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In just eight years, Tom Quinn has turned Neon into one of independent cinema’s most daring and influential companies. With 39 Oscar nominations, 11 wins, and more than $400 million earned at the global box office, Neon’s rise has been anything but traditional. At the 2025 Zurich Summit, Quinn received the Game Changer Award, recognizing his bold eye for stories that move, disturb, or delight.
From Goldwyn to Neon: A Journey Through Indie Film
Tom Quinn’s path to Neon started on the inside of the independent film world, long before he became a recognized innovator. He spent his early days at the Sam Goldwyn Company and later at Magnolia Pictures, under the guidance of Mark Cuban. The breakout moment came at Radius, a label within The Weinstein Company, where he helped push the boundaries of video-on-demand with films like Bong Joon Ho’s Snowpiercer and David Robert Mitchell’s It Follows.
This experience proved pivotal. Quinn learned how to champion unconventional films and how marketing can make or break stories that challenge studio norms. Radius didn’t just distribute—they built buzz, something Neon would later elevate to a whole new level.
Launching Neon: Betting Big, Dreaming Bigger
Neon didn’t start with deep pockets. In fact, they began with just six people sharing a WeWork space. Still, the ambition was there from day one. Ingrid Goes West, a sharp comedy about social media obsession, marked an early success. But the turning point was I, Tonya. To read Charlize Theron and Taron Egerton face off in 2026’s Apex trailer
Competing directly against Netflix, Quinn spent $6 million to acquire I, Tonya—an incredibly risky move for a nascent distributor. That bet paid off. The film brought in $30 million at the U.S. box office and secured three Oscar nominations, including a win for Allison Janney. For Quinn, that victory wasn’t just financial—it proved that passion-driven choices could lead to commercial and critical payoff.
“Everything we’ve done,” he said in Zurich, “comes from this gut feeling that you back the story, the filmmaker, and the vision. That’s the only formula.”
Parasite and the Global Spotlight
If Neon had a defining moment, it came with Parasite. Bong Joon Ho’s Korean-language social thriller shocked the world by winning Best Picture at the Oscars. For an American distributor to take a foreign-language film that far—it was unprecedented.
Neon’s marketing helped. They crafted a teaser trailer that spotlighted the film’s only English lines, breaking down initial resistance from audiences wary of subtitles. It wasn’t just about packaging the film—it was about opening the doors so people would walk in.
As a viewer, Parasite stays with me. That staircase shot, the smell metaphor, the brutal final act… It’s cinema that pierces through. Neon knew how to bottle that emotion and bring it to people who may have never heard of Bong Joon Ho before. To read Ranking Shyamalan’s Hits: Which Film Defines His Legacy?
Redefining Horror: The Longlegs Phenomenon
In 2024, Neon pulled off another major feat with Longlegs, a horror film by Oz Perkins. Instead of flooding social media or saturating cities with posters, they went minimal and eerie. One cryptic billboard. Glimpses online. A sense of mystery that made people curious—and then obsessed.
- The campaign created an atmosphere even before the film hit theaters
- Longlegs opened with $22.4 million, second only to Despicable Me 4
- It eventually earned $74 million in the U.S., Neon’s biggest success yet
There’s something thrilling about that kind of risk. While the industry chases algorithms and franchises, Quinn and Neon trusted silence, space, and suspense. That’s gutsy—and honestly, it worked because the film terrified in the best way.
Marketing Through Emotion, Not Convention
One of Neon’s defining traits is how they shape a film’s presence. For Justine Triet’s Anatomy of a Fall, they pivoted from courtroom drama to thriller with the teaser line: “Did she do it?” It was a small shift, but dramatically changed how audiences approached the story.
The work is always intimate. It never feels designed by committee. Quinn told the Zurich crowd, “We want to reach the audience where they are—not just physically, but emotionally.”
And when that happens, something clicks. Whether it’s fear, doubt, wonder, or guilt, Neon’s choices let us feel before we think. That’s what makes their films linger.
Cannes and the Romance of Cinema
Neon’s dedication to filmmaker-driven storytelling has also paid off at Cannes. They backed Céline Sciamma’s Portrait of a Lady on Fire for $1.6 million, then Julia Ducournau’s Titane—which went on to win the Palme d’Or. By 2025, they had a six-film victory streak at Cannes, finishing with Jafar Panahi’s It Was Just an Accident.
Again, Quinn is not chasing trophies for status. It’s about belief. Belief in the director. Belief in the fire behind the project.
“Art has to mean something,” he said, quoting Sciamma: “If your art isn’t political, is it actually art?”
I find that line sticks. In an era where safe is rewarded and budgets rule decisions, it’s rare to see a company asking deeper questions about truth, identity, resistance, love. And still managing to pack theaters.
The Future: Staying Independent
Rumors had been swirling for some time about whether Neon might sell or partner with a bigger studio. When asked at Zurich, Quinn was clear: that’s not the plan.
“Creating a company just to exit was never my goal,” he said. The emphasis remains on impact, legacy, and stories that matter.
For me, that’s reassuring. Neon isn’t just a distributor—it’s become a kind of home for disruptive, daring cinema. Whether it’s a quiet French courtroom, a haunted detective case, or a twisted love story, you know when you see that logo, you’re about to watch something that won’t leave you indifferent. And that’s the best kind of storytelling.
