Now playing at the multiplex: Rereleased movies, concert films, TV shows, opera

At first glance, this week’s theatrical releases seem pretty typical of early November. There’s "Nuremberg," an Oscar-season drama starring Russell Crowe as Hermann Göring. "Predator: Badlands" marks the ninth film in the sci-fi/horror franchise. "Die My Love" casts A-listers Jennifer Lawrence and Robert Pattinson as a couple in trouble.

But here’s what else you’ll find at the multiplex: a new concert film from Mary J. Blige (screening Wednesday and Saturday), a re-edited version of "Rocky IV" and a live simulcast of the Metropolitan Opera’s "La Bohème."

Coming to a theater near you: the latest movies, and just about anything else. In addition to "Rocky IV" — now subtitled "Rocky vs. Drago: The Ultimate Director’s Cut" — the next several weeks will see such rereleases as the 2005 comedy "Wedding Crashers" and Quentin Tarantino’s "Kill Bill" films.  The concert documentary "Depeche Mode: M," filmed during 2023, began playing in theaters late last month; another, "Rolling Stones — at the Max," will begin playing theatrically Dec. 10. (It was originally released in 1991.) And in a highly unusual move, Netflix will broadcast the series finale of "Stranger Things" in 350 North American theaters on New Year’s Eve.

As the major studios release fewer films, theaters are looking to fill the gaps in their schedule, says Bruce Nash, editor of The Numbers, a publication that tracks box office. This year’s release calendar will include roughly 79 new major-studio titles, down from a peak of 128 in 2006, according to Nash’s data. Although smaller studios have stepped in to fill the void, Nash says, it's still not enough.

"Honestly, on some weekends, there’s just nothing good coming out,"  says Nash.

WINDOW OF OPPORTUNITY OPENS

That’s opening a window of opportunity for other types of theatrical content, and one of the biggest is older movies. This year, theaters will screen a total of 112 rereleases and anniversary-pegged movies, up from just 63 in the pre-pandemic year of 2019, according to data from Comscore. 

It’s a trend that has its roots in the pandemic, according to Paul Dergarabedian, head of marketplace trends for Comscore. Back then, studios were releasing virtually no films at all, and theaters were reduced to showing familiar fare like "Back to the Future," he explains. "It really created a sense of urgency among theater owners to have as much content on their screens as possible. But that hasn’t regressed as the number of traditional films is pretty much back to normal."

Rereleases can be a quick and easy way for studios to make a few bucks, according to David A. Gross, whose FranchiseRe newsletter tracks the Hollywood box office. During a soft weekend, he says, "studios look at their libraries and say, ‘Let’s rerelease these, let’s get a few dollars.’"

Sometimes the profits are relatively small. This past summer, "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade," the 1989 film starring Harrison Ford and Sean Connery, earned $1.3 million, while a rerelease of 2002’s "Spider-Man," featuring Tobey Maguire in the title role, barely passed the $1 million mark, according to Comscore.

SOME RERELEASES DO BETTER THAN OTHERS

Other times, a rerelease can make a sizable return. Disney in particular scored a number of hits with older titles this year. "Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith," a 20-year-old blockbuster, returned to theaters in April and made another $51 million worldwide. "Toy Story," the 1995 Pixar classic, earned $8 million worldwide in September. Even "Avatar: The Way of Water," released just three years ago, managed to make another $4.4 million domestically when it reappeared in theaters last month.

"That rerelease was huge," Dergarabedian says of "Avatar," adding: "That’s $4.4 million that wouldn’t have been there if they didn’t rerelease it." (The film made an additional $6.8 million overseas, according to Comscore.)

What's more, rereleases require little marketing or advertising. "You don’t really have to explain what ‘Jaws’ is," Dergarabedian says. "But with new movies, you have to introduce them every week and they’re vastly different."

Nash concurs: When it comes to rereleasing a movie, "the studios recognized that they don’t have to do anything," he says. "It’s almost found money for them."

TAYLOR SWIFT KICKS OFF CONCERT FILM BOOM

Another popular format in theaters now: the concert film. It was Taylor Swift who proved that the genre could be a massive moneymaker, beginning with 2023’s "Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour" — a box-office juggernaut that opened at No. 1 and became the highest-grossing concert film of all time with $261 million worldwide, according to boxofficemojo.com. And she followed up with October’s "Taylor Swift: The Official Release Party of a Showgirl," a promotional film that earned another $50 million. Recently, other artists have begun jumping into the fray.

"BTS Movie Weeks," for instance, a collection of four films about the South Korean boy band BTS, recently crossed the $10 million mark worldwide according to the band’s management company, HYBE, and the film’s distributor, Trafalgar Releasing. On a smaller scale, an April screening of "Pink Floyd: Live at Pompeii" (originally released in 1972) earned $2.6 million domestically.

"Don’t’ forget, for the most part people are listening to music through a small portable speaker or through their headphones," Dergarabedian says. "And there’s nothing like the sound that a theater can provide."

FATHOM ENTERTAINMENT'S ROLE

Meanwhile, Fathom Entertainment, a company that has long dominated what might be called the alternate theatrical content space, continues to offer its long-running opera series "The Met: Live in HD" — now in its 19th season — and other event-style programming. Fathom began rescreening the five "Twilight" films in October, each featuring behind-the-scenes footage and interviews with the filmmakers. The company has also successfully courted religious audiences with theatrical screenings of "The Chosen," a streaming series set in biblical times.  (The eight episodes of Season 5, which screened earlier this year, brought in $44 million, according to Fathom.)

Revenue has grown 45% and 48% respectively during the past two years, according to Fathom Entertainment CEO Ray Nutt, who adds that the theatrical exhibition industry usually sees yearly growth in the single digits. "This is the growth opportunity in the future of the movie business, no doubt," Nutt says.

LI's SMALLER THEATERS NOT PARTICIPATING (YET)

One place you’re less likely to see rereleased movies on Long Island: The local mom-and-pop theater.

With generally just a few screens and restricted by studio contracts that require a given movie to be played frequently each day, local independent theater owners say they can’t afford to gamble on titles that patrons have already seen. "I feel they can get that on any cable TV station," says Jay Levinson, owner of the Bellmore Playhouse and the South Bay Cinemas in West Babylon. For big multiplexes with plenty of screens, an IMAX showing of "Jaws" might make sense, he acknowledges. He adds: "But for the little guy, I try to stay away."

Nevertheless, one local theater owner is considering joining the rerelease trend in his own way. In response to customer requests, Devin Fickling, property manager of the Sayville Theater, says he hopes to bring back even older movies — classics like "Ben-Hur" and "Gone with the Wind." The plan would be to screen them on a slow night, perhaps a Wednesday, for free. Profits would come from concession sales.

"I think it would do well," Fickling says. "It’s something people definitely have an interest in."