IMAX Re-release of Interstellar Rescheduled, Not Cancelled, Despite Viral Rumors

The huge box office success of the three-hour biopic Oppenheimer raised some long-term questions in Hollywood about the viability of adult entertainment — but in the short term, it prompted studios to look for ways to capitalize on Christopher Nolan fever. In February, Warner Bros. re-released Nolan’s time-travel spy film Basic principle. Then in May, Paramount took the CinemaCon stage to announce a revival of the IMAX screening of the director’s 2014 space voyage Interstellar — a plan that is still in place, despite rumors to the contrary. The film is expected to hit theaters in December, Polygon can confirm.

On Wednesday there were rumors that the Interstellar plans reportedly went into a black hole sometime over the summer due to studio negligence. In a report dropped on the BoxOfficeTheory forumswhich was then widely circulated on Reddit and X, user misterpepp claimed that the re-release scheduled for September 27, the day originally announced at CinemaCon, was “likely canceled outside of a very select group of locations” due to “drama.” According to misterpepp, after Interstellar‘s theatrical run, Paramount destroyed “all of the original IMAX 70mm prints,” and the only remaining reels of the film are being stored at theaters that held on to them in hopes of future screenings. “Chris Nolan didn’t approve of this,” the forum poster claims, “so now he’s furious.”

The screenshots of the comments sent cinephiles into a downward spiralBut after hours of Getting Mad Online broadcasts, Paramount and IMAX have officially announced plans for the re-release, including a new release date. Interstellar will hit theaters on December 6. Polygon can confirm that both 70mm IMAX and digital screenings are currently planned.

As for the suggestion that Paramount is doing its own Interstellar 70mm prints, the studio did not comment to Polygon. Sources close to the studio told Variety The rumors are not true. While wear and tear has rendered some copies unsuitable for theatrical release, the studio’s archives hold more large-format copies of the film than most other titles.

Interstellarwhich gave us crying Matthew McConaughey memes, a killer Hans Zimmer score, some truly stunning VFX shots of gravitational lenses, and CAKESone of the great modern movie robots, currently ranks fifth among Nolan’s highest grossing films, with a worldwide gross of $647 million. That number is sure to rise if Interstellar plays again in December for Nolan’s fellow IMAX film stock fanatics.