Editing Donnie Darko (section)

==Release==
=== Theatrical release ===
[[File:Sundance Film Festival.jpg|thumb|right|The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival.]]
''Donnie Darko'' premiered at the [[Sundance Film Festival]] in [[Park City, Utah]], on January 19, 2001. Kelly said it took around six months to secure a theatrical release; at one point, he was close to having it on the premium cable and satellite television network [[Starz]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/nov/14/donnie-darko-richard-kelly-donald-trump|title=Donnie Darko director Richard Kelly: 'Sometimes films need time to marinate'|first=Dave|last=Schilling|date=November 14, 2016|access-date=January 26, 2017|newspaper=The Guardian}}</ref> Donnie firing a gun became one of Kelly's biggest problems while finding a distributor, as the [[Columbine High School massacre]] from 1999 raised concerns of the film promoting teenage suicide.<ref name=THR17/> The licensed songs in the film also presented problems as they had yet to be paid for, causing a risk of them being removed for a wide release. Kelly was also advised to cut 30 minutes from the film.<ref name=TR21/> Despite the problems, [[Newmarket Films]] agreed to buy the film and organise a theatrical release in a service deal with [[IFC Films]].<ref name=IW04/> Kelly involved Barrymore in the negotiations and recalled getting her to "beg" Newmarket for a deal, who had initially considered a [[straight-to-video]] release for it.<ref name=TR21/> Kelly credits [[Christopher Nolan]] and his wife [[Emma Thomas]] in securing the deal, after [[Memento (film)|''Memento'']] producer [[Aaron Ryder]] arranged a private screening of ''Donnie Darko'' for Newmarket executives Chris Ball and Will Tyrer and encouraged the pair to distribute it.<ref name=TR21/>

With a deal secured, the crew spent the summer of 2001 revisiting the film; Ryder said it was to get the film "in the best possible shape we could", but recalled the difficulty in the task.<ref name=TR21/> This involved an additional day of shooting to clarify some plot holes, such as Ryder's suggestion of including shots of Frank in the "Mad World" sequence.<ref name=TR21/> Nolan and Thomas had advised Kelly to insert title cards throughout the film to break down the events leading up to October 30, 1988, which he did.<ref name=THR17/><ref name=TR21>{{cite web|url=https://www.theringer.com/movies/2021/1/19/22237774/donnie-darko-oral-history|title=It's a Mad World: The 'Donnie Darko' Oral History|first=Alan|last=Siegel|date=January 19, 2021|access-date=January 22, 2021|publisher=The Ringer}}</ref>

''Donnie Darko'' was theatrically released from October 26, 2001, to its peak of 58 theaters across the United States; its premiere was held at the [[Grauman's Egyptian Theatre|Egyptian Theatre]] in Hollywood.<ref name=TR21/><ref>{{cite web | url=https://screenrant.com/donnie-darko-movie-adam-fields-interview/ | title=Producer Adam Fields Interview: Donnie Darko 20th Anniversary | website=[[Screen Rant]] | date=April 24, 2021 }}</ref> The film grossed $110,494 on its opening weekend, ranking No. 34 on the box office.<ref name="BOM">{{cite web|url= https://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=donniedarko.htm|title=Donnie Darko (2001)|publisher= IMDb | work = [[Box Office Mojo]]|access-date=2012-08-31}}</ref> The film was released six weeks after the [[September 11 attacks]] and its trailer featured an accident involving an aircraft, which affected its chances of box office success. Kelly said the film was not "attractive to people in that emotional, very deeply traumatizing chapter in our history".<ref name=TR21/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cine-vue.com/2010/07/dvd-releases-donnie-darko-2-disc.html|title=Blu-ray Review: 'Donnie Darko: 2 Disc Ultimate Edition' (rerelease)|author=James Davies|publisher=cine-vue.com|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110220014356/http://www.cine-vue.com/2010/07/dvd-releases-donnie-darko-2-disc.html|archive-date=February 20, 2011|df=mdy-all}}</ref> Newmarket president [[Bob Berney]] said "the bleak mood and the timing" was the cause of the film's failure at the box office, and that critics failed to understand or accept the film for what it is. "The mood filtered through everything."<ref name=IW04/> When its theatrical run ended on April 11, 2002, the film had grossed $517,375.<ref name="numbers" /><ref name="BOM" /> After reissues, it went on to gross $7.6 million worldwide, recouping its budget.<ref name="numbers" /> Despite its initial poor box office showing, the film attracted a devoted fan base and gained a [[cult following]]. Following its release on home video in March 2002, the Pioneer Theatre in [[New York City]] began midnight screenings of ''Donnie Darko'' that ran for 28 consecutive months.<ref name=IW04/>

====UK release====
In October 2002, the film was released in the UK, which generated renewed critical and commercial interest in the film. It sold 300,000 tickets within the first six weeks of its release, based mostly on [[word-of-mouth marketing]],<ref name=TG20040729>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2004/jul/30/2|title=The rabbit rides again|last=Leigh|first=Danny|date=July 30, 2004|work=The Guardian|access-date=February 1, 2021}}</ref> and grossed the equivalent of $2.5 million in its theatrical run.<ref name=IW04/> Its UK distributor Metrodome Distribution organised They Made Me Do It, an art exhibition that ran for 28 days at cafe bar Dream Bags Jaguar Shoes in [[Shoreditch]], London. The project involved several graffiti artists given 6 hours, 42 minutes, and 12 seconds to complete a work inspired by the film.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.jaguarshoes.com/donnie-darko-they-made-me-do-it/|title=Donnie Darko - 'They Made Me Do It'|publisher=Jaguar Shoes|date=November 1, 2002|access-date=February 5, 2021}}</ref>

=== Book ===
Kelly published ''The Donnie Darko Book'' in October 2003. Jake Gyllenhaal wrote the foreword, in which he comments on the confusing nature of the film. The book includes an interview with Kelly who discusses the process of making and marketing the film, and questions about his personal life. The full shooting script of the film is included, plus several pages from ''The Philosophy of Time Travel'' and photographs and concept sketches such as Frank's mask and slides from Cunningham's school presentation.{{sfn|Kelly|2003}}
=== Promotion ===
The official ''Donnie Darko'' website, donniedarko.com (which can still be found archived [https://web.archive.org/web/20170416075239/http://archive.hi-res.net/donniedarko/ here]), was an interactive experience and marketing tool for the film. The website was riddled with puzzles and secrets and contained never-before-seen information about the universe of the film, including information about the fate of many of the characters after the film ends.<ref>Hi-Res!, Schmitt, F. & Jugovic, A. (2003). Donniedarko.com. Retrieved from http://archive.hi-res.net/donniedarko/ {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170416075239/http://archive.hi-res.net/donniedarko/ |date=April 16, 2017 }}</ref> James Beck has commented on the website's validity as a narrative in and of itself due to the website's introduction of new content while reinforcing themes from the movie like fluidity of time, exemplified by the website's lack of concern for the chronology of the movie.<ref name="Beck">{{cite journal |last1=Beck |first1=James C. |title=The Concept of Narrative: An Analysis of Requiem for a Dream(.com) and Donnie Darko(.com) |journal=Convergence |date=September 2004 |volume=10 |issue=3 |pages=55–82 |doi=10.1177/135485650401000305 |s2cid=145386611  | issn = 1354-8565}}</ref> Beck further argues that the Donnie Darko website differs from most other promotional websites in that it treats the user not as an outside viewer, but rather as someone within the universe of the film, creating an experience rather than an advertisement.<ref name="Beck" />

===Home media===
[[20th Century Fox Home Entertainment]] released the film for home video several times. The first was in March 2002 on VHS and DVD formats, of which the latter included bonus material, including audio commentaries, trailers and TV spots, concept art, galleries, and a virtual guide through ''The Philosophy of Time''.<ref name=SM02>{{cite web|url=https://www.slantmagazine.com/dvd/donnie-darko-dvd/|title=DVD Review: Richard Kelly's Donnie Darko on Fox Home Entertainment|first=Ed|last=Gonzalez|date=March 5, 2002|publisher=Slant|access-date=February 20, 2021}}</ref> Berney declared the film "a runaway hit" on DVD, the sales in the US alone brought in over $10 million.<ref name=THR17/>

In 2009, the film was released on Blu-ray, containing the theatrical and director's cuts. This was released in the UK in 2010. A four-disc set was released in 2011 to commemorate its tenth anniversary. In December 2016, [[Arrow Films]] released a limited edition Blu-ray and DVD set in the UK, taken from a new 4K scan of the original print, and supervised and approved by Kelly. It was released in the US in 2017.

In April 2021, Arrow Films released a two-disc [[Ultra HD Blu-ray]] box set containing both cuts in 4K resolution restorations from the original negatives, supervised by Kelly and Poster. This set includes a poster, postcards, and a 100-page book.<ref name=AF21>{{cite web|url=https://arrowfilms.com/product-detail/donnie-darko-limited-edition-uhd/FCD2113|title=Donnie Darko Limited Edition UHD|publisher=Arrow Films|access-date=January 30, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.amazon.com/Donnie-Darko-UHD-Blu-ray-Various/dp/B08VCL54JX/ |title=Donnie Darko|date=April 27, 2021 |via=Amazon.com }}</ref>

===Director's cut===
{{Main|Donnie Darko: The Director's Cut}}
The idea to produce a [[director's cut]] of the film originated in late 2003, when Kelly and Berney attended the first-anniversary screening at the Pioneer Theatre in New York City.<ref name=IW04/> ''[[Donnie Darko: The Director's Cut]]'' premiered on May 29, 2004, at the [[Seattle International Film Festival]], followed by screenings in New York City and Los Angeles on July 23. The tickets sold out within the day for the Seattle International Film Festival premiere, grossing nearly $33,000 over a five-day period.<ref>{{Cite magazine|title=After Dark |last1=Valby|first1=Karen|date=18 June 2004|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|last2=Flynn|first2=Gillian}}</ref> This cut includes 20 minutes of extra footage and an altered soundtrack.

The director's cut DVD was released on February 15, 2005, in single- and double-disc versions, the latter being available in a standard DVD case or in a limited edition that also features a [[Lenticular lens|lenticular]] slipcase, whose central image alternates between Donnie and Frank depending on the viewing angle. Most additional features are exclusive to the two-DVD set: the director's commentary assisted by [[Kevin Smith]],<ref>{{Cite book | last1 = Commentary with Kevin Smith | title = Donnie Darko Directors Cut | publisher = Faber and Faber | year = 2003 | isbn = 0-571-22124-6 }}</ref> excerpts from the storyboard, a 52-minute production diary, "#1 fan video", a "cult following" video interviewing English fans, and the new director's cut trailer. The single-DVD edition was also released as a giveaway with copies of the British ''Sunday Times'' newspaper on February 19, 2006.

The DVD of the Director's Cut includes text of the in-universe book, ''The Philosophy of Time Travel'', written by Roberta Sparrow, which Donnie is given and reads in the film.<ref name="POTT">{{cite web|url=http://www.donniedarko.org.uk/philosphy-of-time-travel/|title=The Philosophy of Time Travel|website=www.donniedarko.org.uk}}</ref> The text expands on the philosophical and scientific concepts much of the film's plot revolves around, and has been seen as a way to understand the film better than from its theatrical release.<ref name=Everything/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cinemablend.com/reviews/Donnie-Darko-The-Director-s-Cut-631.html|title=Donnie Darko: The Director's Cut |date=May 27, 2016|work=CinemaBlend | access-date=January 26, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2005/01/24/donnie-darko-the-directors-cut|title=Donnie Darko: The Director's Cut|first=Mike|last=Drucker|date=January 24, 2005|work=ign.com|access-date=January 26, 2017}}</ref> As outlined by ''[[Salon (website)|Salon]]''{{'}}s Dan Kois from the book's text, much of the film takes place in an unstable Tangent Universe that is physically connected to the Primary Universe by a [[wormhole]] (the entrance to which is the Vortex seen at the end of the film) and which is an exact duplicate of it, except for an extra metal object known as an Artifact&nbsp;— which in this case is the jet engine. If the Artifact is not sent to the Primary Universe by the chosen Living Receiver (Donnie) within 28 days, the Primary Universe will be destroyed upon the collapse of the Tangent in a [[black hole]]. To aid in this task, the Living Receiver is given super-human abilities such as foresight, physical strength and elemental powers, but at the cost of troubling visions and paranoia, while the Manipulated Living (all who live around the Receiver) support him in unnatural ways, setting up a [[domino effect|domino-like chain of events]] encouraging him to return the Artifact. The Manipulated Dead (those who die within the Tangent Universe, like Frank and Gretchen) are more aware than the Living, having the power to travel through time, and will set an Ensurance Trap, a scenario which leaves the Receiver no choice but to save the Primary Universe.<ref name=Everything>{{cite news | url =http://www.salon.com/2004/07/23/darko/ | title = Everything you were afraid to ask about "Donnie Darko" | first = Dan | last = Kois | date = 2004-07-23 | access-date = 2013-06-19 | work = [[Salon (website)|Salon]]}}</ref>