Hollywood’s Newest Formula for Success: Rereleasing Old Movies

The multiplex is awash in titles that are 15, 20, even 60 years old. Nostalgia is a factor but economics play a big part, too.

Natalie Portman in “Black Swan,” which was back in theaters this month for its 15th anniversary.Credit…Niko Tavernise/Fox Searchlight Pictures

By Esther Zuckerman
Aug. 22, 2025, 5:03 a.m. ET
The New York Times

There’s an overwhelming sense of déjà vu at multiplexes these days.

In August alone, “Black Swan” (2010) is returning to theaters, along with the Tim Burton “Batman” movies from 1989 and 1992. Audiences will be able to revisit the oceanic terror of “Jaws” (1975), as well as the comic mystery (and multiple endings) of “Clue” (1985). Or they could groove to Prince’s “Sign o’ the Times” concert film from 1987.

And it doesn’t look like the rerelease trend is slowing down. In September, “The Breakfast Club” (1985) is returning, Pixar is bringing back “Toy Story” (1995), and “Apollo 13” (1995) is blasting off again. “Casper” (1995) will haunt screens for nearly the entire month of October, while “Avatar: The Way of Water” (2022) will run for about five days, teeing up the forthcoming “Avatar: Fire and Ash.” And there are still more to come before the end of the year.

Rereleases have long been part of the theatrical ecosystem. After all, “Star Wars” movies have been heading back to multiplexes routinely since 1981 — before “Return of the Jedi” even debuted. But recently, studios have been digging deeper into their archives for a variety of reasons — only some of which have to do with nostalgia.

“Black Swan,” from Searchlight, which is now owned by Disney, took over around 200 IMAX screens to commemorate its 15th anniversary. Universal’s specialty arm, Focus Features, rereleased both “Pride & Prejudice” (2005) and “Brokeback Mountain” (2005) earlier this year. “Pride & Prejudice” ultimately grossed more than $6 million domestically this time around, about 16 percent of its original U.S. box office haul.

In total, Universal has 12 rereleases on its 2025 slate — not including a partnership with another distribution company — compared with just four in 2024 and two in 2023.

“We very much pay a lot of attention to our repertory business,” the studio’s president of domestic theatrical distribution, Jim Orr, said by phone, explaining, “We just think it’s not only great fun for audiences, but a great business to be in as well.”

Matthew Macfadyen and Keira Knightley in “Pride & Prejudice,” which added $6 million more to its take in re-release. Credit…Universal Pictures

Orr explained that the size of Universal’s rerelease slate this year was “more coincidental” than anything else, with all the films hitting anniversaries in 2025. Still, there is a strong business motivation: The rereleases help studios and exhibitors pad out relatively thin slates.

“The truth of the matter is studios don’t have enough product right now to give theaters, so that’s why you’re seeing an influx of these nostalgia plays,” said Jeff Bock, senior box office analyst at Exhibitor Relations. He added, “It doesn’t cost a lot for them to do an anniversary edition or a 4K edition.”

And, while most rereleases are not blowing up the box office, there were two major success stories last year. Christopher Nolan’s “Interstellar” (2014) brought in more than $15 million domestically and more than $38 million worldwide. The IMAX screenings inspired such fervor that tickets were reportedly listed on secondary markets online for as much as $215. That same year, the Fathom Entertainment rerelease of the stop-motion “Coraline” (2009) in 3-D raked in about $34 million.

At the time, that was the highest-grossing film ever for Fathom, which also distributes special event programming like movies and television shows with a faith-based element or Metropolitan Opera productions. While many rereleases are brought to exhibitors directly by studios, Fathom — which is owned by the theater chains AMC, Regal and Cinemark — sometimes acts as a go-between.

This month, Fathom is mounting a run of “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” (1990), and putting out a 4K version of “The Sound of Music” for its 60th anniversary in September. The Fathom chief executive Ray Nutt said that rereleases, which the company deems “classics,” make up about 20 percent of his overall revenue. He noted that following pandemic lockdowns, repertory offerings rebounded quickly, while other divisions of Fathom, like the operas, were slower to regain their footing.

“The classic category was one of the fastest to come back because people wanted to get out of the house, they wanted to be communal and they knew what the content was at the movie theater,” Nutt said.

The pandemic still casts a long shadow over the box office, as do the 2023 Hollywood strikes and the streaming business, which has kept both viewers and movies away from theaters. Bock pointed out that studios no longer make as much money selling their films to cable networks. Rereleasing a movie, for a studio like Universal, is a fairly cheap prospect that could result in a financial boost.

“We wouldn’t come anywhere near spending the same kind of money we would in launching a new title,” Orr said.

Christina Ricci in “Casper” (1995), which will hit theaters again in October. Credit…David James/Universal Pictures

Orr also said that the studio looked for films with well-established fan bases, whether that’s “Pride & Prejudice,” with its meme-able depiction of yearning, or “Casper,” which he said had elicited “decent” interest every year. Although he doesn’t consider rereleases counterprogramming to the typical arc of the movie season, he said his team looked for times when the older films could be best received.

“Opportunistic dating is what I would call it,” he explained. “There might be a window where something goes thematically or holiday-wise, whatever kind of fits in, or there might be some more screens available in specific formats.”

While not the case with every rerelease, many try to draw audiences via specialty formats like IMAX or Dolby, which provides an enhanced sound and visual experience. Jed Harmsen, Dolby’s vice president and general manager of cinema and group entertainment, said in a video interview that he didn’t see rereleases going away even if studios’ slates get fuller.

“Do I think we’re going to start seeing a rerelease opening up against ‘Jurassic World’? Probably not, for straight economic reasons,” he said. “But do I think there’s going to be a more regular cadence to these, particularly filling out your Monday to Thursday days and eventizing a ‘one night only’ or ‘two night only’? I do.”

For a filmmaker, a rerelease can feel flattering. Before the two-night IMAX return of “Black Swan” in August, the director Darren Aronofsky had high hopes for the screenings.

“Everyone’s talking to me about it,” he said in a video interview. “I think there’s so many young people that never got to see it on the big screen that are excited.”

But Aronofsky also noted a downside to the rerelease trend: his new crime drama “Caught Stealing,” opening Aug. 29, couldn’t secure IMAX screens thanks to the revival of “Jaws” the same weekend.

“That’s a bummer for a new film that could use that,” he said. “But I’m excited that these movies are seeing another life.”