David Fincher‘s ‘Fight Club‘ has been a fixture on ‘best films ever made’ lists for more than two decades. It wasn’t always that way. The film was a notorious flop when it was originally released in theaters. Now it’s getting a second chance, this time in 4K.
New Regency and 20th Century Studios announced on February 19 that the 1999 film, starring Brad Pitt, Edward Norton, and Helena Bonham Carter,will return to theaters for a one-night-only nationwide event on April 22. The 4K Ultra HD Steelbook and digital release follows on May 12, along with a 25th Anniversary art book from Insight Editions featuring never-before-seen visuals, exclusive interviews, and behind-the-scenes content from the production.
This is the film’s first-ever 4K presentation. According to the official release, Fight Club has been ‘meticulously restored,’ with the goal of bringing ‘renewed intensity and clarity to Fincher’s uncompromising vision, enhancing the film’s striking cinematography and immersive sound design.’ Fincher has overseen previous 4K releases of his films, including Se7en and Panic Room, where he made subtle refinements to the original transfers. Whether he’s adjusted anything in Fight Club’s restoration is not yet confirmed.
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The 4K Steelbook edition includes the film’s four original commentary tracks from Fincher, Pitt, Norton, Bonham Carter, author Chuck Palahniuk, and screenwriter Jim Uhls, plus a supplemental Blu-ray disc with bonus material including sound design featurettes, behind-the-scenes vignettes, and multiple-angle content from the shoot.
Fight Club’s road to cult status is one of the stranger trajectories in modern cinema. When it opened on October 15, 1999, it grossed just $11 million in its opening weekend. That was a significant underperformance for a studio that had bet on Brad Pitt’s marquee value to drive audiences in. The film earned $100 million worldwide on a budget of more than $65 million. Roger Ebert gave it two stars. The Los Angeles Times critic Kenneth Turan was so hostile that, according to The Wrap, Fincher sent him a letter in response.
What changed things was the DVD. Fincher personally supervised a bells-and-whistles two-disc special edition released in summer 2000, and the film found its audience through home video in a way it never had in theaters. By the mid-2000s, Fight Club had become one of the most-talked-about films of its generation. It landed on the AFI’s 10th Anniversary list. It became shorthand for a certain kind of subversive, anti-consumerist filmmaking that Hollywood rarely attempted.
The film has not been without controversy. Fincher has spoken openly about his discomfort with how some viewers received Tyler Durden not as a warning but as a blueprint. In a 2023 interview with The Guardian, Fincher said the character was intended as a cautionary figure, not a role model.
Tickets for the April 22 theatrical event have not yet gone on sale. Check local theater listings for participating venues as the date approaches. The 4K Ultra HD Steelbook and digital edition are available to pre-order.
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