Silence followed the opening credits. A spaceship orbited Earth, then blinked out of sight. The title card for John Carpenter’s “The Thing” burned on screen to a jarring futuristic sound effect and the theater erupted into applause.
Originally released in 1982, “The Thing” came back to the silver screen for one night only on Sept. 11. For many theater attendees, it was their first time seeing the film starring Kurt Russell and Keith David. Classics like this one are being shown in theaters across the country for Regal Cinemas’ “Month of Masterpieces.”
Regal announced the launch of the now-annual event in late August and kicked it off on Sept. 1 with “Paper Moon” (1973), directed by Peter Bogdanovich. The rest of the month featured films like “The Shawshank Redemption,” “Inception” and “The Godfather,” providing younger audiences a chance to see films released before they were born.
There is undoubtedly value in re-releasing classic films. New audiences are able to appreciate key elements of the film medium, like sound and visual effects, that can go unnoticed on a phone or laptop screen.
In her statement to the press, Regal’s newly-appointed Head of Marketing Vikki Neil stated that ticket prices would be $8.99, a “nostalgic reduced price” to usher in a multi-generational audience of film lovers.
The president of Fordham Lincoln Center’s Screenwriting Club, Alexandra Irwin, has already seen “The Godfather” and is excited for the screenings of “Casablanca” and “Close Encounters of the Third Kind.” Given her interest in film, she views re-releases as a “re-exposure to culture.”
Perhaps this event is just what the current landscape of film needs to inspire the next generation of directors like John Carpenter. “The Thing” is a remake of “The Thing from Another World” (1951), which Carpenter recalled seeing at a re-release in the film’s behind-the-scenes documentary “The Thing: Terror Takes Shape.”
At the Union Square Regal’s screening of “The Thing,” the excitement to see the tense sci-fi thriller was palpable, from the wide-eyed expressions of first-time viewers to the nervous laughter during particularly gory scenes.
There is undoubtedly value in re-releasing classic films. New audiences are able to appreciate key elements of the film medium, like sound and visual effects, that can go unnoticed on a phone or laptop screen. Fordham professor of communications and media studies Michelle Prettyman said, “There is a way to think about filmmaking that shapes everything you’re going to do … when people make what they make, there is a real investment in seeing it through.”
Re-releases can be understood as a representation of audiences’ desire to see a new and meaningful piece of media.
However, Prettyman raised concerns about the causes and effects of theaters prioritizing re-releases in favor of new releases. It is a short-term solution for a troubling trend: Fewer movies are being made and fewer people are going to the theater. There is a huge financial incentive to fill seats, and to do so, the industry is relying on nostalgia-bait.
“The industry is in such a strange place that it’s trying to do what it can to get more interest in exhibition,” Prettyman said.
More often, theaters are getting into the habit of re-releasing classics. In fact, Regal is slated to show another series of classic films — horror movies, in this case — for the month of October with their “31 Screams on Screen.”
It is no shock that the film industry is in what Prettyman aptly described as a “stalemate,” given that most of the films Hollywood pushes are part of an existing franchise, like this summer’s “Superman” or the latest addition to the “Jurassic Park” franchise, “Jurassic World Rebirth.”
Re-releases can be understood as a representation of audiences’ desire to see a new and meaningful piece of media. Irwin pointed out the disillusionment people feel from having the world at their fingertips. The big screen provides an escape, but original films like Ryan Coogler’s “Sinners” are few and far between, which explains why it motivated so many people to go to the movies back in May.
Audiences want quality cinema, and Prettyman believes there are more effective ways to boost ticket sales besides re-releasing old films. She suggests theaters host mini film festivals, where attendees can have the opportunity to see short films, art films and documentaries, and to speak with filmmakers, establishing theaters as community-building spaces.
There are more than enough new, boundary-pushing films set to be released in Hollywood and beyond. Prettyman encourages Fordham students to see films by directors they are not familiar with and take advantage of being in New York City by going to any film festival they are able to attend.
This year’s New York Film Festival runs from Sept. 26 through Oct. 13, with discounted prices for students. If any classics are on your watch list, they are best appreciated in theaters.
