A24 has built the kind of brand most film studios can only dream about.
Its logo appears on screen, and viewers already expect something bold, strange or deeply personal. Sometimes they get a quiet family drama. Sometimes they get a nightmare about grief. Sometimes they get a multiverse comedy packed with hot-dog fingers and martial arts.
That range is what makes A24 so interesting.
The company’s catalog includes award-winning dramas, psychological horror, science fiction, comedy, animation and crime thrillers. Some films became global hits. Others took years to find a loyal audience.
This list of the best A24 movies ranked in 2026 looks beyond box-office totals and review scores. It weighs storytelling, performances, direction, cultural impact, awards and long-term appeal.
One detail is worth clearing up first. A24 produced some of these films and mainly distributed others. In everyday film discussion, both groups are usually described as A24 movies.
How We Ranked the Best A24 Movies
No ranking like this can be completely objective.
A film may have near-perfect critic scores but leave little mark outside festival circles. Another may divide reviewers yet influence an entire genre.
So this list uses several measures instead of relying on one number.
| Ranking Factor | What It Covers |
| Critical reception | Reviews, critics’ awards and year-end recognition |
| Direction and writing | Story, pacing, dialogue, structure and tone |
| Performances | Lead roles, supporting work and ensemble chemistry |
| Technical craft | Cinematography, editing, music, sound and production design |
| Cultural impact | Influence, public discussion and lasting recognition |
| Awards | Oscars and other major industry honors |
| Staying power | Whether the film still feels fresh years later |
| Rewatch value | Whether another viewing reveals something new |
The order remains a judgment call. Horror fans may put Hereditary at the top. Viewers who prefer quiet drama may choose Aftersun or Past Lives.
That’s part of the fun.
Best A24 Movies Ranked From 20 to 1
| Rank | Movie | Year | Director | Genre |
| 20 | I Saw the TV Glow | 2024 | Jane Schoenbrun | Psychological horror |
| 19 | The Green Knight | 2021 | David Lowery | Fantasy |
| 18 | Marcel the Shell with Shoes On | 2022 | Dean Fleischer Camp | Animation/comedy |
| 17 | The Farewell | 2019 | Lulu Wang | Family drama |
| 16 | Room | 2015 | Lenny Abrahamson | Drama |
| 15 | The Lighthouse | 2019 | Robert Eggers | Psychological horror |
| 14 | Minari | 2021 | Lee Isaac Chung | Family drama |
| 13 | The Witch | 2016 | Robert Eggers | Folk horror |
| 12 | Ex Machina | 2015 | Alex Garland | Science-fiction thriller |
| 11 | First Reformed | 2018 | Paul Schrader | Psychological drama |
| 10 | Marty Supreme | 2025 | Josh Safdie | Sports comedy-drama |
| 9 | The Florida Project | 2017 | Sean Baker | Drama |
| 8 | Hereditary | 2018 | Ari Aster | Horror |
| 7 | Uncut Gems | 2019 | Josh and Benny Safdie | Crime thriller |
| 6 | Past Lives | 2023 | Celine Song | Romantic drama |
| 5 | Aftersun | 2022 | Charlotte Wells | Drama |
| 4 | The Zone of Interest | 2023 | Jonathan Glazer | Historical drama |
| 3 | Lady Bird | 2017 | Greta Gerwig | Coming-of-age comedy-drama |
| 2 | Everything Everywhere All at Once | 2022 | Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert | Science-fiction comedy-drama |
| 1 | Moonlight | 2016 | Barry Jenkins | Drama |
20. I Saw the TV Glow
Jane Schoenbrun turns late-night television and suburban loneliness into something deeply unsettling.
The story follows two teenagers who connect through a mysterious TV series. Over time, the boundary between the show and their real lives starts to blur.
This isn’t a horror film built around sudden scares. Its fear comes from something quieter: the feeling that you may be living the wrong life and running out of time to change it.
The slow pace and abstract ending won’t work for everyone. Still, the film captures isolation, identity and media obsession with rare confidence.
19. The Green Knight
David Lowery’s version of the Arthurian legend isn’t a fast-moving fantasy adventure.
It’s stranger than that.
Dev Patel plays Gawain as a young man who wants the reputation of a hero before he has earned it. His journey forces him to face temptation, fear, dishonesty and death.
The film looks gorgeous, but the visuals aren’t the only reason it works. At its heart, The Green Knight asks a simple question: what does it actually mean to be honorable?
It doesn’t give an easy answer.
18. Marcel the Shell with Shoes On
A tiny shell with one eye carries one of A24’s warmest films.
The movie mixes live action with stop-motion animation. Marcel lives with his grandmother and searches for the community they lost.
The idea sounds cute, and it is. But the film also deals with grief, loneliness, family and sudden internet fame.
It never treats Marcel like a gimmick. That sincerity gives the story its emotional pull.
The film later earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Animated Feature.
17. The Farewell
Lulu Wang builds this family drama around a painful secret.
A Chinese family learns that its grandmother has cancer but decides not to tell her. Instead, they arrange a wedding so everyone can return home and spend time together.
Awkwafina plays Billi, who struggles with the deception and with her place between Chinese and American cultures.
The movie doesn’t tell viewers that one side is right and the other is wrong. It shows how love, duty and honesty can look different across families and cultures.
That makes it far more interesting than a simple moral debate.
16. Room
The first half of Room follows a mother and son living in captivity.
The second half is even harder.
After they escape, both must adjust to a world that feels unfamiliar and overwhelming. Freedom doesn’t erase trauma. It creates a new set of problems.
Brie Larson gives a tough, controlled performance without turning suffering into spectacle. Jacob Tremblay is just as strong as a child trying to understand a world he has never seen.
Larson won the Academy Award for Best Actress for the role.
15. The Lighthouse
Robert Eggers places two lighthouse keepers on a remote island and lets resentment do the rest.
Willem Dafoe and Robert Pattinson give wild, physical performances. They drink, fight, lie and slowly lose control.
The black-and-white cinematography and narrow frame make the island feel cut off from reality. The sound design adds even more pressure.
Is it a story about power? Guilt? Repression? Mythology? Madness?
Probably all of them.
Read Also: 15 Best Movie Plot Twists That Nobody Saw Coming
14. Minari
Lee Isaac Chung’s family drama follows Korean immigrants trying to start a farm in rural Arkansas.
The film avoids the usual success-story formula. Progress comes slowly. Money is tight. The marriage is strained. Every family member wants something different.
Youn Yuh-jung brings humor and warmth to the role of Soon-ja, the grandmother who refuses to behave like anyone expects.
She won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.
What makes Minari last is its honesty. It treats family life as messy, loving and exhausting all at once.
13. The Witch
The Witch announced two major talents: director Robert Eggers and actor Anya Taylor-Joy.
Set in 1630s New England, the story follows a Puritan family living beside a dark forest. After a baby disappears, suspicion and religious fear begin tearing the family apart.
Eggers uses period language, natural light and careful historical detail. That realism makes the supernatural elements feel even more disturbing.
The film also helped push folk horror back into the mainstream.
And yes, Black Phillip remains one of modern horror’s most memorable animals.
12. Ex Machina
Alex Garland turns a private technology experiment into a tense battle over power and control.
A programmer visits the remote home of a wealthy tech executive. His task is to test Ava, an advanced humanoid machine.
Nothing goes as planned.
The film remains relevant because it asks more than whether artificial intelligence can think. It looks at surveillance, manipulation, exploitation and the arrogance of people who build powerful systems.
Alicia Vikander makes Ava impossible to read. Is she vulnerable, calculating or both?
That uncertainty drives the whole film.
Ex Machina won the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects.
11. First Reformed
Ethan Hawke gives one of his best performances as Ernst Toller, a minister falling apart.
His crisis begins with faith but soon expands into climate anxiety, guilt and anger at institutions that prefer polite words over meaningful action.
Paul Schrader keeps the style cold and controlled. That restraint makes every emotional break feel sharper.
First Reformed doesn’t offer comfort. It asks what happens when moral concern turns into obsession.
It’s a demanding film, but it stays with you.
10. Marty Supreme
Marty Supreme is the newest movie in the top 10.
Josh Safdie directs Timothée Chalamet as Marty Mauser, a fiercely ambitious table-tennis player who wants the world to take him seriously.
Marty doesn’t lack confidence. He may have too much of it.
The film earned nine nominations at the 98th Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actor. It did not win any Oscars.
Its box-office run was much stronger. As of July 29, 2026, it had earned about $96 million domestically and roughly $192.2 million worldwide.
That made it A24’s highest-grossing movie worldwide.
The numbers are impressive, but they aren’t the main reason it ranks here. Safdie brings the same restless energy seen in Uncut Gems, while Chalamet gives Marty enough charm and arrogance to keep the story moving.
9. The Florida Project
Sean Baker finds color, humor and heartbreak in the budget motels outside Walt Disney World.
Six-year-old Moonee sees the area as one giant playground. Her mother sees unpaid rent, unstable work and the constant threat of losing their room.
The film stays close to Moonee’s point of view without ignoring the danger around her.
Willem Dafoe plays the motel manager with unusual restraint. He tries to help people, but he knows he can’t fix their lives.
The bright colors make the film look cheerful. The reality underneath is much harsher.
8. Hereditary
Ari Aster’s first feature became an instant modern horror classic.
After her mother dies, Annie Graham begins uncovering disturbing secrets about her family. Grief turns into anger, blame and supernatural terror.
Toni Collette gives a fearless performance. Her pain feels so raw that the movie would still be upsetting without the occult story.
That’s why the horror works.
The family is already broken before the supernatural threat fully arrives.
Hereditary also became a major commercial success for A24 and strengthened the studio’s reputation for serious, unsettling horror.
7. Uncut Gems
Few movies make terrible decisions this entertaining.
Adam Sandler plays Howard Ratner, a New York jeweler and gambling addict who believes one more bet will solve everything.
It never does.
Every escape route becomes another chance to raise the stakes. Josh and Benny Safdie fill the film with overlapping dialogue, crowded rooms and constant noise.
The result feels like a panic attack that lasts more than two hours.
Sandler is brilliant. Howard is exhausting, reckless and strangely magnetic.
The film earned more than $50 million in North America and became one of A24’s biggest domestic hits at the time.
6. Past Lives
Celine Song’s debut looks at love without turning it into a simple choice between two people.
Nora and Hae Sung are childhood friends in South Korea. They lose contact after Nora moves abroad, reconnect online and later meet in New York as adults.
The film avoids easy villains.
Nora’s husband isn’t cruel. Hae Sung isn’t her obvious soulmate. Nora hasn’t made a clear mistake that needs fixing.
The pain comes from knowing that some relationships matter deeply even when they can’t become a shared life.
Past Lives received Academy Award nominations for Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay.
5. Aftersun
Aftersun feels like a memory you can’t quite hold onto.
Charlotte Wells builds the story from camcorder footage, quiet conversations and small moments that gain new meaning years later.
Eleven-year-old Sophie spends a holiday with her young father, Calum. As a child, she sees a mostly happy trip. As an adult looking back, she notices signs of pain she couldn’t understand at the time.
Paul Mescal gives a gentle, heartbreaking performance.
The film never explains everything. It doesn’t need to.
Anyone who has looked back at a parent and realized how little they understood may find this one hard to shake.
4. The Zone of Interest
Jonathan Glazer’s Holocaust drama takes a cold and deeply disturbing approach.
Auschwitz commandant Rudolf Höss lives beside the concentration camp with his wife and children. Their home is comfortable. Their garden is peaceful.
Beyond the wall, people are being murdered.
Glazer rarely shows the violence directly. Instead, gunshots, screams and machinery remain in the background.
That sound never lets the audience relax.
The film won Academy Awards for Best International Feature Film and Best Sound. It also received a Best Picture nomination.
Its horror comes from watching people treat atrocity as part of an ordinary workday.
3. Lady Bird
Greta Gerwig’s solo directorial debut gets teenage life right without making it look better than it is.
Saoirse Ronan plays Christine “Lady Bird” McPherson, a Sacramento teenager who wants to leave home and attend college on the East Coast.
Laurie Metcalf plays her mother, a woman who loves her daughter but often speaks in criticism instead of affection.
Their arguments feel real because neither character is completely right.
The film moves through friendship, romance, money worries and college applications at a quick pace. It’s funny, but never shallow.
Its greatest strength is empathy. Everyone gets to be selfish, loving, insecure and wrong.
2. Everything Everywhere All at Once
This movie should not work.
It combines tax problems, family conflict, martial arts, alternate universes, talking rocks and hot-dog fingers.
Somehow, it all comes together.
Michelle Yeoh plays Evelyn Wang, a laundromat owner pulled into a fight across countless versions of reality.
The spectacle is wild, but the heart of the film is simple. It’s about regret, family pressure, kindness and the lives people imagine they could have lived.
The movie won seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress and Best Original Screenplay.
It also became the first A24 movie to pass $100 million worldwide.
For several years, it was the company’s biggest global hit before Marty Supreme moved ahead in 2026.
1. Moonlight
Moonlight takes the top spot because almost nothing in it feels wasted.
Barry Jenkins tells Chiron’s story in three stages: childhood, adolescence and adulthood. Three actors play him, yet the character feels completely connected across all three chapters.
The film explores masculinity, poverty, addiction, sexuality and loneliness without turning Chiron into a symbol.
He feels like a person.
The most powerful moments are often the quietest: a swimming lesson, a shared meal, a hand on a shoulder or a late-night conversation.
Moonlight won Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Supporting Actor for Mahershala Ali.
Nearly a decade later, it still feels intimate, painful and beautifully controlled.
Which A24 Movie Should You Watch First?
The right starting point depends on what you usually enjoy.
| What You Like | Start With | Why It’s a Good Choice |
| Emotional drama | Moonlight | Intimate, accessible and beautifully made |
| Comedy-drama | Lady Bird | Funny, sharp and easy to connect with |
| Science fiction | Ex Machina | Smart ideas packed into a tight story |
| Horror | Hereditary | Strong acting and relentless dread |
| Folk horror | The Witch | Slow tension and rich historical detail |
| Crime thriller | Uncut Gems | Fast, loud and almost unbearably tense |
| Romance | Past Lives | Mature, quiet and emotionally honest |
| Fantasy | The Green Knight | Gorgeous visuals and moral ambiguity |
| Animation | Marcel the Shell with Shoes On | Sweet, funny and unexpectedly moving |
| Recent release | Marty Supreme | Big performance and high-energy direction |
Anyone exploring the best A24 movies ranked for the first time should probably start with Lady Bird, Moonlight or Everything Everywhere All at Once.
They show the studio’s range without diving straight into its strangest work.
Horror fans can move from The Witch to Hereditary, The Lighthouse and I Saw the TV Glow.
Viewers who prefer quieter stories should try Past Lives, Aftersun, Minari and The Farewell.
Major A24 Records and Milestones
A24 began as a smaller distributor and grew into one of the most influential names in independent film.
These milestones show how far the company has come.
| Milestone | Film | Detail |
| First A24 Best Picture winner | Moonlight | Won Best Picture at the 2017 Oscars |
| Most Oscar wins for an A24 film | Everything Everywhere All at Once | Won seven Academy Awards |
| First A24 film above $100 million worldwide | Everything Everywhere All at Once | Passed the mark during its theatrical run |
| Highest-grossing A24 film worldwide | Marty Supreme | About $192.2 million as of July 29, 2026 |
| Major 2026 Oscar contender | Marty Supreme | Received nine nominations and won none |
| Two-time Oscar winner | The Zone of Interest | Won International Feature and Sound |
Final Thoughts
| Category | Top Pick |
| Best overall | Moonlight |
| Most inventive | Everything Everywhere All at Once |
| Best coming-of-age film | Lady Bird |
| Best horror film | Hereditary |
| Best thriller | Uncut Gems |
| Best romantic drama | Past Lives |
| Best recent release | Marty Supreme |
| Most emotionally devastating | Aftersun |
| Most formally challenging | The Zone of Interest |
| Best science-fiction film | Ex Machina |
A24 didn’t build its reputation with one genre or one visual style.
It did it by backing films that feel personal.
Moonlight is quiet and intimate. Everything Everywhere All at Once is loud and chaotic. Lady Bird turns family arguments into something tender. Hereditary transforms grief into horror.
That variety is the point.
No ranking will satisfy everyone. Horror fans may put Hereditary first. Thriller fans may choose Uncut Gems. Some viewers will connect more deeply with Past Lives, Aftersun or I Saw the TV Glow.
Even so, this list of the best A24 movies ranked in 2026 offers a strong starting point for anyone ready to explore one of modern cinema’s most interesting catalogs.
Frequently Asked Questions About A24 Movies
What Is A24’s Highest-Grossing Movie in 2026?
As of July 29, 2026, Marty Supreme is A24’s highest-grossing film worldwide.
It earned about $96 million in North America and roughly $192.2 million globally.
It passed Everything Everywhere All at Once, which previously held the company’s worldwide record.
What Is A24’s Most Awarded Movie?
Everything Everywhere All at Once remains A24’s biggest Oscar winner.
It won seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director and three acting awards.
Did Marty Supreme Win an Oscar?
No.
The film received nine nominations at the 98th Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actor.
It did not win any category.
Why Do A24 Movies Feel Different?
A24 often works with filmmakers who have a clear point of view.
Many of its movies use slower pacing, difficult characters, unusual structures or endings that leave room for interpretation.
That doesn’t mean every A24 film looks or feels the same.
Lady Bird, The Lighthouse, Uncut Gems and Marcel the Shell with Shoes On have very little in common beyond strong creative direction.
Is A24 a Studio or a Distributor?
It is both.
A24 began mainly as a distributor. It acquired films and helped bring them to theaters.
Over time, it expanded into production and financing.
That means some A24 movies were developed with the company, while others were bought after production or after appearing at film festivals.
What Is the Scariest A24 Movie?
Hereditary is the best general answer.
Its family drama makes the supernatural horror feel more painful and believable.
The Witch is a better choice for folk-horror fans. The Lighthouse focuses more on madness and isolation. I Saw the TV Glow leans into identity and existential dread.
Are A24 Movies Connected?
Most are completely separate stories.
A24 doesn’t have one shared cinematic universe.
The main exceptions are direct series, such as Ti West’s X, Pearl and MaXXXine trilogy.
Why Isn’t Midsommar in the Top 20?
Midsommar is one of A24’s most recognizable horror films and could easily appear on another list.
It narrowly misses this ranking because Hereditary feels tighter, while The Witch and The Lighthouse have stronger positions within folk and psychological horror.
Still, Florence Pugh’s performance and the film’s bright, unsettling production design make it essential viewing.
