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NEW YORK — When Jennifer Kent's "The Babadook" opened in theaters a decade ago, it played at two cinemas. When it returns to theaters this 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.
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 in August, 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. 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 will very possibly outgross the $1 million it made a decade ago in North America.
"It has grown a new fan base," says Nicole Weis, vice president of distribution for IFC. "The majority of the fans didn't see it theatrically. This strategy of bringing it back was so people could see a film they've fallen in love with as they should, as it was intended to be, on the big screen."
Theatrical hasn't returned to pre-pandemic levels. But that's partly due to theaters not having enough movies to show. The number of films released nationwide in theaters has lowered for various reasons. The year's movie calendar was significantly altered by last year's prolonged work stoppages.
Partly to help fill such voids, the nation's three largest theater chains – AMC, Regal and Cinemark — in 2005 formed Fathom Events. It distributes, among other things, live broadcasts of the Metropolitan Opera and special events like the annual Studio Ghibli Fest, which brings back classics from the Japanese anime studio. Its release of "Coraline," including 3-D screenings, set a new high mark for Fathom.
"The interest in classic movies has really gone up," Ray Nutt, chief executive of Fathom says. "This year we'll see a 75% increase year over year in this category."
When Fathom started out, they mainly looked to play films on quiet days in cinemas, like Mondays and Tuesdays. But they've steadily expanded. Upcoming classics include anniversary showings of "Rear Window," "Blazing Saddles," "Mean Girls" and "The Fifth Element."
"We joke around here a lot about what is the definition of a classic movie," says Nutt. "It used to be something like 50 years or whatever, and now we're talking about 'Coraline' at 15."
Some streaming services tend to hide older films from their home pages. But in such a digital sea of content, how new a movie can sometimes be less relevant. The difference between theater and home is becoming less about what's new and more about the viewing experience. 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?
"There's about 20-30% less films being majorly distributed now than there were just five years ago," says Jeremy Boviard, the general manager of the four-screen Moviehouse in Millerton, New York. "There's definitely more holes in certain programming weekends."
"I feel like people still crave that experience," says Kent.
"For me," she adds, "I take it very seriously because I think we need it."
