The Resurgence of Classic Films in Theaters
NEW YORK – When Jennifer Kent’s “The Babadook” opened in theaters a decade ago, it played at two cinemas. When it returns to theaters next month, it will be in 500.
“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, speaking from Australia. “Considering that it only released on such a small number of screens, I feel proud that it’s still enduring.”
“The Babadook,” a chilling parable of parenthood that ushered in a new era of daring, cinematic horror films, is just one of many movies making an anniversary run in theaters this year. Look at almost any movie theater marquee right now and you’ll probably see not just new titles but a smattering of older films, too.
At a time when nearly everything is available at home with a few clicks, nothing is surging on the big screen as much as yesterday’s movies. Repertory cinema, once the home of the arthouse, is now in the multiplex, too.
And sometimes, the ticket sales can be eye-popping. In the last two weeks, the beloved 2009 stop-motion Laika Studios film “Coraline,” by Henry Selick, has grossed more than $25 million — a staggering sum for a 15-year-old movie. Earlier this year, Disney’s re-release of “Star Wars: Episode One – The Phantom Menace” made $19.4 million globally.
This fall will see anniversary releases of “Shaun of the Dead,” “Paris, Texas,” “Whiplash,” “Hoop Dreams,” “Interstellar” and many more. It’s not uncommon, of course, for restored classics to return to theaters. (“Seven Samurai” and “The Conversation” are among those that have this summer.) But it’s a new feature of moviegoing that fairly recent movies are seeing wide re-releases – and that audiences are packing theaters for them.
“The Babadook,” a small independent film propelled to cult status by widespread raves — even William Friedkin hailed it as an instant classic — will very possibly outgross the $1 million it made a decade ago in North America.
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