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. Set in October 1988, the film follows Donnie Darko, an emotionally troubled teenager who inadvertently escapes a bizarre accident by sleepwalking. He has visions of Frank, a mysterious figure in a rabbit costume who informs him that the world will end in 28 days, 6 hours, 42 minutes and 12 seconds.
Development began in late 1997 when Kelly had graduated from film school and started writing scripts. He took an early idea of a jet engine falling onto a house with no one knowing its origin and built the story around it. Kelly insisted on directing the film himself and struggled to secure backing from producers until 2000, when Pandora Cinema and Barrymore's Flower Films agreed to produce it on a $4.5 million budget. Filming took 28 days in the summer of 2000, mostly in California. The soundtrack features a cover of "Mad World" by Tears for Fears by American musicians Gary Jules and Michael Andrews, which went to No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart for three weeks.[4]
Donnie Darko premiered on January 19, 2001, at the Sundance Film Festival, followed by a limited theatrical release on October 26. Because the film's advertising featured a crashing plane and the September 11 attacks had occurred a month and a half before, it was scarcely advertised.[5] This affected its box office performance and it grossed just $517,375 in its initial run.[3] However, the film gained a cult following, and after reissues, it went on to gross $7.5 million worldwide, and earned more than $10 million in US home video sales.[6][7] It was listed No. 2 in Empire's "50 Greatest Independent Films of All Time",[8] and No. 53 in Empire's "500 Greatest Movies of All Time".[9] Kelly released Donnie Darko: The Director's Cut in 2004. The film was adapted into a stage production in 2007 and a sequel, S. Darko, followed in 2009 without Kelly's involvement. In 2021, he announced that work on a new sequel is in progress.
^"Donnie Darko". British Board of Film Classification. May 13, 2001. Retrieved December 7, 2016.
^Richard Kelly (director) (2004). Donnie Darko: The Director's Cut (DVD).
^ ab"Donnie Darko". The Numbers. Retrieved June 23, 2013.
^"IT'S A MAD, MAD, MAD WORLD!". NME. January 4, 2004.
^Bunch, Sonny (October 27, 2021). "'Donnie Darko' resonated with me as a teen. 20 years on, it hits me as a dad". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 11, 2023.
^Gabriel Snyder (April 20, 2004). "Newmarket turning on light for 'Darko'". Variety. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
^Scott Tobias (February 21, 2008). "The New Cult Canon: Donnie Darko". The A.V. Club. The Onion.
^"50 Greatest Independent Films of All Time". Archived from the original on April 28, 2006. Retrieved September 30, 2012.
^"Empire's 500 Greatest Movies Of All Time". Archived from the original on October 15, 2012. Retrieved September 30, 2012.
DonnieDarko is a 2001 American science fiction psychological thriller film written and directed by Richard Kelly and produced by Flower Films. It stars...
in October Sky (1999) and as a psychologically troubled teenager in DonnieDarko (2001). Gyllenhaal starred in the 2004 science fiction disaster film...
needed] The Darko Effect (2005) [DonnieDarko] Black Sunday (2005) Art of Tha Devil (2006) [DonnieDarko] Devil May Cry (2007) [DonnieDarko] As Death Takes...
minor television roles before being cast as Samantha Darko in Richard Kelly's cult film DonnieDarko. She would subsequently provide the voices of Chihiro...
returned to film with a supporting part in Richard Kelly's cult film DonnieDarko (2001). In 2016, she provided a voice role for the animated comedy series...
Malone began the 2000s with the independent psychological thriller DonnieDarko (2001), which became a cult film. She followed this with roles in the...
and television, including notable roles in That Thing You Do! (1996), DonnieDarko (2001) and Southland Tales (2007). Prior to pursuing an acting career...
recorded by Michael Andrews and Gary Jules for the soundtrack of the film DonnieDarko; a 2003 single release of the song reached number one in the UK for three...
her father's films, and appeared with her brother in the cult favorite DonnieDarko (2001). She then appeared in Adaptation, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind...
with Julia Roberts (1998). She subsequently had roles in the cult film DonnieDarko, and the drama Life as a House (both 2001), before having starring roles...
trip, leaving them stranded in a small town. In 2001, he appeared in DonnieDarko, where he played a motivational speaker who is revealed to be a closeted...
Richard Kelly, who is best known for directing the 2001 cult classic DonnieDarko. Based in Los Angeles, it creates, produces and finances director-driven...
Dates and Blended. Other films included Firestarter, Never Been Kissed, DonnieDarko, Riding in Cars with Boys, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, Charlie's...
films such as A Few Good Men (1992), Pirates of Silicon Valley (1999), DonnieDarko (2001), and W. (2008). Wyle was nominated for a Critics' Choice Television...
Richard Kelly-directed drama DonnieDarko alongside his sister Maggie, and Drew Barrymore. His portrayal of the DonnieDarko character, a "sullen" and "schizophrenic"...
while constructing a "great black comedy." Kelly's breakthrough film, DonnieDarko, was released in the United States on October 26, 2001, the same day...
Forbidden Games The Soft Skin 11 April Ferry 91 US Costume Designer Maverick DonnieDarko 11 Lynne Marta 78 US Actress, Singer Joe Kidd Footloose 11 Yury Solomin...
addition to the commercials for the Gap and his appearance in the 2001 film DonnieDarko, Greenwald appeared in two music videos for the electronica band M83...
Galactica, First Lady Marilyn Whitmore in Independence Day, and Rose in DonnieDarko. She was featured as Captain Sharon Raydor during seasons 5–7 of the...
Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar (1995), Kitty Farmer in DonnieDarko (2001), Pageant Official Jenkins in Little Miss Sunshine (2006), Carla...
Republic Movies: DonnieDarko, a 2001 film by Richard Kelly starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Jena Malone S. Darko, a 2009 film, sequel to DonnieDarko This disambiguation...
had a number of small roles in films such as the science fiction drama DonnieDarko and the cheerleader comedy Bring It On Again. He appeared on the web...
toward a film career. His first movie appearance was a minor role in DonnieDarko (2001), and he had a supporting part in Apatow's directorial debut, The...
Global Information