Academy Award-winning director Guillermo del Toro is set to make a comeback in theaters with a black and white version of his film, Nightmare Alley. Released on December 17th 2021, the film was met with dreadful box office figures due to the sudden surge in omicron infections. Now, del Toro is taking on a new tactic to ensure his movie gets the release it deserves.
Searchlight Pictures' Nightmare Alley tells the story of a charismatic and motivated carnival worker with a hidden past who takes big risks to boost his career. Starring Bradley Cooper, Cate Blanchett, Toni Colette and Willem Dafoe, this psychological thriller held plenty of promise. However, fears over the latest COVID variant saw the movie’s target audience of over 35’s nervous about returning to public places like the cinema. Therefore, in the December 17-19th weekend, Nightmare Alley generated a disappointing $2.8 million from 2,145 theaters. As the Christmas period folded into the New Year, the film still failed to climb in sales, which was not helped by the release of Spider-Man: No Way Home, which caused a phenomenon and smashed numerous box office records.
However, rather than accepting defeat, The Hollywood Reporter has learned del Toro will release his movie nationwide again on January 28, this time in black and white. Initially launching this new version in select Los Angeles theaters for only six days, del Toro personally introduced some screenings with members of the cast, like Cooper. With crowds for this black and white release selling out as January went on, cinema operators became eager to book this latest edition of Nightmare Alley. Of the film’s second chance at success, del Toro stated that this release “grew organically from interacting with audiences. It was very encouraging.”
Many films across 2021 have seen limited releases, delays, or loss of money due to the pandemic. Numerous distributing companies have opted for duel releases in select theaters and online streaming platforms. However, it seems like del Toro may have a new method. When asked by the Hollywood Reporter if there was a campaign slogan to describe his strategy, the director came up with the phrase, “How I got away with getting it released in black and white.”
Now, Nightmare Alley will once again be showing nationwide with screenings in approximately 1,020 locations. While around 750 will be showing the film in black and white, some will screen both versions and a select few will feature color only. Although the movie has only grossed $14.5million against a $60 million budget so far, Nightmare Alley has received generally positive reviews from critics and been nominated for various awards for cinematography, costume design, and production design. Therefore, even though COVID prevented Nightmare Alley from being recognized by the public, the increasing excitement surrounding this new release provides enough potential for this film to be an eventual victory.
Nightmare Alley returns to theaters on January 28, 2022.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
