# Donnie Darko: 25-Year Box Office Flop

> Richard Kelly's 2001 sci-fi film flopped at box office despite cult following.
- Title: Donnie Darko: 25-Year Box Office Flop · SlashFilm | Shortify
- Summary: Richard Kelly's 2001 sci-fi film flopped at box office despite cult following. Donnie Darko earned $7.5 million on a $4.5 million budget and flopped…
- Keywords: donnie darko, richard kelly, sci-fi, box office, 2001, cult film, time travel, jake gyllenhaal, noah wyle, jena malone, entertainment, culture
- Source: SlashFilm — https://slashfilm.com/2268260/donnie-darko-sci-fi-movie-box-office-flop-25-year-anniversary
- Author: Witney Seibold
- Published: 2026-10-26T13:00:00+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: donnie darko, richard kelly, sci-fi, box office, 2001, cult film, time travel, jake gyllenhaal, noah wyle, jena malone, entertainment, culture
## Donnie Darko's box office failure
Donnie Darko earned only $7.5 million at the box office on a $4.5 million budget.
## 2001 release timing
The film released on October 26, 2001, just months after 9/11.
## Time travel and schizophrenia
Donnie suffers from paranoid schizophrenia and sees a man in a bunny costume.
## Cult following emerges
Goth kids and sci-fi fans embraced the film after its initial box office failure.
## Director's cut release
A 21-minute director's cut was released in 2004, earning an additional $3.7 million.
## Sequel and director's decline
A sequel called S. Darko was released in 2009 but criticized for lacking Richard Kelly's involvement.
## Richard Kelly's later work
Kelly's subsequent films like Southland Tales and The Box flopped despite ambitious sci-fi themes.
## Key takeaway

Donnie Darko earned $7.5 million on a $4.5 million budget and flopped initially but gained cult status after 25 years.