'' The Ninth Configuration '' was not a commercial success upon its cinematic release in 1980 ; however , it received generally strong reviews and a Best Picture nomination at the 38th Golden Globe Awards in January 1981 . Although the film did not win , Blatty did win a Golden Globe for the film 's screenplay . After initially poor box office returns in its test markets , Warner Bros. returned the film to Blatty and allowed him to take it to another distributor . United Film Distribution , affiliated with the United Artists theatre chain and best known for releasing George A. Romero 's '' Dawn of the Dead '' , picked up the film and released it in other markets under the title '' '' ' Twinkle , Twinkle , " Killer " Kane '' ' '' . Blatty initially sold the videocassette rights to New World Pictures , who released it on tape in 1988 . Later on , Warner Bros. reacquired the U.S. rights to the film for all media , though their current DVD is basically a clone of the UK edition produced by independent distributor Blue Dolphin
38th Golden Globe Awards
38th Golden Globe Awards
The Ninth Configuration