‘People Want Something Off-Kilter’ : Focus Chie...

When Peter Kujawski, the chairman of Focus Features, saw “The Holdovers” at a screening held for potential distributors at the 2023 Toronto Film Festival, he knew the movie had all the makings of an arthouse hit

Published Time: 07.05.2024 - 20:31:41 Modified Time: 07.05.2024 - 20:31:41

When Peter Kujawski, the chairman of Focus Features, saw “The Holdovers” at a screening held for potential distributors at the 2023 Toronto Film Festival, he knew the movie had all the makings of an arthouse hit.

There was an Oscar-winning filmmaker, Alexander Payne, behind the camera, as well as a beloved character actor, Paul Giamatti, playing a meaty role that complemented his sardonic gifts. Add in a heart-warming coming-of-age story, and the film had the potential to be an awards season player. But what he didn’t realize was that it was hilarious. At least not until he saw it in a theater with regular moviegoers.

“There were big belly laughs,” he says. “It changed my whole perception. I thought the movie was great and sweet, but I didn’t know it was hilarious.”

There’s something about experiencing something like “The Holdovers” in a packed room that changes a movie’s metabolism, Kujawski argues. And it can’t be replicated watching it on your TV at home. “You just need that collective, communal experience,” he says. “It gives a film a greater cultural hold.”

That experience left Kujawski convinced that despite the challenges posed by COVID shutdowns and the streaming revolution, cinemas are here to stay and more vital than ever to the success of movies. Focus is committed to releasing roughly a dozen movies in theaters a year — an impressive number at a time when most indie labels are trimming their output. So far, the bet has largely paid off. Last year, Focus scored at the box office with “The Holdovers” and “Asteroid City,” and 2024 will see such high-profile releases as Robert Eggers’ remake of “Nosferatu” and Edward Berger’s papal thriller “Conclave.”

Kujawski talked with Variety about the state of specialty films.

How would you characterize a Focus Features film?

We make big-tent specialty films. Look at last year’s slate. We had a first-time filmmaker in A.V. Rockwell with “A Thousand and One,” because we looked at it and said, “This is terrific, we have to do it and we can support a young voice.” At the same time, we brought Wes Anderson back into the family with “Asteroid City,” and then we had “The Holdovers” with Alexander Payne, who is a brilliant filmmaker making this relatable movie. We also produced “My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3,” because there was an underserved audience who loves that franchise. The only common denominator is that these movies have a strong point of view. That comes from the filmmaker, not -

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from studying market research and going, “Let’s build around that.” We want to tell stories that are funny, sad and meaningful.

Have arthouse audiences returned after COVID? It has started to bounce back.

There was some hesitation among the older audiences to come back and they haven’t fully gotten into the same rhythm of moviegoing, but that’s changing. What’s exciting is we’re seeing something happening in terms of the younger audience and its relationship to the cinema. That generation was captured almost entirely by broader studio IP-driven things, but they are breaking free from that and exploring the specialty space. Look at “The Holdovers” — maybe it’s because there was a younger actor in it Dominic Sessa, but that film connected with younger people. And then there’s the whole Letterboxd phenomenon, which is really broadening our audience. People want something off-kilter. We saw that with “Barbenheimer” last summer, where people went to see those movies because they were wildly inventive. We could be entering a golden age of filmmaking.

Why are you so optimistic about the future of film?

I’ve been wrong before, but I truly think we are in a moment where audiences are devouring unique stories. They are drawn to films with a profound humanism. For a while, the business was sort of consumed with spectacle. That’s not to say that goes away, but there’s been a widening of the aperture. And that will give filmmakers more room to do bold, innovative and risky things.

What drew you to “Nosferatu”?

It’s not like years ago we laid out a PowerPoint presentation and went, “We’d like to get into the vampire business.” Robert is a filmmaker we’ve always believed in and want to continue to champion, so it was an easy “yes.” We jumped at the chance to see him do something brilliant, terrifying, raw and upsetting and all those things that make Robert distinctive. You watch this movie, and you see a filmmaker with a firm, guiding hand.

What can you share about “Conclave”?

We fell head over heels in love with this movie. Edward took a story that on paper could be very procedural and high-handed and made something that has this propulsive, edge-of-your-seat, wildly cinematic energy.