Neon changed the Oscars game withParasite.
Four years later, A24s rival is still betting on international film.
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Perhaps no one outside the former Viz-a-Video video store clerk Quinn could have predicted what happened next.
In 2018, Neon acquired the U.S. and Canadian rights to Bong Joon Hos movieParasite.
Coasting off the buzz, Neon rushed forward with the films U.S. rollout that October, releasingParasiteinjust threetheaters.
A lot of my friends in the industry were like, Dude, whats wrong with you?
Nobody opens a foreign-language film inside Oscar season, Quinn tells Vulture.
A really well-known distributor of foreign-language films said to me, Why wouldnt you wait until next year?
I was like, There are no rules.
In one fell swoop,Parasitejustified Quinns gamble, situating Neon as Hollywoods chief cheerleader of foreign film.
Four years later, the company is attempting to solidify its title.
It would also place the studio on an even line with its primary rival, A24.
Overall, Neon is tied with A24 for Oscar nominations this year withseven each.
That feels insincere and not our mission and Im happy to say it loudly and proudly.
But it will never be something that places the importance of the company over the films we work with.
(A24 declined to comment for this story.)
We never call film content, he adds.
A Neon film, you dontconsume.
Hes like, What?
Im like, Yeah, we already made a movie together.
I was an extra inLast of the Mohicans.
(Quinn was not joking.)
To date,Ferrarihas grossed $39.4 million worldwide at the box office.
It officially platformed to nearly 700 screens but so far has made only $4.3 million in domestic-only release.
Theatrical distribution gives a films streaming release incalculable added value, he explains.
The Academy is changing because they have more and more people from foreign countries, observes Larrain.
They have younger members every year.
And Neon understood that maybe earlier than other companies.
It was around this time that Neon found itself in bidding war after bidding war with A24.
I knew Bong was a huge entity before this film, Quinn says.
He had just never gotten the affirmation, whether it was awards or box office.
But it was there.
The fandom was real.
We had an incredible year, Quinn says.
But … the other half of me is like, Apollo 11was left at the altar.
How could this possibly happen?
But the Golden Globes- and Oscars-nomination shutout ofOriginleft Neon executives stunned.
Quinn describes theatrically distributing the film as a kind of a personal mission.
Of creating a cultural relevance that can change lives, can change the way we see each other.
I wish she felt the recognition and praise that swirls around her peers in big studio films.
We too are frustrated by the lack of awards recognition forOrigin, Quinn says.
There are no guarantees and in many ways, the industry and the awards themselves can be systemically unfair.
The business of film is a great sport, Quinn says.
Failures okay as long as you have real reasons for why youre doing what youre doing.
If youre chasing a model, youre going to wind up losing.
If youre chasing pure passion with no accountability with complete reckless abandon youre going to wind up penniless.
I dont think it is Toms intention to affect major change or become a major player.
He just does what he loves.
