Christopher Nolan hasn’t released any films this year, so to compensate, cinemas are bringing back one of his older films. Interstellar was supposed to return to theaters next month, but the premiere was delayed until December, Diversity reports.
The 2014 space epic starring Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, and Jessica Chastain will re-release in theaters on December 6, rather than September 27 as originally planned. The re-release marks the 10th anniversary of Nolan’s ninth film and will feature screenings in 70mm IMAX.
Interstellar follows astronauts on a mission to find a up-to-date, habitable planet to which the remaining inhabitants of Earth can escape. It’s a film about the destruction of a planet and the power of love, and one of Nolan’s more emotional and human projects. It’s the only time he’s worked with McConaughey, and the actor gives one of his best performances in his prime McConaissance (Dallas Buyers Club was a year earlier).
So why the delay? “Theatrical release date has been pushed back to coincide with the home entertainment restart” Diversity reports. I have no idea what that really means because Interstellar is now available for purchase domestically, but the publication reports that Paramount is denying recent rumors that the change was due to copies of the original 70mm tapes being lost or destroyed.
Instead, Paramount says it has plenty of archived copies of the film, but some of the film reels are wearing out from normal operate. The company adds that it’s normal for them to become unusable after their original theatrical runs. I suspect Paramount just didn’t want to get crushed by Transformers One at the ticket office this month.
Either way, it will be worth the wait a few extra months so fans can see it again one of the coolest space sequences in film on the massive screen. It will also be compelling to re-evaluate one of Nolanthe craziest movies (he wrote it with his brother, Jonathan Nolan). Recent viral TikTok popularized a completely inverted interpretation of the film, full of loopholes but enjoyable to consider on rewatch.
