《Backrooms》 movie: A24 receives a stake investment from Google DeepMind! Secures $75 million to develop AI movie tools

Google DeepMind takes a stake in independent studio A24, investing $75 million to develop AI film tools. A24’s The Backrooms has already grossed $300 million, and the two sides will join forces to drive technological innovation in Hollywood.

A24 and Google cross-industry collaboration, jointly developing new AI tools

Hollywood welcomes AI giants’ capital inflow! On June 22, Google announced that its AI lab, Google DeepMind, has taken a stake in independent film studio A24, investing approximately $75 million, to support the studio in exploring film tools that combine AI technology and help creators develop new workflows.

This is Google’s first investment in a film studio, but this collaboration is not exclusive. Moreover, the agreement also clearly states that Google cannot access A24’s data and film and television library.

According to The Wall Street Journal, since early 2025, A24 has hired Adobe executive Scott Belsky to lead its digital business. Under the leadership of the A24 Labs team, they are currently trying to develop a tool for AI-generated storyboard scriptwriting.

Belsky emphasized that this is about giving the studio a better way to retain creative control and support daring experimentation, and that the new tool will not be the kind of prompt-based AI that makes the public uneasy.

Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis also believes that by partnering with industry leaders such as A24, it hopes to create new AI features that help artists realize their visions.

Image source: Flickr, photo by Chris Guillebeau (2012), when Scott Belsky was CEO of the design platform Behance

The Backrooms box office has reached $300 million, with independent producer A24 on the rise

A24 is a New York-based independent film studio. With its distinctive dark aesthetics, avant-garde narrative style, and excellent meme marketing that has swept the world, it has produced and distributed numerous well-received and popular works. In its 2024 fundraising, its valuation reached $3.5 billion, and over the past 2 years, revenue growth has increased by more than 1x.

Data from research firm NRG shows that more than half of the viewing public say they are A24 fans, making it one of the few studios—alongside Disney—that can attract audiences into theaters just by the studio’s name alone.

Based on data from A24 and Box Office Mojo, the global box office of The Backrooms released in 2026 has reached $300 million and is still in theaters; Chaos and Mayhem released in 2025 has earned approximately $190 million; the Oscar-winning 2022 film Everything Everywhere All at Once has grossed approximately $150 million worldwide; and in 2026 Drama Lovers and in 2024 American Civil War have respectively earned approximately $130 million and $125 million.

Image source: A24 YouTube. A24’s latest film The Backrooms has reached $300 million at the global box office and is still in theaters

At present, A24 is having director Alex Garland helm its highest-investment film adaptation to date, Elden Ring, adapted from Hidetaka Miyazaki’s game, with a budget of approximately $175 million. The cast includes Kit Connor, Cailee Spaeny, Ben Whishaw, and others. It is scheduled to premiere in 2028.

Silicon Valley and Hollywood collaboration—does it help win recognition from the film industry?

The Hollywood Reporter believes that the collaboration between A24 and DeepMind is a striking combination of Silicon Valley and Hollywood.

For tech giants, partnering with A24 allows them to access highly respected top directors to further refine their AI models. Especially at a time when well-known creators such as Guillermo del Toro (director of Pan’s Labyrinth) and Vince Gilligan (writer of Breaking Bad) are expressing strong doubts about AI tools, the industry recognition brought by A24 is extremely important for technology companies.

In addition, this deal has enabled A24, the boutique entertainment company, to successfully catch up with other competitors. Currently, Netflix has already acquired InterPositive, an AI startup founded by Ben Affleck, and Lionsgate is collaborating with Runway AI.

Image source: Flickr, photo by Gage Skidmore (2017), Hollywood superstar Ben Affleck speaking at an event in San Diego

Doug Liman, director of The Bourne Identity, also completed production on his new film Killing Satoshi Nakamoto this April. The film is claimed to be a fully AI-generated Hollywood narrative feature with studio-quality production, costing only $70 million—far lower than the original $300 million blockbuster budget— yet it still includes multiple big-name real-life actors, such as Casey Affleck, Ben Affleck’s brother.

• Related report: The first AI Hollywood blockbuster! Killing Satoshi Nakamoto starring Casey Affleck, with a $70 million budget far lower than traditional movies

Building dedicated AI tools—becoming a trend for the future of the film industry

This cooperation shows that, in the future, content brands will be inclined to build bespoke, dedicated AI tools for specific styles, rather than merely using prompt-based AI models to rapidly produce outputs. This may also help avoid disputes and controversies over complex copyright issues and disrespect toward creators.

For example, InterPositive led by Ben Affleck emphasizes that its AI tools will not generate entirely new content out of thin air, and will absolutely not use unauthorized, unapproved video materials without permission. This is different from mainstream AI video generation tools on the market.

However, in the current film industry, the application of generative AI is still highly controversial. Some creators, such as Kane Parsons, director of The Backrooms, have publicly criticized generative AI; but Ben Affleck believes AI can never replicate the core value of humans—artistic expression based on real-life experiences.

• Related report: Netflix buys its AI company for $600 million! Ben Affleck: AI is just a tool and cannot replicate human core value