A24 to Screen 'Club Kid' Free in 12 U.S. Cities for Nightlife Crowds

By Grace Kim

A24 will screen Jordan Firstman's feature directorial debut "Club Kid" for free in 12 U.S. cities the week of Oct. 24, Variety first reported. The 7 p.m. showings target nightlife workers and club regulars. Theatres involved:

• Atlanta
• Austin
• Boston
• Chicago
• Dallas
• Houston
• Miami
• Philadelphia
• Portland, Ore.
• San Francisco
• Seattle
• Washington, D.C.

The early start isn't casual. It leaves attendees hours to reach their own clubs after the credits roll.

The film and its cast

Firstman wrote, directed and stars as a Manhattan promoter whose world unravels when a paternity test names him the father of 10-year-old Reggie, played by Reggie Absolom. Diego Calva, Cara Delevingne, Paris Petitjen, Coleen Camp, Kirby-Howell Baptiste, Vicki Pepperdine, Nigil Whyte, Eldar Isgandarov, Saturn Risin9, Miss Benny and Alaska Riley round out the cast.

A club-scene partner, not a press partner

The tour pairs with Resident Advisor (RA), a long-running online platform covering electronic music, DJs and club culture worldwide. RA's audience — promoters, dancers, bartenders, after-hours regulars — overlaps heavily with the film's subject matter.

That choice matters more than it looks. RA reaches people who book tables at clubs, not readers who scan reviews. A general arts publication couldn't match that reach inside nightlife.

The bidding war behind the deal

A24 paid $17 million for "Club Kid" after a multi-bidder auction that pitted the studio against Mubi, Focus Features, Searchlight and Netflix. Warner Bros.' new indie label Clockwork and Neon also courted Firstman earlier in the process.

The film earned a six-minute standing ovation at its Cannes premiere in May, before the offers landed.

Firstman's response at Cannes

He told Variety the same week the deal closed: "It's really been the best week of my life." The festival doubled as a family reunion — his mother and his "non-binary sibling who lives a very different kind of queer lifestyle" both sat in the audience.

Online commenters had predicted success might turn him cold. He pushed back: "I don't want to gloat. I'm just so grateful."

What does this change for the film's release?

"Club Kid" opens in limited release Nov. 6, with the screening tour functioning as a pre-release test. A24 uses free rooms to convert a culturally specific crowd into opening-weekend ticket buyers — a strategy more familiar in horror or action releases than indie drama.

The math is straightforward. Twelve cities, dozens of staff, hard costs. If turnout tracks online sentiment, A24 learns where demand is strongest before the theatrical push.

What the rollout signals: A24 betting on community distribution over press reviews. The film doubles as a recruitment tool for a subculture that influences how millions dress, dance and gather after dark.