A24 Acquires Club Kid for $17 Million
The Jordan Firstman-directed film, which debuted at Cannes, won a bidding war among several studios and distributors.
Updated on Nov. 4, 2026 in Arthouse
A24 has acquired the film Club Kid for $17 million after its debut at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2026. Companies including Mubi, Focus Features, Searchlight Pictures, and Black Bear Pictures had also made offers.
Why it matters
The price and the competitive bidding interest signal strong demand for the title in the arthouse market following its festival reception. The deal places the film with a distributor that also released You Can See Everything, the year's best-reviewed film.
Club Kid's Rotten Tomatoes score is 100% Certified Fresh across 80 reviews, and it has a runtime of 122 minutes. The extraction does not report its box office performance, which remains unknown ahead of its release.
The players
A24
A24 is an American independent film distributor and production company known for releasing acclaimed arthouse titles, including You Can See Everything, the year's best-reviewed film.
Jordan Firstman
Jordan Firstman is a writer, director, and performer who wrote, directed, and starred in Club Kid.
The details
Club Kid, written, directed, and starring Jordan Firstman, was nominated for the Caméra d'Or and the Queer Palm prizes at Cannes. Following its debut, the film became the subject of a bidding war that A24 won.
Timeline
May 2026: Club Kid debuts at the Cannes Film Festival.
November 6, 2026: Club Kid opens in limited release.
Industry Dynamics
Club Kid's acquisition follows the Cannes Film Festival's tradition of selling festival titles to distributors after premieres, a pattern in which bidding among studios can set a film's commercial trajectory. The sale also reflects continued competition among distributors such as Mubi, Focus Features, and Searchlight Pictures for arthouse titles with strong festival reception.
Club Kid is scheduled for limited release on November 6, 2026, so viewers will have to wait for theatrical screenings in select markets. The extraction does not specify which theaters or territories will carry the film or whether a streaming release is planned.
The takeaway
Festival acquisitions like Club Kid's can reshape a film's reach, so readers interested in arthouse titles should watch for the limited release date and check local listings. Following distributors' announcements is a practical way to track when independent films become available.
What happens next
Club Kid opens in limited release on November 6, 2026.
Further reading
Explore more arthouse film coverage to see how festival acquisitions like this one shape independent cinema.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Movieweb.
