Christopher Nolan’s beloved sci-fi epicInterstellarwill be re-released in theaters in 2024for its 10th anniversary. Originally planned for re-release on September 27, the shows will be pushed back to December 6 for a nationwide release. Yes, if you were one of those who shrieked in panic today after the social media outburst, you can rest assured that the rumors are simply not true.
According toVariety, the change follows Paramount Pictures' strategy to release the film in theaters at the same time as another home release is launched. What’s also important is that the film will play in IMAX theaters with 70mm prints, which is Nolan’s favorite format for theatrical exhibitions of the movie. Other theaters without access to the special projectors will play the film on digital screens.
Earlier today, a rumor started circulating on X, formerly known as Twitter, about Paramount’s inexplicable destruction of the valued 70mm original prints and the cancellation of the theatrical re-release in the special format. X usersexpressed their feelings of anger, disbelief, sorrow, and straight-up disappointment: For instance, the below video post got 12 thousand likes:
Even someone who goes by @NolanAnalyst, orChristopher Nolan Art & Updates, wrote, “According to current rumours, Paramount has destroyed its 70mm IMAX prints ofInterstellar. The September re-release could be scrapped or limited to theaters that still have a print to show.” And there were plenty other conspiratorial reactions:
Per Variety’s article, Paramount is claiming to have more copies of the movie than usual. Although film prints are often damaged after being used for some time, Nolan’s films tend to be special. 2024 has been a huge year for Nolan after sweeping the Academy Awards withOppenheimer, so we can’t see Warner Bros. or Paramount (which both producedInterstellarand handled different distribution territories) putting Nolan’s valuable films at risk by saving only one or two copies. There is a probable vault where his, as well as other films, are safely stored.
Christopher Nolan Movies, Ranked From Good to Best
Soldiers, superheroes, and space: London-born director Christopher Nolan turned the thinking movie into a commercial darling.
Why Is Interstellar’s 10th Anniversary Re-Release Even Important?
The 2014 sci-fi film about NASA test pilot Joseph Cooper going on an intergalactic journey to find a new home for humans, and learning emotional truths on the way, is a superb execution of genre tropes. The stellar cast includes Matthew McConaughey, Jessica Chastain, Anne Hathaway, Ellen Burstyn, John Lithgow, Timothée Chalamet, Casey Affleck, Matt Damon, and Michael Caine. It made over $700 million at the box office and won an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects.
Why Interstellar is More About Family Than Space
Even though Interstellar is one of the most famous space movies, its main focus is on family and the bonds they share.
Interstellaris a fan-favorite feature that proved Nolan’s vision for the genre. Yes, previous films likeInceptionwere essential to introduce him as a natural in the craft, but the hard sci-fi ofInterstellarwas his way to elevate the medium. Scientifically accurate in many ways and visually extraordinary (cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytemashot on 35mm film in Panavision anamorphic and IMAX 70mm),Interstellaris undeniable evidence that his requirements aren’t based on simple whims from a spoiled filmmaker (something some viewers accused him of afterTenet).
Nolan celebrates films and making filmsonfilm.Interstellar’s 10-year anniversary re-release is an ambitious venture because of all it requires and what it rewards. Once again, special projectors will have to be used, but once again, audiences will prove to studios that it’s all worth it in the end. As “special” as shooting on film sounds today, Nolan’s style of filmmaking helps to support a dying industry. If things go well, and the response is proportional to what we saw on Twitter today, more films could follow in anniversary re-releases in the way its filmmakers intended.
Interstellar
It’s worth the wait until December to catch this one in theaters, but Interstellar is available to stream on Prime Video and Paramount+.
