It's been a long time since most people have been to a movie theater. Theaters were some of the first businesses to close last March as the coronavirus pandemic swept across the US and the rest of the world. Since then, theaters have struggled to find ways to reopen safely and to entice audiences to return when they do. Movie studios, which have traditionally relied on theater box offices for a large portion of their earnings, have primarily been focused on finding new ways of generating that income.
With all that in mind, now seems a strange time for Universal Studios to re-release a film that failed at the box office originally. However, that's exactly what the studio is doing with Edgar Wright's Scott Pilgrim vsthe World. The movie received a digital remaster for its ten-year anniversary (which was last year). The studio sat on the remaster as long as they could, but now it's at Dolby Cinema Theaters for a brief run at some fresh box office earnings.
Sending films back to theaters is an old tradition at this point. Star Wars has had more theater releases than anyone can count, and the updates to each version were very minor. Tradition or not, is it worth going to see Scott Pilgrim in the theater ten years after its release? If you're ready to take the plunge back into theater-going, yes.
Introducing Mr. Pilgrim
For those who missed Scott Pilgrim the first time around, here's a quick run through: Scott is twenty-two years old and dating a high schooler in an attempt to heal from a broken heart. His bandmates just want him to pull together and focus on the music. Then Scott meets Ramona Flowers and falls head-over-heels in love. Unfortunately, if he wants to date Ramona, he'll need to defeat all seven of her evil exes.
The film is based on a graphic novel of the same name written by Bryan Lee O'Malley. Both work equally as entertainment pieces and love letters to everything pop culture. Scott Pilgrim is packed to the gills with audible and visual references to video games, comics, music, and movies of the past.
With the film, Edgar Wright constructed a masterpiece of nerd culture. The film's visual effects and editing are second-to-none. The cast is also top-notch. Michael Cera plays Scott Pilgrim with the amazing Mary Elizabeth Winstead co-starring as Ramona Flowers. The supporting cast is even more impressive and includes big names like Aubrey Plaza, Anna Kendrick, and Chris Evans.
Despite the star power attached to it, Scott Pilgrim bombed at the box office. It earned almost $50 million, which was a good $15 million less than the most modest estimates of the film's budget. Much of that failure can be chalked up to a studio having no idea how to market such a unique film.
Since leaving theaters, Scott Pilgrim has continually gained popularity over time. The movie had a video game tie-in that could have easily been a cheesy cash grab and was instead one of the best beat-em-ups ever made. In many ways, Scott Pilgrim today is more popular than it was when Universal Studios optioned it for a movie.
Scott Pilgrim vs the Re-release
The updated Scott Pilgrim boasts enhanced audio and visuals. It is only available at Dolby Cinema Theaters, but Edgar Wright has assured fans that a 4K Ultra HD Blu-Ray will be coming next. Anyone who's already familiar with the film shouldn't expect to see anything new by going to the theater. The re-release is exactly the same Scott Pilgrim that came out in 2010.
That's not to say there haven't been improvements, just that those updates are small. The sound quality on the re-release is excellent. Every bleep, blop, and chime tucked into ScottPilgrim's scenes stands out distinctly from everything around it. The movie sounded great before, but fans will likely catch something new this time around.
The visuals have been similarly beefed up. The effects are the same now as they were in 2010, but everything looks more crisp, more defined. It's not often that the color grading of a movie stands out, but it does here. Scott Pilgrim the movie now looks like a dream of the Scott Pilgrim comic book brought to life.
For people who've spent the past year missing the feel of sitting in a theater, Scott Pilgrim offers a more than worthy reason to return. Fans get to relive the memories of their first experience with the movie. The remaster guarantees that this version matches up to the one built up by nostalgia. Newbies get to experience the G.O.A.T. of nerd culture movies in its best form.
For anyone invested in keeping theaters alive, Scott Pilgrim represents a way forward. The movie is a niche release with a specific fan base in mind. Its real appeal is the actual experience of sitting down in the theater to watch it. Audiences might choose to see the next big blockbuster in the comfort of their own homes. However, there are countless fandoms who will show up to see and support their favorite films on the big screen. Theaters and studios just need to find them.