Is Re-Releasing Old Movies Becoming a New Tactic for Hollywood? Latest Numbers Suggest So

Movie theaters are looking to the past to boost ticket sales. In 2025, audiences have seen a wave of old favorites returning to the big screen. In August alone, films like Black Swan (2010) and Tim Burton’s Batman movies from 1989 and 1992 returned to theaters.

Fans could also revisit Jaws (1975), Clue (1985) with its multiple endings, or Prince’s concert film Sign o’ the Times (1987).

The trend isn’t slowing down. September will see The Breakfast Club (1985) back in theaters, along with Pixar’s Toy Story (1995) and Apollo 13 (1995). October brings a nearly month-long run of Casper (1995), while Avatar: The Way of Water (2022) will return for a short five-day run ahead of Avatar: Fire and Ash.

Rereleases are not new, Star Wars movies have returned to theaters since 1981 — but studios are digging deeper into their catalogs for more reasons than just nostalgia. Searchlight, now owned by Disney, recently rereleased Black Swan on about 200 IMAX screens for its 15th anniversary.

Focus Features, Universal’s specialty division, brought back Pride & Prejudice (2005) and Brokeback Mountain (2005) earlier this year. Pride & Prejudice earned over $6 million domestically on its rerelease, roughly 16 percent of its original U.S. box office total.

Universal alone has 12 rereleases planned for 2025, compared with four in 2024 and just two in 2023. Jim Orr, Universal’s president of domestic theatrical distribution, told reporters, “We very much pay a lot of attention to our repertory business. We just think it’s not only great fun for audiences, but a great business to be in as well.”

The business side is clear. Jeff Bock, senior media analyst at Exhibitor Relations, explained, “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. It doesn’t cost a lot for them to do an anniversary edition or a 4K edition.”

Rereleases have also proven profitable. Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar (2014) brought in over $15 million domestically and $38 million worldwide during its IMAX rerelease. Fathom Entertainment’s 3-D rerelease of Coraline (2009) earned about $34 million, marking the company’s highest-grossing title.

Fathom CEO Ray Nutt said rereleases, which the company calls “classics,” make up around 20 percent of its total revenue.

Studios carefully choose films with strong fan bases. Orr explained that they consider audience appeal and timing, “Opportunistic dating is what I would call it. 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.”

Specialty formats like IMAX and Dolby are often used to enhance the experience. Jed Harmsen, Dolby’s vice president, said, “I do 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’.”

Filmmakers also see rereleases as a chance to reach new audiences. Darren Aronofsky, director of Black Swan, said, “Everyone’s talking to me about it. I think there’s so many young people that never got to see it on the big screen that are excited.”

He also noted a downside: his new film Caught Stealing couldn’t secure IMAX screens the same weekend because of Jaws’ rerelease. “That’s a bummer for a new film that could use that. But I’m excited that these movies are seeing another life.”

With studios facing smaller release slates and competition from streaming, rereleasing older films has become a smart, low-cost way to bring audiences back to theaters while turning a profit.

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