Film Industry Case Study

Chloe Reina
Feb 11, 2025
3 min read

Updated: Apr 15, 2025

Today I'm going to be doing a case study on 2 film companies, a big one and a small one. I'm going to be discussing the history, productions, marketing strategies, and other details about them. I'm also going to add 2 movies from each film company to present what type of media thy produce.

Small Company: A24

History: It's based in New York City and was founded was in 2012 by film executives Daniel Katz, David Fenkel, and John Hodges. Before it became well known in the film distribution and film production industries, it started getting attention by their films Spring Breakers (2013), The Spectacular Now (2013), and The Bling Ring (2013).

Summary of productions they create:

Priscilla (2023)
Talk to Me (2023)
Bodies Bodies Bodies (2022)
The Whale (2022)

Marketing and Distribution practices: A24 has always managed to find itself a little niche by developing a portfolio of films meant for certain segments and making a strong brand identity with a loyal following. The company definitely developed the way promotional campaigns were used, including mysterious trailers and interactive social media, that create excitement. With Netflix and Amazon Prime, A24 widened its reach globally, showing more attention to digital distribution platforms and moving along with the times.

Impacts of changing technology and convergence/diversification: A24 knows how to reach different audiences. They've distributed everything from art-house dramas to horror flicks. That diversification alone allows them to reach wider audiences and means they can be assured of a constant flow of releases throughout the year.

Priscilla (2023):

Ownership - A24

Production - A24 and Sofia Coppola produced/ directed it.

Distribution - The movie was played at the Venice film festival and A24 does home video and digital distribution.

Marketing - festival premieres, social media campaigns, and interviews.

Exchange - There weren't any exchanges for this movie.

Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022):

Ownership - A24 owns it.

Production - Produced by A24 with Jonathon Wang and Daniel Kwan.

Distribution - A24 is responsible for their distribution through theaters and home media.

Marketing - They used trailers, posters, social media, and spread the word through film festivals.

Exchange - They exchanged into Box Office.

Big Company: Warner Bros

History: Warner Brothers was founded in 1923 by four brothers, Harry, Albert, Sam, and Jack Warner, who moved into film production after having been Exhibitors and distributors. The brothers located their studio in Hollywood and placed Harry and Albert in New York to handle business operations while Sam and Jack managed film production.

Summary of productions they create:

Tom and Jerry (2021)
The Batman (2022)
Elvis (2022)
Don't Worry Darling (2022)

Marketing and Distribution practices: Warner Bros. segments its target market into movies, TV shows, and superhero series targeting young teens, young adults, and kids. It positions itself through film franchising and a completely digital supply chain. The company invests in heavy advertising through different tools of media, including poster releases, trailers, and character bios, to build hype. Social media is important in this regard: Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube are quite active. Similarly, Warner Bros. promotes movies using online platforms and Q&A, selling merchandise related to their titles, and these make them almost unbeatable.

Impacts of changing technology and convergence/diversification: In order to get more attention, Warner Bros went more open with diversification. They used video on demand and broadband for television landscaping.