A24 is one of the most well-known movie studios and distributors in today’s marketplace. The company, lauded for its independent film prowess, has been responsible for some of the most unique films in recent memory. While it doesn’t typically handle blockbusters like other studios such as Warner Bros., it looks for artistic films that have a certain quality.
With hits like Everything Everywhere All At Once, Past Lives, Civil War, Marcel the Shell with Shoes On, Pearl, The Brutalist, The Green Knight, Minari, and Uncut Gems in its roster, A24 films have become films that people pay attention to. There’s a certain feeling of an A24 film that has defined the company. The stories feel more director-driven and wholly representative, and the movies often take more chances than those from a traditional studio might.
The company produced another solid slate of films in 2025, and here are how they were rated by Rotten Tomatoes.
13
‘Opus’
Rotten Tomatoes: 39%
Opus is writer/director Mark Anthony Green’s feature directorial debut and stars Ayo Edebiri as a music journalist who is invited by enigmatic pop star Alfred Moretti (John Malkovich) to a listening party at his Utah compound. He hasn’t released a new album in 30 years and is known as a bit of a recluse. What she sees while at his compound both shocks and unsettles her, as the other guests invited to the listening party all start disappearing.
The movie features some similar elements to The Menu and Blink Twice, with a staff that is seemingly not letting the guests enjoy their freedom experience. It also highlights how people respond in the face of celebrity. Unfortunately for Green, his film didn’t land with critics. It currently has a 39% Tomatometer score, as many thought the film was tonally and conceptually confusing. Malkovich was praised for his role and the film landed better with audiences, as it has a 60% Popcornmeter score.
12
‘Parthenope’
Rotten Tomatoes: 46%
Paolo Sorrentino wrote and directed Parthenope, a coming-of-age drama starring Celeste Dalla Porta. Parthenope tells the story of a girl by that name born in Naples, Italy, and her life growing up, beginning in 1950. The film focuses on Parthenope’s magnetic personality and how she attracts men to her at every turn. The film looks gorgeous, being shot mostly in Naples and Capri, highlighting the areas’ beauty.
The movie is a breakout role for Dalla Porta and one she was praised for by critics. However, the film only earned a 46% critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes because of the storytelling. Sorrentino was criticized for the narrative, with critics saying that it came off as politically incorrect or unrealistic. Parthenope features almost an entirely Italian cast except Gary Oldman, who plays the writer John Cheever.
11
‘Death of a Unicorn’
Rotten Tomatoes: 53%
A father (Paul Rudd) and his daughter (Jenna Ortega) are driving to a weekend retreat when they hit a unicorn. This starts a chain of events in motion that becomes the story for Death of a Unicorn. Written and directed by Alex Scharfman in his directorial debut, the film features Rudd and Ortega showing up to the retreat with a dead unicorn, and the other guests there, including Richard E. Grant, Tea Leoni, and Will Poulter, wanting to exploit the unicorn’s magical powers. As they are doing so, they realize the parents of the unicorn might be looking for revenge against those who killed their offspring.
It’s an absurd premise for a film, and the fantastical story was always going to be divisive. It only seems fitting that it sits with a 53% Tomatometer score on Rotten Tomatoes. It fared better with audiences, earning a 76% Popcornmeter score. Critics praised Rudd and Ortega but didn’t think the satire was sharp enough to land the points it was trying to make fully. The film flopped at the box office, only earning $16.1 million against a $15 million budget.
10
‘Eddington’
Rotten Tomatoes: 69%
A24 has produced all of Ari Aster’s films so far, so it knows what it’s getting into when he comes up with a new film idea. It’s either going to be critically acclaimed or be more divisive. His latest venture, Eddington, takes a unique look at the COVID-19 pandemic and society’s response to it. It stars Joaquin Phoenix as the sheriff of Eddington, New Mexico, and Pedro Pascal as the town’s mayor. The two clash on their ideals and Phoenix’s character decides to run against Pascal in the next election.
The two men are coming at things from different personal angles as well, as Emma Stone plays Phoenix’s wife, an emotionally unstable woman. The movie sees the two men go to battle over different issues and handle things in ways the other one definitely would not. Of course, with any Aster film, there is some harsh violence that makes the plot erupt. Austin Butler, Luke Grimes, and Michael Ward also costar. It has a Rotten Tomatoes score of 69% and an audience score of 65%.
9
‘The Legend of Ochi’
Rotten Tomatoes: 75%
The Legend of Ochi is a fantasy adventure film from first-time director Isaiah Saxon. It stars Helena Zengel as a young girl named Yuri who lives on an island in the Black Sea. Her father, played by Willem Dafoe, has forbidden her from going out after dark and has warned her to stay away from creatures on the island known as Ochi. Yuri finds an injured baby Ochi and seeks to return it to its family.
The movie is incredibly imaginative and features a great performance from Zengel. Finn Wolfhard plays her adoptive older brother, and Emily Watson plays Yuri’s estranged mother, who knows how to speak to the Ochi. This is a family film from A24, which doesn’t happen frequently, and it earned a 75% Tomatometer score. Audiences were less enthused about it, as it stands with a 63% Popcornmeter score.
8
‘Materialists’
Rotten Tomatoes: 79%
Celine Song’s smash debut Past Lives was a massive hit for A24 a few years ago. Her follow-up was Materialists, a look at modern relationships through the eyes of a matchmaker named Lucy, played by Dakota Johnson. She herself isn’t avidly trying to find love but is nonetheless swept off her feet by Pedro Pascal’s Harry. But her ex John, played by Chris Evans, keeps popping up. The movie is set around people struggling to lower their standards or wanting a partner to meet particularly high standards.
The movie is told with both humor and a dramatic tone, as Lucy’s dilemma in life is helping other people find love while struggling to find it herself. Materialists earned good marks for Song once again, as it sits with a 79% critics’ score. Critics were pleased that Song was again able to help define adult relationships as the focal point of her film.
7
‘Friendship’
Rotten Tomatoes: 87%
Tim Robinson can be an acquired taste for some. His stint on Saturday Night Live was brief, and his series I Think You Should Leave has a cult following. He stars as Craig in Andrew DeYoung’s Friendship, which features him as an aloof husband and father who strikes up a friendship with a new neighbor, played by Paul Rudd. The film follows the two’s relationship as it builds and strengthens.
In classic Robinson fashion, his character is incredibly awkward and fails to recognize social cues. This costs him in a big way during the film. It’s hard to describe how things unfold without giving too much away, but it’s a wild, hilarious ride for the audience. Critics thought so too, giving it a score of 87% on Rotten Tomatoes. Audiences were slightly more lukewarm, as it sits with a 73% audience score.
6
‘Highest 2 Lowest’
Rotten Tomatoes: 88%
The newest Spike Lee joint is a remake of an Akira Kurosawa film. Highest 2 Lowest features Denzel Washington as a music mogul in New York City. When his son is kidnapped, he must use the money he put aside for a business deal to pay the kidnappers. But, once he realizes his son was not the one kidnapped, and it is his driver’s son who was, he must decide whether or not to pay the ransom.
Any time Washington and Lee team up, it’s worthy of press. The two have a long history together, and this is another solid entry in their list. The film’s second act turns into more of a thriller than a drama, as Denzel and Jeffrey Wright, who plays his driver, have to take matters into their own hands. ASAP Rocky, Ice Spice, Ilfenesh Hadera, Dean Winters, John Douglas Thompson, and Aubrey Joseph all costar. The movie has an 88% Rotten Tomatoes score and an 85% audience score.
5
‘Bring Her Back’
Rotten Tomatoes: 89%
Bring Her Back is the second film by Michael and Danny Philippou to land at A24. The horror film features Sally Hawkins as a grieving mother who fosters two kids whose father has just died. She has a mute boy who she cares for, and she grieves her own daughter’s death. Billy Barratt plays Andy, one of the kids Hawkins’ Laura is looking after. Andy is suspicious of Laura and wants to understand why she wanted to take them in.
What unfolds is a truly unreal film with horrific visuals and haunting performances by the entire cast. Sora Wong, Jonah Wren Phillips, Sally-Anne Upton, Stephen Phillips, and Mischa Heywood also feature in the film. The movie is unsettling, but critics loved it. It has an 89% on Rotten Tomatoes as critics praised Hawkins’ performance. Audiences also enjoyed it but found it harder to swallow, as it sits with a 79% audience score.
4
‘Ne Zha II’
Rotten Tomatoes: 91%
Ne Zha 2 is an animated film from Jiaozi and is a sequel to the popular Ne Zha. It follows the Chinese mythological character Ne Zha, who uses their friend, Ao Bing’s, spirit to fight the wicked Master Shen. It’s a fantastical tale that comes from a wide array of animators. It took 4,000 people to help animate it, creating a truly beautiful-looking film. The English dubbed version has been released by A24. The Chinese version has been the biggest hit of the year.
It has grossed $2.2 billion, making it the highest-grossing non-English film of all time. It’s also the first animated film to ever cross $2 billion at the box office. It’s the highest-grossing film in China’s history and one of the highest-grossing of all time globally. Critics adored the film, thanks to its sense of humor and visual imagery. It has a 91% on Rotten Tomatoes. Audiences loved it even more, as it sits with a 98% Popcornmeter score.
