In 2012, Daniel Katz, John Hodges, and David Fenkel and Daniel Katz founded A24 and movie fans began taking notice of the company when they released Spring Breakers in 2013. Before long, it became clear that A24 was putting out some creative, thoughtful, and interesting films from every genre. But while the coming-of-age movie Lady Bird (2017) and the serious drama Moonlight (2016) have gotten attention, the company has become well-known for its horror movies.
There are several A24 horror films that earned a lot at the global box office, and these numbers are based on Box Office Mojo's numbers. From a few incredibly dramatic period pieces to the two of A24's most well-known films, these scary movies made good money.
The Lighthouse (2019): $18,180,325
Robert Eggers's film The Lighthouse is one of the most popular A24 horror movies. Considered an elevated horror movie, the movie follows Thomas Wake (Willem Dafoe) and Ephraim Winslow (Robert Pattinson), two lighthouse keepers who start losing their grip on reality.
The movie is dark, artistically made, and has a surprising ending. Horror fans appreciate the well-crafted quality of the film, the bleak but interesting story, and the performances from Dafoe and Pattinson. The movie has plenty of surprsies to keep audiences invested. It grossed $18,180,325 at the global box office.
It Comes At Night (2017): $19,735,344
The 2017 film It Comes At Night is an underrated A24 horror movie and is about Sarah (Carmen Ejogo), Paul (Joel Edgerton), and their son Travis (Kelvin Harrison Jr.) hiding in a forest as there is a disease that is spreading quickly. The family hopes to keep each other safe, and the movie has an incredible amount of tension in every scene.
Trey Edward Shults, who wrote and directed the movie, shared in an interview with Den of Geek some insights about the writing and filmmaking process: "At the moment I just want to make stuff I believe in. But also to be ambitious for myself and really challenge myself. That’s just what I’m trying to do. I hope when we talk in 30 years I’ll still be doing movies I believe in! I even remember I think Danny Boyle saying that there’s something with your first film, a feeling, that you never have again."
The Witch (2015): $40,423,945
The Witch is one of the best A24 movies and grossed $40,423,945 at the worldwide box office. Thomasin (Anya Taylor-Joy) lives on a New England farm with her family but when they and the others in the area accuse her of being a witch, she's suddenly under suspicion.
Robert Eggers told The Verge that he had to create a movie set in the past so audiences would be terrified of a witch: "But the reason we did the research for the film was that [the contemporary idea of a] "witch" is a silly plastic Halloween decoration. It doesn't mean much. It isn't scary today. But in the early modern period, witches were such terrifying figures that women were being murdered over accusations of being witches, on a grand scale in Europe, and a pretty [large] one here."
Midsommar (2019): $47,967,636
There are many strong female characters in A24 horror movies and that includes Dani Ardor (Florence Pugh) in Midsommar, which was released in 2019. Dani is reeling from the loss of her sister and parents when she accompanies her boyfriend on a trip to Sweden to attend a festival. Dani realizes that this festival involves sacrifices and rituals and it's like nothing she ever could have expected or anticipated. It's safe to say that the film is as surprising as Hereditary.
Midsommar did well at the box office, earning $47,967,636. Horror fans were curious to see Ari Aster's second horror film after the huge success of Hereditary. Fans of Florence Pugh can look forward to her new thriller Don't Worry Darling where she stars alongside Harry Styles. Olivia Wilde directed the film.
Hereditary (2018): $80,200,936
There are some incredibly memorable moments in the 2018 A24 movie Hereditary, including Charlie Graham's tick. The character, played by Milly Shapiro, has a devastating and dark story arc in the film, leading up to her tragic death.
For a while, Hereditary was the highest-grossing A24 horror film, but recently, Everything Everywhere All At Once became the highest-grossing A24 movie and beat out Hereditary. Still, the masterpiece starring Toni Collette as Annie Graham, a woman whose family falls to pieces as their connection to a demon named Paimon becomes clear, grossed an impressive $80,200,936 at the box office. When fans think of A24, they definitely think of Hereditary. The movie made a huge impression on fans of the genre with its dark storyline, big shocks, and filmmaking style.