Now that Denis Villeneuve’s Arrival is officially one of the nominees in the running for this year’s Best Picture Oscar, Paramount Pictures has mapped out plans to re-release the cerebral sci-fi pic this weekend, taking the total number of theaters hosting the movie in the States from 180 to almost 1,100.
Per Deadline, the re-release of Arrival will come packing eight minutes of exclusive bonus footage featuring Villeneuve, Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner, and other cast and filmmakers. Little is currently known about what that footage will entail, but Paramount’s official press release teases some insight into both the filmmaking process and the creative vision behind the award-winning picture, itself loosely based on Ted Chiang’s 1998 novella Story of Your Life.
[zergpaid]Buoyed by the recent Oscar buzz, Arrival will surely break past $100 million domestically over the coming weeks. Currently simmering at around $95.7 million on home turf – making for $163 million worldwide, for those keeping score – Paramount’s expansive release plans, coupled with the promise of new behind-the-scenes footage that can only be seen on the big screen, will no doubt drive audiences back into theaters.
Lionsgate is implementing a similar approach to La La Land, after Damien Chazelle’s critically-adorned musical blew past the competition to land a staggering 14 nominations – tying the record set by both All About Eve and James Cameron’s Titanic in ’97. Arrival finds itself in second place with eight nominations – ditto for Barry Jenkins’ Moonlight – and though Villeneuve’s picture earned nods for Best Picture, Best Cinematography, and Best Adapted Screenplay, many feel Amy Adams was robbed blind from the Best Actress category.
Nevertheless, Arrival will be one of the many films competing for top honors when the 89th Academy Awards take place on Sunday, February 26th at Hollywood’s Dolby Theatre. Jimmy Kimmel will be our host for the evening.