What’s so Great About Watching A Re-Release?

I just went to Avengers: Endgame and absolutely adored it, even though I knew everything that was going to happen – except the end credits. As I watched and saw the theatre full, I wondered why this happened. It’s not just about this movie, but a lot of Tamil movies that were re-released were also received with equal energy and enthusiasm.

One reason I came up with was that it might be because of the fact that it’s familiar. There are no jump scares. There isn’t going to be something unusual or unexpected. Usually, the movies that come back are years old. This lets the audience walk down memory lane, and it takes them back to who they were when the movie was first released.

It’s comforting to know exactly what’s going to happen. You know the dialogues, when the villain is going to appear, when and where the hero will make his grand entrance. You know which joke is coming too. There’s no nail-biting anxiety because you know what’s going to happen. You can sit back and enjoy.

These movies are often considered ‘the greats.’ The ones that are meant to be watched on the big screen, with popcorn and friends in a dark cool room. It makes the experience so much better than watching it on the couch in your living room with a face mask. The theatre changes the way you watch a movie. You are surrounded by people who are watching with you.

When I watched Avengers, one thing I was looking forward to was everyone cheering at the best times. This was only possible because people – and I – already knew what was going to happen. Watching it with a room full of people who knew when and how to react was amazing and gave me goosebumps.

I knew when the portals were going to open, who would come through them, and what would happen – just like everyone around me. That made the moment more exciting. It was magical to see an entire room of people waiting for the same moment and then reacting together when it finally arrived.

Maybe that is the strange thing about re-releases. Usually, we think the best part of a movie is not knowing what happens. We want to be surprised. We want the plot twist to catch us off guard. We want to sit at the edge of our seats wondering what will happen next.

But with a movie we already love, the excitement comes from somewhere else.

It comes from recognition. It comes from nostalgia. It comes from knowing the dialogue before it is said and still laughing when it is said. It comes from waiting for that one scene that you have been waiting to see on a giant screen. Most importantly, it comes from sharing that familiarity with a room full of strangers who somehow know exactly what you are waiting for too.

When it is re-released, perhaps we watch it because we already know what happens – and we want to feel it all over again.