Entertainment · Film · 1 hr ago
Donnie Darko turns 25 after a box-office flop and later cult success
Richard Kelly’s Donnie Darko opened in US theaters on October 26, 2001, 25 years ago.
The film follows Donnie, a troubled teenager played by Jake Gyllenhaal, who sees a frightening figure in a rabbit costume and becomes caught up in questions about time travel.
Jena Malone also stars, and the story is set in a Virginia town in 1988.
The film did not draw a large theater audience; one account puts its box-office earnings at $7.5 million, while another says it made just over $8 million worldwide.
It later found an audience on home video and at midnight screenings, becoming better known after its initial run.
Its release came about a month and a half after the September 11 attacks, and one account suggests the film’s plane-crash opening may have affected its appeal.
Richard Kelly’s Donnie Darko opened in theaters on October 26, 2001, after appearing at the Sundance Film Festival earlier that year.
The film initially struggled at the box office and later found an audience on home video and the midnight movie circuit.
The Hollywood Reporter says it made just over $8 million globally, while /Film reports $7.5 million at the box office on a $4.5 million budget.
The film stars Jake Gyllenhaal as a teenager troubled by hallucinations, including one involving a man in a rabbit costume.
A possible reason for its weak theatrical performance was its release about a month and a half after the September 11 attacks, though /Film also points to the film’s unusual style.
- Who
- Donnie Darko was written and directed by Richard Kelly and stars Jake Gyllenhaal and Jena Malone.
- What
- The film opened in theaters and initially flopped before finding an audience on home video and the midnight movie circuit.
- When
- October 26, 2001; it had appeared at the Sundance Film Festival earlier that year.
- Where
- The film opened in theaters; the story is set in a Virginia town.
- Why
- /Film suggests its unusual style and release shortly after September 11 may have limited its appeal. The sources do not establish a definitive reason.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Donnie Darko appeared at the Sundance Film Festival.
The film opened in theaters.
The film found an audience on home video and the midnight movie circuit.
- Director
- Richard Kelly
- Theatrical release
- October 26, 2001
- Festival appearance
- Sundance Film Festival, early 2001
- Reported box office
- Just over $8 million globally, according to Hollywood Reporter; $7.5 million, according to /Film
- Reported budget
- $4.5 million, according to /Film
3 sources
What people are saying
Darko gyrates around the brooding downward spiral of its titular character, fusing together black comedy, paranormal activity and teenage angst.
Ultimately, filmmaker Richard Kelly’s narrative bursts fizzle into a confusing meltdown