Sometimes, it takes time for justice to be served in the world of cinema, and the journey of “Donnie Darko” is a prime example. This extraordinary film, released over 20 years ago, was initially a box-office failure but has since achieved cult status.
“DONNIE DARKO”: A CINEMATIC ENIGMA “
Donnie Darko” is a film that defies easy categorization. It’s a surreal and enigmatic journey that weaves through multiple genres, offering a unique cinematic experience. The story revolves around sixteen-year-old Donnie Darko, portrayed by Jake Gyllenhaal. Donnie is intelligent and imaginative, and he has a peculiar friend named Frank, a creature visible and audible only to him.
When Donnie miraculously survives an accident, Frank presents him with a strange proposition. The end of the world is approaching, and Donnie must fulfill his destiny. Bizarre events begin to unfold in the quiet town, revealing dark secrets hidden beneath the surface.
Upon its initial release on October 26, 2001, “Donnie Darko” had a limited theatrical run and was even pulled from theaters in the United States, only to return a year later. Its box office performance was nothing short of disastrous, with just over $7 million in global earnings. In France, where it was released in January 2002, the film attracted a mere 73,275 viewers. The numbers tell the tale of a harsh reality.
However, “Donnie Darko” experienced a remarkable resurgence over the years, thanks to word-of-mouth praise for its intense narrative, occasionally disorienting yet intelligent and captivating tone, and it was this that gave the film a second chance.
Director Richard Kelly expressed his thoughts about the film’s unconventional journey: “The fact that it straddles genres was challenging to market, especially at the time. But even today, every film has to fit into a specific category, and that drives me crazy,” he said during a 2019 interview when the film was re-released.
He further explained his continued surprise at the film’s enduring appeal: “It’s always surprising but also encouraging. I hope to keep telling my own stories and not have to tell other people’s stories that interest me less. It’s reassuring to know that people still feel connected to this narrative, which means I can continue to offer my ideas.”
RICHARD KELLY’S UNIQUE JOURNEY
Following “Donnie Darko,” Richard Kelly’s career didn’t exactly follow a traditional path. Four years later, his second film, “Southland Tales,” starring Dwayne Johnson, Sarah Michelle Gellar, and Sean William Scott, was released to general indifference. Produced for $20 million, it grossed less than $375,000. Since his 2009 thriller “The Box,” Kelly has not directed any further films.
A HELPING HAND FROM CHRISTOPHER NOLAN
While “Donnie Darko” may not have performed miracles at the box office, it did receive an unexpected boost from Christopher Nolan. An interesting anecdote recounted by Collider in January 2021 sheds light on this unique story.
Richard Kelly’s film was showcased at the Sundance Film Festival in the same year as Christopher Nolan’s “Memento.” Emma Thomas, Nolan’s future spouse and production partner, loved “Memento’s” script so much that she passed it on to her friend Aaron Ryder, an executive at Newmarket Films at the time. The production company optioned Nolan’s script for $4.5 million.
Despite this, no distributor showed interest in the film, leading Newmarket Films to distribute it themselves. When “Memento” was eventually released in the United States in March 2001, its success, largely driven by exceptional word-of-mouth, resulted in nearly $25 million in domestic box office earnings. With this success, Nolan had a powerful voice at the top of the production company.
Interestingly, both “Donnie Darko” and “Memento” were produced by Newmarket Films. However, while “Memento” found its way into theaters, the future of Kelly’s film “looked bleak,” according to the director himself. The company had no idea how to market it, and they even considered releasing it directly to the video.
After a phone call urging a reconsideration of the film’s fate, Aaron Ryder organized a screening for Newmarket Films’ top executives, with Christopher Nolan and Emma Thomas in attendance. Following the screening, both Nolan and Thomas turned to the executives and said, “You must distribute this film and release it in theaters!” And so it was done, with the mixed results that history now records.