EXCLUSIVE: Annapurna Pictures has set an awards-season limited theatrical re-release of the Kathryn Bigelow-directed Detroit on December 1. The reissue will encompass 10 cities and 20-25 screens in markets that will include New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Palm Springs, Maui and Aspen as the studio mounts a full-scale awards campaign for the film and for Bigelow. The movie gets its digital release November 28 and hits Blu-ray and DVD on December 12.
The studio also released a new trailer for the pic; check it out above.
The shocking film focuses on a siege by Michigan State Police and the Michigan Army National Guard of the Algiers Motel during the 1967 Detroit riots, after a starter pistol was fired from inside. By the time the police action was over, three black men were dead after they and others were brutalized by white cops, who subsequently were exonerated.
The film opened in platform fashion in the thick of summer starting in late July and grossed $16.7 million domestically. Perhaps summer wasn’t the time for such a bleak and stark film. Despite Detroit‘s under-performance, Annapurna Pictures president Marc Weinstock and president of marketing David Kaminow told Deadline that Annapurna will make another attempt to widen the audience exposure to the hard truths in the film by Bigelow and screenwriter-producer Mark Boal (collaborators on Zero Dark Thirty and The Hurt Locker). The awful racism depicted in the drama shows the events are repeated too often.
“This movie creates empathy that can spark dialogue that will, hopefully, lead to healing and change. This country needs that now more than ever,” Weinstock told Deadline. “The events in Charlottesville, Virginia, happened after our movie came out. The world has changed since August; the mood is different. The film is not only important – it’s even more relevant. People really consider this movie an emotional experience. They come out changed in some way. It’s powerful. Kathryn Bigelow made a film that’s immersive and visceral and authentic. … It’s also incredibly bold. In every way. People who did see Detroit in the theaters were knocked out by it and really moved. They were blown away by the power of the storytelling and the characters. Those people really embraced the film.”
Said Kaminow: “Our mission from the start has always been to get people to see this film. We believe in this movie … have always believed in it. We want people to see it … via a re-release in theaters or home entertainment. We are unwavering in our support. The film continues to resonate; this is a moment in time. Our hope is that if anyone was afraid or hesitant to see it at release for some reason, they will feel safer in a different environment … they will feel safe to be more emotionally vulnerable – perhaps in their homes. We can get the dialogue started again. We had many ambassadors at release – perhaps they were hesitant to recommend to everyone because of the intensity of the film. Some welcomed the intensity as a catalyst to inspire people to think about things differently.”
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