The top “new” movie of the weekend was the 50th Anniversary Re-Release of Steven Spielberg’s JAWS, the original summer blockbuster from 1975. If it was good the first time, and it was, why not try again? There are several dynamics at play that play into this renaissance in re-releases.
First, there are only so many top new movies that studios are releasing, and lots of dates on the calendar. Therefore, theatres have screens available to play movies that will be well-recognized by audiences from yesteryear. There is a strong current of nostalgia in the movie business and established IP. Some of the same factors that convince studios to make sequels to successful films are also encouraging them to just re-release the successful film itself.
Second, it does not cost a lot to dust off an original, perhaps upgrade the technology with a 4K or digital remaster, and re-release it to theatres. Even the marketing of these efforts is simpler than trying to explain to audiences what a new film is about and why they might want to see it. Audiences already know why they want to see JAWS.
Third, these releases can be appetizers for new releases that are linked to the original, like the upcoming one-week re-release of AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER on October 3rd, leading up to the holiday release of the new AVATAR: FIRE AND ASH. Or on a smaller scale, last week’s 15th Anniversary Re-Release of Darren Aronofsky’s horror masterpiece BLACK SWAN on over 200 IMAX screens preceded this weekend’s new release of the director’s CAUGHT STEALING.
And whereas these “classic” re-releases used to be left to specialty distributors such as Fathom Events, the studios themselves are increasingly taking responsibility for the redistribution of movies from their own libraries, indicating their desire to take ownership of the costs and benefits of the activity.