9 Movies That Bombed Twice

9. Donnie Darko

Donnie Darko is a cult classic sci-fi thriller that touches on a broad array of themes and topics such as psychosis, time travel and Smurf genitalia. Jake Gyllenhaal’s break-out role sees him portray the glass-eyed eponymous character who struggles with visions of his murderous best friend Frank the Rabbit.

The film premiered at Sundance Festival 2001 where it was met with pretty blank responses which may explain why it took six months for Donnie Darko to acquire a distribution deal. When it hit US theatres in October, the commercial reaction was much the same. Audiences didn’t know what the film was about and its bleak tone in the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks didn’t make it appealing.

However, the film did generate buzz with some that had taken a risk on it and this began the beginning of its underground swell of support.

Donnie Darko didn’t make it over to the UK on its first run and it took a whole year before Britain could see it. Whilst this release is generally talked about as “saving” the movie from total disaster, the amount of money the British release brought in, $2m, only looks big compared to the US’ final take of a mere $500k.

Donnie Darko did not fair well in cinema on either side of the pond, but did wind up making a few more million through re-releases and strong home video sales.