Relatively speaking, A24 is still a young studio. It doesn’t have the history of a Disney, Universal, or Paramount. It also isn’t known for films that break the bank. However, that is changing a little, as the studio has two films seemingly coming in 2025 that will be the most expensive in the studio’s history.
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According to a report from Deadline, A24’s “Marty Supreme” and “The Smashing Machine” both carry $70 million budgets, which is, by far, the largest in the history of the studio. Prior to these films, A24’s biggest budget went to this year’s “Civil War,” which cost a reported $50 million. So, why are these films so expensive? Well, there are some answers.
“Marty Supreme” is a film that is said to be about the life of professional ping-pong player, Marty Reisman. The film is directed by Josh Safdie and stars one of the biggest stars of today, Timothée Chalamet. Joining Chalamet in the cast are Gwyneth Paltrow, Tyler The Creator, Fran Drescher, Penn Jillette, Odessa A’zion, Kevin O’Leary, Abel Ferrara, and Sandra Bernhard. Apparently, the film is said to not be a typical sports biopic and will instead be closer in style and tone to “The Wolf of Wall Street” and “Catch Me If You Can.” Adding to the budget is the fact that “Marty Supreme” has some really exciting names behind the camera—cinematographer Darius Khondji and three-time Oscar nominated production designer Jack Fisk. So yeah, it’s starting to make sense.
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As for “The Smashing Machine,” that film is directed by the other Safdie brother, Benny. The film stars Dwayne Johnson (a very expensive star) as Mark Kerr, a legendary MMA fighter. While another sports biopic doesn’t seem like an obviously big budget project, just having Johnson aboard means the film has to be expensive.
So, there you have it—A24 is now in the business of making blockbuster films. We’ll have to see what will inevitably become the studio’s first $100 million film. You know it’s coming. Who knows, maybe sometime soon the studio will get involved in a superhero property? We’ll have to wait and see.