Cult classic film noir horror Donnie Darko returning to theaters

In conjunction with their upcoming home video Collector’s Edition release (available Here), Arrow Films has announced the March 31st theatrical debut of the 4K restoration of Richard Kelly’s cult hit Donnie Darko. Following a wildly successful re-release in the UK for its fifteenth anniversary, the film will return to theaters in cities across America. Fifteen years before “Stranger Things” combined science-fiction, Spielberg-ian touches and 80s nostalgia to much acclaim, Kelly set the template and the benchmark with his debut feature, Donnie Darko. Initially beset with distribution problems, it would slowly find its audience and emerge as arguably the first cult classic of the new millennium. The 4K restoration of Donnie Darko will premiere at the Vista in Los Angeles on March 30th, and officially open in Los Angeles at the Cinefamily and in New York at Metrograph on March 31st.

Described by director Richard Kelly as “The Catcher in the Rye as told by Philip K. Dick”, Donnie Darko combines an eye-catching, eclectic cast: pre-stardom Jake Gyllenhaal (Nightcrawler, Brokeback Mountain, Nocturnal Animals), Maggie Gyllenhaal (“The Honourable Woman”, The Dark Knight), Jena Malone (The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, The Neon Demon), the late heartthrob Patrick Swayze (Dirty Dancing, Ghost), Drew Barrymore (E.T., “Grey Gardens”, “Santa Clarita Diet”) Oscar nominees Mary McDonnell (Dances With Wolves, Passion Fish, “Battlestar Galactica”) and Katharine Ross (The Graduate, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, The Stepford Wives), and television favorite Noah Wyle (“ER”, “Falling Skies”) and an evocative soundtrack of 80s classics by Echo and the Bunnymen, Tears for Fears and Duran Duran.

The brand-new 4K restoration was produced by Arrow Films from the original camera negatives and supervised and approved by Kelly and cinematographer Steven Poster. Both the theatrical cut and the director’s cut are being made available to venues via a partnership with Cartilage Films, and locations will vary.

Donnie Darko will also return for weeklong runs in Denver, Columbus, Pittsburgh, Phoenix and San Francisco on March 31st, and in El Paso and Detroit on April 7.

Special screenings include Jacksonville, Austin, Dallas, Honolulu, Lubbock, Baton Rouge, Sioux Falls, Oklahoma City, Tucson, Durham and Stamford throughout March and April.

If you’re interested in owning the Collector’s Edition of Donnie Darko, it’s available for order Here.