It’s perfect timing for Richard Kelly‘s Donnie Darko to come back around. Its original release, in October 2001, felt the blowback of bad timing thanks to its airplane-adjacent plot points so soon after 9/11, but it also repelled audiences more broadly thanks to its apocalyptically bleak tone and messaging. In other words, it’ll fit right into 2026, with the bonus of already having a cult following waiting to greet it.
Fathom Entertainment is bringing Donnie Darko to theaters for its 25th anniversary, with a sparkling 4K restoration that will make Frank the Bunny loom even larger in your night terrors. Everyone remembers Jake Gyllenhaal’s performance as the morose high-school misfit who senses the end of the world is coming, but the rest of the cast is also wildly stacked, including Maggie Gyllenhaal and the late Daveigh Chase as Donnie’s sisters, Mary McDonnell as their mother, Jena Malone as Donnie’s sort-of girlfriend, Drew Barrymore as a sympathetic teacher, and Patrick Swayze as a local motivational speaker with a nasty secret.
You will also spot a Freaks and Geeks-era Seth Rogen and an ER-era Noah Wyle, among other familiar faces in the ensemble.
“Donnie Darko doesn’t get along with his family, teachers, or classmates, but he finds a kindred spirit in Gretchen and guidance from a compassionate psychiatrist who believes hypnosis may unlock hidden truths,” reads the official synopsis. “Meanwhile, Donnie is haunted by Frank, a mysterious giant bunny only he can see. When a jet engine crashes into his bedroom and narrowly misses him, Donnie is drawn into a series of increasingly strange events that seem governed by forces beyond explanation.”
This theatrical rerelease will also include “an exclusive introduction from Richard Kelly before the movie exploring the film’s enduring legacy and how it has captivated audiences for 25 years.” Kelly has a Donnie Darko sequel in book form arriving later this year.
You can find theaters near you and buy advanced tickets now at Fathom Entertainment.
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