Christopher Nolan is known for reviving the Dark Knights cinematic presence with 2005s Batman Begins. A little known fact has surfaced that he also saved Donnie Darko from a fate of obscurity.
In an interview with The Guardian, Richard Kelly, the writer and director of Donnie Darko, revealed that Christopher Nolan was instrumental in assuring that the 2001 cult classic, which melds John Hughes-style high school satire with dark, peculiar oddities reminiscent of David Lynch, secured a theatrical release. Otherwise, it would have been a (likely) forgotten TV movie.
Why was Donnie Darko burdened with such a troubled beginning and how did Christopher Nolan manage to help Richard Kelly get his film off of the ground? As if the world of Donnie Darko could not get deeper, lets take a look at the movie from behind the scenes.
Donnie Darkos Dark BeginningsRichard Kelly was very early into his 20s when he wrote Donnie Darko in October of 1998, which explains its Halloween setting. Yet, the films cloudy philosophical messages and uncomfortable themes is what Hollywood seemingly found scary about it.
Donnie Darko stars a young Jake Gyllenhaal in the title role, a troubled, psychologically disturbed high school student in 1988 who begins to experience life-altering, bizarre occurrences that may or not be just his imagination.
Other than seeing visions of a man in a freakish-looking rabbit costume named Frank who claims the world is coming to an end, Donnie deals with his conservative parents conflicting ideologies, teachers threatened by his superior understanding of their own lessons, and a motivational speaker who may not be who he seems. Thats a lot for a teenager to carry on his shoulders.
Although its ambitious material nabbed a few well-known celebrities among its talented cast, including Patrick Swayze, Noah Wyle, and Drew Barrymore, Donnie Darko premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2001 to unimpressive results. Following boos at its initial screening, known distributors passed on the film feeling that a dark, violent story about a troubled high school student in a post-Columbine society was a recipe for disaster, as Richard Kelly recalled to The Guardian here:
Darko was a disaster at Sundance too. No one remembers that, but it was. Im grateful for any rosy glow of hindsight. I remember it took us almost six months to sell the movie. It almost went directly to the Starz network. We had to beg them to put it in theaters.
Richard Kelly feared that Donnie Darko, his baby, was destined to be thrown out as a cable movie reject. That was until he got a second chance when Aaron Ryder hosted a screening of the film and invited the up-and-coming director of the last film he produced, Memento, Christoper Nolan, to attend.
Christopher Nolan Raves About Donnie DarkoChristoper Nolan, the man behind acclaimed classics like Inception and The Dark Knight trilogy, had made his U.S. film debut in 2000 with Memento. Like Donnie Darko, the brain-teasing crime thriller had an infamous history at Sundance with no distributor wanting to buy the film -- despite winning the festivals Screenwriting Award that year.
However, Memento did secure distribution from Newmarket, which proved successful for the production company and put Christopher Nolan on the map as a filmmaker to watch. With Nolan having earned Newmarkets respect, producer Aaron Ryder decided inviting the filmmaker to his screening of Donnie Darko might be the jumpstart the film needed to earn a life on the big screen.
Christopher Nolan responded very enthusiastically to Donnie Darko. The filmmaker knew just who to relay his rave review to, as Richard Kelly has also mentioned:
Christopher Nolan stepped in and convinced Newmarket to put it in theaters.
Newmarket agreed to distribute Donnie Darko theatrically on their own, raising $25 million to put the movie through. It was released on October 26, 2001, to widespread critical success. Yet the movie still dealt with disappointing box office results.
Shown on just 58 screens, Donnie Darko opened at just $110,494, which led to a grand total of $517,375 by the end of its theatrical run in April 2002. Many credit the films depiction of a commercial plane crashing into Donnies house near the beginning and its release just a month after 9/11 as the ultimate cause of its initial failure.
Fortunately, as one of the philosophical themes within Donnie Darko posits, destruction is a form of creation. Out of its supposed destruction in terms of the box office success, DVD sales created new life for Richard Kellys masterpiece.
Donnie Darko Becomes A Cult HitIn a twist of ironic fate, Donnie Darko, a movie that almost went straight-to-video, became a hit on video. The thriller raked in nearly $10 million and piqued the interest of audiences who were fascinated by its inventive imagery, dark subject matter, and intelligent take on existential angst. It's still available in various home entertainment formats, and even a Director's Cut.
Donnie Darko is still a widely beloved and deeply analyzed cult hit, having been re-released to theaters twice since its debut, which finally allowed it to surpass its budget. It even spawned a 2009 straight-to-DVD sequel, S. Darko, which focuses on Donnies younger sister Samantha (Daveigh Chase), but neither fans nor Richard Kelly, who had no involvement with the follow-up, really prefer to acknowledge its existence.
Richard Kelly was praised as the David Lynch of his time at the time for his work on Donnie Darko. In fact, Donnie Darko, 18 years after its initial release, is still considered his masterpiece, especially since his career has not seen much success outside of it.
Richard Kellys follow-up to Donnie Darko came five years later with Southland Tales, an off-putting social satire that, like Donnie Darko, deals with apocalyptic prophecies and focuses on a bizarre cast of characters in perplexing situations. The film failed to match the critical reception, or even box office returns, as Donnie Darko, but has found some new life on video since.
Richard Kellys biggest box office success to date with more than $15 million, is 2009s The Box. Inspired by a short story by Richard Matheson, the thriller stars Cameron Diaz and James Marsden as a desperate couple who will be granted $1 million dollars by the push of a button on a strange-looking box. The catch is that pushing the button will also kill a random stranger.
The Box failed to impress critics and did nothing to help revive Richard Kellys reputation in Hollywood. He has not returned to filmmaking since, but is still widely looked up to as the creator of Donnie Darko.
Donnie Darko is a film of great mystery, but now its greatest mystery is what would this acclaimed hit have become if not for the help of Christopher Nolan -- of all people! From Donnie Darko to Batman, I believe it is safe to call Nolan a savior of some of cinemas most memorable achievements.
Rocky II is a 1979 American sports drama film written, directed by, and starring Sylvester Stallone. It is the sequel to the 1976 film Rocky, and was the last installment in the film series that was distributed solely by United Artists. Stallone, Carl Weathers, Tony Burton, Burgess Meredith, Burt Young and Talia Shire reprised their original roles.
Sylvester Stallone's career tells a story of going the distance
The Pet Sematary Remake Is Casting, Has Landed Its Female Lead Movies June 5, 2018 No Comments With less than a year to go until Kevin Kölsch and Dennis Widmyer's Pet Sematary remake finally debuts in theaters, new details have started to emerge about the film's cast.
Amy Seimetz Female Lead In 'Pet Sematary' Remake
Just wish me a happy born day 20+ Years to date the king was born n that's me #Transformation🍼👉🍺 Follow Safaris Kenya on WordPress.com
The Dude's Cardigan Up For Auction In Beverly Hills
One nude pitch may have been a little too sexy for NBC though. Subscribe To Midnight Texas' Dylan Bruce Pitched A Nude Scene That's Probably Too Far For NBC Updates close
Midnight Texas' Dylan Bruce Pitched A Nude Scene That's
Black Panther's Chadwick Boseman Fought For The Wakandan Accent Movies September 3, 2018 No Comments It seems impossible to think of now, but the MCU's version of King T'Challa, better known as the superhero Black Panther, almost didn't have that amazing Wakandan accent.
Black Panther Star Chadwick Boseman Fought Against Wakandan
Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Disney Beauty And The Beast Readalong Book And Cassette RARE ExCon Vintage '90s at the best online prices at eBay!
Beauty and the Beast (1991 film) VHS Tapes for sale | eBay
They have shot the bulk of the movie already. I can't imagine that Ron Howard is going to go in and top-to-bottom restructure the movie. If they didn't believe that what was shot was salvagable they probably wouldn't bother hiring Ron Howard at all. I imagine we're gonna see 70% maybe 60% L&M.
Why Ron Howard joined 'Solo: A Star Wars Story' in its time
Matt Damon And Ben Affleck Are Finally Re-Teaming For A Movie, And The Deadpool Writers Are Attached Movies August 2, 2018 No Comments Real life friends and co-owners of an Academy Award, Matt Damon and Ben Affleck have worked together multiple times over their storied careers.
Matt Damon And Ben Affleck Are Finally Re-Teaming For A Movie
Annabelle 3 Is the New Conjuring Movie Coming in 2019 Close. More Movie News. Annabelle Comes Home Wins Its R-Rating for Horror, Violence and Terror
The Conjuring Universe - Wikipedia
Dark Phoenix Photo Puts Magneto & Jean Grey in an Iconic X-Men Location thenewsboxx April 17, 2019 Movies Leave a comment 26 Views We have a model new picture from Dark Phoenix that introduces a doubtlessly thrilling ingredient to the X-Men franchise for longtime followers.
'X-Men: Dark Phoenix': Magneto's Role Explained, Genosha
'Wreck-It Ralph 2' Directors Reveal Why Leia Isn't Included in the Disney Princesses Scene Mark Hamill and William Shatner Have Hilarious Debate About Star Trek Symbol on Mars
Inside Ralph Breaks the Internet: Wreck It Ralph 2's Disney
A Quiet Place (film) Jump to navigation Jump to search. A Quiet Place; Theatrical release poster John Krasinski; Millicent Simmonds; Noah Jupe; Music by: Marco
jumanji full movie streaming
movie streaming quality ts
what is movie streaming online
it movie streaming online free
movie streaming canada
disney movie streaming service
best movie streaming sites free
movie streaming online reddit
free movie streaming xbox 360
movie streaming fmovies
movie streaming sites xbox one
what is the best movie streaming
movie streaming apps for roku
latest movie streaming sites
why did i get married full movie streaming
it movie streaming hd
movie streaming rights
good will hunting full movie streaming
prospect movie streaming
free movie streaming yidio
movie streaming free 2019
movie streaming programs
psych the movie streaming
solarmovie streaming
cars movie streaming
movie streaming deutsch
best movie streaming sites
movie streaming on firestick
justice league full movie streaming
top 10 movie streaming sites
online free movie streaming
movie streaming quebec
best worst movie streaming
top 25 movie streaming sites
best movie streaming app
will you be there movie streaming
movie streaming reddit
game night movie streaming
movie streaming reviews
yellow submarine movie streaming
pengabdi setan 2017 full movie streaming
movie streaming sites indonesia
paid movie streaming sites
kulari ke pantai full movie streaming
xbox one movie streaming sites 2018
movie streaming viooz
john wick 2 full movie streaming
movie streaming laws
harry potter movie streaming
android movie streaming app
is the post movie streaming
movie streaming apk
where to watch movie streaming
movie streaming vostfr
movie streaming box for tv
movie streaming terbaik
how to find which streaming service has a movie
movie queen streaming
streaming movie zero
amazon movie streaming
new movie streaming free
up movie streaming
xbox one movie streaming
top free movie streaming sites
heaven can wait movie streaming
movie streaming apps for pc
movie streaming finder
movie streaming illegal
movie streaming like netflix
movie streaming license
movie streaming trial
i can speak movie streaming
online bollywood movie streaming
is movie streaming legal
yts movie streaming
best movie streaming reddit
exodus movie streaming
movie streaming in australia
movie streaming v
movie streaming endgame
vacation movie streaming
movie streaming korean
quadrophenia movie streaming
nonton movie streaming
movie streaming vumoo
nonton dear nathan full movie streaming
new movie streaming
will hunting movie streaming
what does movie streaming mean
movie streaming search
movie streaming malaysia
wonder movie streaming
movie streaming free websites
movie streaming game of thrones
movie streaming theme
who is uri movie streaming partner
cold war movie streaming
how much data does movie streaming use
dragon ball super broly movie streaming
the best movie streaming sites
how do movie streaming sites work
movie up streaming
movie streaming for iphone
indonesian movie streaming online
how much is amazon prime movie streaming
movie streaming bollywood
hd online movie streaming
equalizer 2 full movie streaming
streaming movie keeps freezing
movie streaming no ads
#filmlover #birdbox #Qesh #watchblogger #firecrackers #blackiflix #TvSeries #blackking #filmizle #filmtavsiyesi #getsome #murica #bff #watchnerds #Filma #watchbrandname #independenceday #Serialemetitrashqip #watchmvmt #watchdose #hostales #movieaddict #watchobsessed #blacktech #SomosTuConexi #funnytime #watchestyle #movietime #watchful #watchfamily #watchhill #socialstreaming #TVSHow #Zgerdhiu #HostalCASAMXalameda #Movies #watchalert #watchcrazy #watchtattoo #Filma24 #CASAMXhostales #blackqueen #watchmaniac #slay #america #merica #WatchJunkie #watchpornid #watchuswork #tvroomdesign #WatchMovies #filmography #blackhistory365 #4thofjuly #watchwomen #WatchRoss #melanin #fourthofjuly #watchphoto #fireworks #Filmametitrashqip #watchenthusiasts #saladetv #holiday #FreeMovies #melaninmagic #watchluxus #watchmovies #watchingthesunset #blacksocialmedia #WatchUsRise #Seriale #blacksuccess #blackbusiness #moviesstreaming #blavity #blackenterprise
