Movie fans flock to ‘Interstellar’ IMAX 70mm re-release

On By Littum

For Patrick Tomasso, an international flight at 6 in the morning and a journey of about 350 miles a small price to pay to see one of his favorite movies, “Interstellar,” on the big screen again.

The Toronto-based cinematographer and film influencer said he has seen Christopher Nolan’s sci-fi epic dozens of times since it debuted a decade ago. But when Paramount Pictures, the film’s distributor, announced it would be re-released on select screens, Tomasso knew he would do anything to secure a ticket. Even if that meant making a very quick trip across the border to New York to see it at the nearest theater with an IMAX screening available.

“Look what everybody did for Taylor Swift,” Tomasso said, referring to the throngs of fans who traveled the world to catch the pop star’s recent record-breaking global tour. “This is my Eras Tour.”

Set on a futuristic Earth that is no longer habitable, “Interstellar” follows farmer/ex-NASA pilot Joseph Cooper (played by Matthew McConaughey) as he and a team search for a new planet for humans. The Oscar-nominated film was a commercial hit at the time of its release in 2014, earning more than $730 million at the global box office.

Now the film’s limited re-release gives it another boost. It generated $4.5 million across 166 screens last weekend, with all IMAX screenings sold out. On some secondary markets online, tickets were listed for up to $215 per person. seat, according to Variety.

While re-releasing a movie in theaters isn’t new, the renewed success of “Interstellar” reflects a growing trend among both audiences and distributors for these kinds of events. Many smaller theaters often run films in re-release to help fill seats. In the wake of dueling Hollywood strikes, as well as the pandemic that preceded it, studios and exhibitors leaned into a similar strategy.

“At least 27 legacy films were re-released in 2024 in more than 100 domestic theaters — in many cases more than 1,000 — grossing more than $90 million in total,” according to a recent Black report.

Among the most notable examples was “Coraline,” a stop-motion animated dark fantasy horror film that grossed $53 million during its re-release this summer. It was so successful in its re-release that it returned to theaters for the third time on Halloween in newly remastered 3D and 2D formats.

The re-release of “Interstellar” is tied to its 10th anniversary. Following the success of Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” at the 2024 Oscars, Paramount Pictures announced the theatrical re-release of the film in April during CinemaCon, an annual film industry conference. Warner Bros. Pictures, which co-produced the film, worked with Paramount for the revival, Variety reported previously reported.

The news immediately sparked excitement, especially among Nolan’s die-hard fans who have long admired his dedication to prioritizing the theatrical experience. His 2008 “The Dark Knight” was hailed as one of the first studio films shot partly with IMAX cameras.

Some moviegoers, like Natalie Fernandez, missed seeing “Interstellar” in theaters the first time. The Miami-based research coordinator said she had always hoped to see it in IMAX.

“A friend told me I can’t experience it on a TV screen or a laptop screen,” said Fernandez, who documented her first time seeing it in IMAX last weekend with a video on TikTok. “It just doesn’t compare.”

The caption above her video read: “not to be dramatic, but seeing Interstellar in IMAX is a life-changing experience.” In her caption, she elaborated: “The tears never stopped, I fear no other film will ever top this.”

In a recent interview with Associated PressNolan said he was “so pleased with the response.”

“It’s really exciting when people respond to your work at some point,” he told the publication. “But 10 years later, to have new audiences come and experience it the way we originally intended it on the big IMAX screens and especially on the IMAX film prints? It’s really rewarding to see that it continues to have a life.”

Tomasso, the avid moviegoer, said he already has tickets for the re-release of David Fincher’s 1995 film, “Se7en,” which is expected to return in January around its 30th anniversary.

When asked why he thinks re-releases are becoming so popular, Tomasso said, “the theater is one of our last religious experiences, where we can sit down in a dark room, nothing else matters for those two hours .”

“I really hope we can stick with it,” he added.