‘Dunkirk’ Wants to Be the Oscar Frontrunner, Sets Awards Season Re-Release in IMAX and 70mm Theaters

Warner Bros. has confirmed it will be bringing Christopher Nolan’s “Dunkirk” back to theaters as Oscar season heats up. The film, which opened domestically July 21 and has grossed over $520 million worldwide, is one of the best reviewed titles of the year and is expected to be a major contender in numerous Oscar congeries, including Best Picture and Best Director.

“Dunkirk” will begin select limited engagements in 50 IMAX and 70mm theaters starting December 1, the same day Guillermo del Toro’s “The Shape of Water,” Woody Allen’s “Wonder Wheel,” and James Franco’s “The Disaster Artist” open in limited release. The film will return to theaters in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, Boston, Philadelphia, Washington DC, Dallas, Atlanta, and Toronto.

Warner Bros. is banking on numerous Oscar nominations, as the current plan is for the movie’s re-release to expand to 250 additional cities on January 24, which is one day after the Academy Award nominations are announced.

“With ‘Dunkirk,’ Christopher Nolan broke new ground in the use of large-format cameras to create a theatrical event that demands to be seen on the largest possible canvas,” said Sue Kroll, the studio’s president of worldwide marketing and distribution, in a statement. “As we head into the holiday season, we are excited to offer audiences another opportunity to be swept up in this truly immersive moviegoing experience…whether for the first time or again.”

“Dunkirk” stars Fionn Whitehead, Kenneth Branagh, Mark Rylance, Tom Hardy, Jack Lowden, and Harry Styles. The movie has been praised for its triptych storytelling, which recounts the events of Operation Dynamo from three points of view.