An unfinished version of Nightcrawler was screened on May 16, at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival; the film sparked a bidding war between several distribution companies, including A24, Focus Features, Fox Searchlight Pictures, Open Road Films, and The Weinstein Company.[1] Open Road Films acquired the distribution rights in the United States for around $4.5 million.[52] Nightcrawler had its world premiere on September 5, at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival.[53] It also screened at several other film festivals, including the Atlantic Film Festival,[54] Fantastic Fest,[55] and the Rome Film Festival.[56] The film was originally scheduled for a theatrical release on October 17, but Open Road Films moved the release to October 31, to avoid competition with several bigger-budget films like Fury, Birdman, Dracula Untold, and The Book of Life.[57]
Home media
Nightcrawler was released on DVD and Blu-ray formats on February 10, 2015,[58] courtesy of Universal Pictures Home Entertainment.[59] Special features on the Blu-ray release include an audio commentary in which the three Gilroy brothers discuss the film's production, and a five-minute making-of video with behind-the-scenes shots and interviews.[59] In its first week of DVD and Blu-ray release, Nightcrawler sold 67,132 units, and grossed $1.1 million. In its second week, the film dropped sixty-seven percent in sales, and made $371,442, for an overall total of $1.5 million.[60]
