In the wake of its big upset win at last Sunday’s Oscars, the LA racial conflict drama "Crash" will be rereleased by Lions Gate this Friday.
If you didn’t catch it the first time around last May, now’s your chance to judge for yourself whether "Crash" is deserving of that shiny gold statuette. Since it’s been on DVD since September, it’s hard to predict how this victory lap will perform at the box office — and who knows, maybe those of you who thought it was an OK renter will like it better on the big screen.
"Crash" opened initially in 1864 theaters and grossed $55 million domestic, with a worldwide gross of $83 million. The home video release alone is at $47 million already. This Friday the pic will re-open in only 150 theaters nationwide (with a simultaneous run in the UK), but as of now has an open ended release.
According to Variety, certain exhibitioners like AMC and Century Theaters will not play films that are available on DVD, which could severely limit the box office for "Crash" the second time around. The trade also cites similar failed re-releases like 2000’s "Gladiator," which raked in an enormous $187 million during its original May release, but made less than $500 K when re-released during Oscar time (and that was in 577 theaters).
