From 'Black Swan' to 'Toy Story': Hollywood banks on re-releases

There's an overwhelming sense of deja vu at multiplexes these days. In August alone, "Black Swan" (2010) is returning to theatres, 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 re-release 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.

Re-releases 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 took over around 200 IMAX screens to commemorate its 15th anniversary. Universal's speciality arm, Focus Features, re-released 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% of its original US box office haul. In total, Universal has 12 re-releases on its 2025 slate.

"We very much pay a lot of attention to our repertory business," the studio's president of domestic theatrical distribution, Jim Orr, said, explaining, "We just think it's not only great fun for audiences, but a great business to be in as well." Orr explained that the size of Universal's re-release 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 re-releases 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 theatres, so that's why you're seeing an influx of these nostalgia plays," said Jeff Bock, senior media analyst. He added, "It doesn't cost a lot for them to do an anniversary edition or a 4K edition."