Filmed over the course of 28 days , which matches the passage of time in the film , '' Donnie Darko '' was almost released straight-to-video . It was screened at the Sundance Film Festival on January 19 , 2001 , before receiving a limited theatrical release on October 26 , 2001 , by Flower Films . Due to the film 's advertising featuring a crashing plane and the September 11 attacks that transpired a month before , the film was scarcely advertised . The film grossed just over $ 7.5 million worldwide on a budget of $ 4.5 million
September 11 attacks
September 11 attacks
Donnie Darko