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 . Open Road Films acquired the distribution rights in the United States for around $ 4.5 million . '' Nightcrawler '' had its world premiere on September 5 , at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival . It also screened at several other film festivals , including the Atlantic Film Festival , Fantastic Fest , and the Rome Film Festival . 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 ''
2014 Cannes Film Festival
2014 Cannes Film Festival
Nightcrawler (film)