PriyankaActor Brian Cox has delivered a scathing critique of the film industry, lamenting, “I think cinema is in a very bad way.” The ‘Succession’ star, known for his role in ‘X2: X-Men United,’ attributes the decline of cinema to the overwhelming influence of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Cox specifically pointed to the new Marvel film ‘Deadpool & Wolverine,’ expressing concern over its impact on the industry.
NEW YORK — When Jennifer Kent’s “The Babadook” first graced theaters a decade ago, it was shown in just two cinemas. This month, it will return to a vastly expanded audience, screening in 500 theaters.
“It’s strange, but in a wonderful way. I can’t quite believe it’s been 10 years already. But it’s fantastic to go back and be a part of it,” Kent says from Australia. “Considering that it initially released on such a small number of screens, I feel proud that it’s still enduring.”
“The Babadook,” a haunting exploration of parenthood that helped usher in a new wave of innovative horror films, is just one of many movies celebrating an anniversary with a theatrical run this year. A glance at movie theater marquees reveals not only new titles but also a selection of older films making a comeback.
In an era where nearly everything is accessible at home with a few clicks, there is a notable resurgence of interest in classic films on the big screen. Repertory cinema, once the domain of arthouse theaters, has now found a place in multiplexes as well.
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The ticket sales for these re-releases can be staggering. In just two weeks, the beloved 2009 stop-motion film “Coraline” from Laika Studios grossed over $25 million—a remarkable feat for a 15-year-old movie. Earlier this year, Disney’s re-release of “Star Wars: Episode One – The Phantom Menace” garnered $19.4 million globally.
This fall will see the anniversary re-releases of iconic films like “Shaun of the Dead,” “Paris, Texas,” “Whiplash,” “Hoop Dreams,” and “Interstellar,” among others. While the return of restored classics like “Seven Samurai” and “The Conversation” to theaters is not uncommon, the wide re-releases of relatively recent movies and their ability to draw crowds is a notable trend.
“The Babadook,” which achieved cult status thanks to widespread acclaim—including praise from director William Friedkin as an instant classic—is likely to surpass the $1 million it earned in North America a decade ago.
“It has grown a new fan base,” says Nicole Weis, vice president of distribution for IFC. “Many fans didn’t see it theatrically the first time around. This strategy of bringing it back allows people to experience it as it was meant to be seen—on the big screen.”
While theatrical attendance hasn’t returned to pre-pandemic levels, partly due to a reduced number of movies being released nationwide, initiatives like anniversary re-releases help fill the void left by fewer new titles. Last year’s prolonged work stoppages significantly altered this year’s movie calendar.
To address this gap, the nation’s three largest theater chains—AMC, Regal, and Cinemark—formed Fathom Events in 2005. Fathom distributes various special events and live broadcasts, including the Metropolitan Opera and the annual Studio Ghibli Fest. Its re-release of “Coraline,” including 3D screenings, set new records for Fathom.
“The interest in classic movies has really gone up,” says Ray Nutt, chief executive of Fathom Events. “This year we’ll see a 75% increase year over year in this category.”
Initially, Fathom focused on quieter days like Mondays and Tuesdays. However, they’ve expanded significantly. Earlier this year, one of their biggest hits was a run of the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy over a weekend. Upcoming classics include anniversary showings of “Rear Window,” “Blazing Saddles,” “Mean Girls,” and “The Fifth Element.”
“We joke around here about what defines a classic movie,” says Nutt. “It used to be something like 50 years old or more, but now we’re talking about ‘Coraline’ at 15.”
Some streaming services tend to hide older films from their home pages. In a digital sea of content, how new a movie is can sometimes be less relevant. Movies like “Titanic” and “The Equalizer” have both charted on Netflix’s most-watched lists this summer. The difference between theater and home viewing is becoming more about the experience than the release date. Do you want to see “Jaws” on your couch while flipping through your phone or on a big screen with an audience collectively on the edge of their seats?
Mark Anastasio, program director of the Coolidge Corner Theatre—a six-screen nonprofit cinema in Brookline, Massachusetts—noticed the appeal of older films when the theater reopened post-pandemic closure. At that time, there were few new releases to show.
“But the interest in repertory never went away,” says Anastasio. “We have six screens here. It used to be that once or twice a week we’d run an older film at 7 p.m. Now we’ve increased our repertory offerings so that we’re showing an older movie every single night of the week, including Saturdays and Sundays. And the demand is there.”
Anastasio now finds he can program more creatively, delving deeper into filmmakers’ catalogues—and audiences continue to turn up. Recently, he had a packed house for Spike Lee’s “Inside Man” in 35mm and saw success with William Friedkin’s 1977 thriller “Sorcerer.” The Coolidge’s upcoming plans include three weeks of 70mm screenings featuring films like “Lawrence of Arabia” and “Inception,” along with a “Schlock and Awe” series of William Castle films complete with original gimmicks like seats that buzz during “The Tingler.”
While such programming isn’t new for urban arthouses, it’s expanding to more screens typically reserved for first-run movies—partly out of necessity.
“There are about 20-30% fewer films being majorly distributed now than there were just five years ago,” says Jeremy Boviard, general manager of the four-screen Moviehouse in Millerton, New York. “There are definitely more gaps in certain programming weekends.”
Movies and TV shows casting across the US
Movies and TV shows casting across the US
Movies and TV shows casting across the US
Movies and TV shows casting across the US
‘The Pelican (up to 23 episodes)’
‘Spider-Man: Fallout,’ Fan-Film’
‘Vanderpump Villa’ – hit reality TV show on Hulu
‘Supernatural Thriller Film’
‘A Love by Fate’
‘Crash’
‘A Christmas Party’
‘Same Hour Delivery’
‘The Final Production’
‘Elmwood Park’
‘Pick-up Shoot’
‘Girl In A Glass Box’
‘Stepping Stone’
‘Cotton Fever’
‘Meant To Dream’
‘Mya’
‘Starling Heights Forever’
‘Sketches’
‘Untitled Feature Film’
‘MALLORY’S GHOST’
Movies and TV shows casting across the US
‘A Quarter Past Midnight’
‘Lost in Revenge’
‘The Day God Died’
‘She’s Back’
‘The Veil’
‘State of Survival Game Drama Casting’
‘Seasons In The Abyss’
‘Lets Make A Deal’ Gameshow’
‘Nationally Syndicated Court TV Shows’
‘I’m the Rule’
‘TV Pilot (NYC Comedy)’
‘Waking State’
‘Untitled Gothic Revenge Film’
‘The Vacation Plan’
‘The Barn Part III’
‘Dangerous Blind Wife’
‘Lets Make A Deal’ Gameshow’
‘Botox Party’
‘Elmwood Park’
‘She’s Back’
‘It Was a Quiet Seeming Day’
‘The Later Show,’ Extra’s’
‘The Barn Part III’
‘The Veil’
‘Confidential’
‘Lace-Weaver Spiders’
‘Dead Fred’
‘Belle & Beau’
‘The Stand-in’
‘Room 17’
‘The Confessional’
‘Untitled Horror Project’
‘Lace-Weaver Spiders’
‘Music Centric Rom Com’
‘Dead Fred’
‘UNDERSTUDY’
‘Untitled Feature Film’
‘Americatronic!’
‘A Christmas Party’
‘Doctor Feldman’
‘Seasons In The Abyss’
‘The Later Show,’ Extra’s’
‘Dean’
‘Dog Years’
‘The Veil’
‘Darren Aronofsky/Austin Butler Sony Film ‘Caught Stealing”
‘One Step Closer to Hell”
‘The Confessional”
‘Doctor Feldman”
‘Student Body”
‘Happy Gilmore 2”
‘While the Sun Shines”
‘The Killers”
‘The Vacation Plan”
‘Docuseries, Extras”
‘The Hanged Man”
‘Music Centric Rom Com”
‘Darren Aronofsky/Austin Butler Sony Film ‘Caught Stealing”’
‘The Barn Part III”
‘A Christmas Party”
‘Student Body”
‘Subclass”
‘Sony Pictures Feature Film”
‘One Step Closer to Hell”
‘Trip To The Moon”
‘Breaking Point”
‘Lets Make A Deal” Gameshow”’
‘Petty Crimes – Feature Film/News Thriller”’
‘A Soho Love Story”’
‘Happy Gilmore 2”’
‘Seeking Horse”’
‘Untitled Feature Film”’
‘Before We’re Over”’
‘The Hanged Man”’
‘Breaking Point”’
‘The Confessional”’
‘Crystal”’
‘Darren Aronofsky/Austin Butler Sony Film ‘Caught Stealing”’
‘Petty Crimes – Feature Film/News Thriller”’
‘Anna’s”’
‘Seeking Horse”’
‘The Veil”’
‘We Live at Night”’
‘Wedding Fortune”’
‘Student Body”’
‘A Christmas Party”’
‘Untitled Josh Safdie Film”’
‘Happy Gilmore 2”’
‘Phineas Atters”’
‘Room 17”’
‘Golden”’
‘A Christmas Party”’
‘Doctor Feldman”’
‘Long Stories Short Vol.1”’
‘A Quarter Past Midnight”’
‘Last Call for Redemption”’
‘Untitled Horror Project”’
‘Room 17”’
‘Doctor Feldman”’
‘Untitled Feature Film”’
‘Dean”’
‘The Best Mistake Ever”’
‘The Later Show,” Extra’s”’
‘Long Stories Short Vol.1”’
‘The Veil”’
‘Lowball”’
‘The Barn Part III”’
‘Breaking Point”’
”You Don’t Know”
”Spy Balloon”
”A Christmas Party”
”I Fell in Love with a Z-Grade Director from Brooklyn”
”Girl Code”
”In the Shadow Of Waves”
”I Fell in Love with a Z-Grade Director from Brooklyn”
