Polaroid from Sofia Coppola’s Priscilla, and an A24 logo shirt made from googly eyes reminiscent of those from Everything Everywhere All At Once.
Known for its collaborations, the company has created products with companies including streetwear brand Brain Dead and Brooklyn candle company Joya Studio– some of these are coveted enough to resell for hundreds of dollars on Grailed.
The new AAA24 experience will likely help the company sell more merch, generating revenue it can use to produce the kind of smaller theatrical experience increasingly rare in the age of franchises and reboots.