Why Is 'Coraline' Back in Theaters and When Can Fans See the Animated Classic — With Popcorn?

In 2009, a quirky animated movie called Coraline came out — and immediately became a cult classic with a loyal fan base.

Now, the Focus Features film is back in theaters, albeit on limited dates.

But why is Coraline even being re-released for cinema audiences? Read on for the full scoop, including when you can take your pals or kids to a screening. Just a word of caution: You better act fast!

Voiced by Dakota Fanning, Coraline tells the story of a girl who finds the door to a fantasy world righ inside her huge home in her new town.

When it was released in 2009, the unique tale grossed an astonishing $126 million worldwide.

Fast forward 14 years later, and it seems the movie still has enough of a following to generate big box office numbers again. According to a press release, the film hit theaters on August 14 and 15, 2023, and “The acclaimed 2009 stop-motion epic was a huge box office hit for Fathom Events, LAIKA, and Park Circus this past Monday and Tuesday, grossing a combined $4.91 million in U.S. gross box office."

It's kind of mindblowing to note that Coraline came in number three that weekend, right behind the unstoppable force that is Barbie: The Movie and Oppenheimer, or as those powerhouse flicks are collectively called, Barbenheimer.

Ray Nutt, CEO of Fathom Events, shared in the release, “As of now, Coraline is Fathom’s biggest classic movie of all time and the second highest grossing title for 2023. This film carries such a large fan following year-after-year, and they certainly came out in force this year to see their favorite film.”

In fact, the two-day screening was so successful, if you missed the opportunity to see Coraline in the theater the first time (well, the first time this summer, actually), you're in luck, because there's another two-day event coming up — and tickets are on sale now!

According to the Fathom Events website, fans can see Coraline in theaters on August 28 and 29, 2023.

Check for showtimes at a theater near you and get your tickets as soon as possible!

The good news is that screening the film may become an annual "tradition," with Laika’s chief marketing and operations officer David Burke explaining in the release, “We’re thrilled to see throngs of Laika fans come out in record numbers for the third straight year to revel in this Coraline theatrical experience, this year in stunning 4K."

He added, "Our partnership with Fathom has solidified Laika’s modern cinematic classic as a must-see annual summer tradition.”

Meanwhile, it's been an unprecedented summer for theatrical releases in general, with the aforementioned Barbie becoming Warner Bros. top-grossing flick ever, per CNN.

And people are definitely more open to seeing movies on the big screen again following a depressing lull during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Although it's been reported that pre-pandemic ticket sales are a ways off, we're getting there, and fans' willingness to venture out even to watch a previously released film like Coraline is seemingly evidence of that happy fact.