Guillermo del Toro’s latest film Nightmare Alley will receive a second theatrical release, this time in black and white. Following a lackluster performance at the box office its opening weekend of December 17— grossing just $2.8 million from 2,145 theaters — del Toro is determined to give Nightmare Alley another shot.

The 1940s-set noir thriller faced several challenges at the box office, the biggest one being the omicron surge of Covid-19 across the country. If people were hesitant to head to a movie theater before, the rapidly rising rate of infection certainly didn’t help. Another contributing factor was that Nightmare Alley's holiday release put it up against Spider-Man: No Way Home. The latter went on to gross $1.69 billion worldwide, proving that there were plenty of moviegoers willing to risk potential exposure for a superhero blockbuster — but not for a niche period film.

“The biggest curve was omicron, and there was no way we could battle that. Audiences were fearful,” del Toro told The Hollywood Reporter. The dismal turnout for the film inspired del Toro to bring the new black-and-white version to cinemas, resulting in sold-out screenings with frequent appearances from del Toro and cast members including Bradley Cooper. “This second release grew organically from interacting with audiences. It was very encouraging,” del Toro stated. “This will allow the movie to grow past the peak weeks of omicron.”

Based on the 1947 film noir classic from 20th Century Fox, Nightmare Alley stars Cooper, Cate Blanchett, Rooney Mara, and Willem Dafoe. The movie has grossed just over $14.5 million worldwide, against a budget of $60 million.

Gallery — Great Movies That Bombed At The Box Office:

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