'' Donnie Darko '' had its first screening at the Sundance Film Festival , on January 19 , 2001 , and debuted in United States theaters on October 26 , 2001 , to a tepid response . During its opening weekend , it was shown on only 58 screens nationwide , grossing $ 110,494 . This may have been the result of the movie being released shortly after the September 11 attacks . By the time the film 's run closed in United States theaters , on April 11 , 2002 , it had earned just $ 517,375 . It ultimately grossed $ 7.6 million worldwide , just enough to recoup its budget
September 11 attacks
September 11 attacks
Donnie Darko