User:Stephenfisher2001/sandbox/Donnie Darko

Donnie Darko is a 2001 American science fiction psychological thriller film written and directed by Richard Kelly and produced by Flower Films. It stars Jake Gyllenhaal, Jena Malone, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Drew Barrymore, Mary McDonnell, Katharine Ross, Patrick Swayze, Noah Wyle, Stu Stone, Daveigh Chase, and James Duval. In March 2002, the film was released on home video, earning $500,000 in sales and gained a cult following. Kelly released Donnie Darko: The Director's Cut in 2004.

Plot
In October 1988, Donnie Darko, a troubled teenager who narrowly escapes a bizarre accident and has visions of Frank, a mysterious figure in a rabbit costume who informs him that the world will end in just over 28 days. Frank begins to manipulate Donnie to commit several crimes.

Why It Rocks

 * 1) It's directors cut, Donnie Darko: The Director's Cut is well made and it has to be the
 * 1) It's directors cut, Donnie Darko: The Director's Cut is well made and it has to be the
 * 1) It's directors cut, Donnie Darko: The Director's Cut is well made and it has to be the
 * 1) It's directors cut, Donnie Darko: The Director's Cut is well made and it has to be the

Critical response
The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported that 87% of critics gave the film a positive review based on 119 reviews, with an average rating of 7.60/10. The site's critics consensus reads, "Richard Kelly's debut feature Donnie Darko is a daring, original vision, packed with jarring ideas and intelligence and featuring a remarkable performance from Jake Gyllenhaal as the troubled title character." Metacritic gives the theatrical version of the film a weighted average score of 71/100 based on 21 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews".

Box Office
Donnie Darko was theatrically released from October 26, 2001 to its peak of 58 theaters across the US; its premiere was held at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood. The film grossed $110,494 on its opening weekend, ranking No. 34 on the box office. 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."; it grossed just $517,375 in its initial run.

Directors Cut
Initial reaction was positive. The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported that 90% of 42 critics have given the film a positive review, with an average rating of 8.07 out of 10. The site's critics consensus reads, "Retaining the hauntingly enigmatic atmosphere of its prior incarnation, Donnie Darko: The Director's Cut offers a more satisfyingly realized sense of mythology and theme." Metacritic gives the director's cut version a 88/100, based on 15 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim". Roger Ebert gave the film three stars out of four, describing it as "alive, original and exciting".