Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Gets 30th Anniversary Theatrical Re-Release

Thirty years after it first came to theaters, the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles live-action movie is set to get a brief theatrical release for three days next month. The film will have a special three-day engagement in cinemas nationwide with the help of Fathom Events, a company that specializes in bringing classic, independent, niche, and specialty films to movie screens. The Heroes in a Half Shell, as designed by Jim Henson‘s creature shop and brought to life by filmmaker Steve Barron, will come backflipping into theaters on November 5-7, and Fathom (as well as Warner Bros. and theater owners) hope nostalgia will be a big enough draw to get people to come out to the movies again.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles debuted in 1990. It cost a reported $13.5 million to make, and earned $202 million at the box office, setting the stage for a pair of sequels that would be released in 1992 and 1995. After this, the Turtles would become CG creations, appearing in both a fully-animated movie and then a pair of live-action/CGI hybrid films in which VFX Turtles bounced off of actors like Megan Fox and Stephen Amell.

“We are excited to celebrate 30 years of a film that brings families together in a fun, entertaining and hilarious way,” said Tom Lucas, Fathom Events’ Vice President of Studio Relations. “As audiences discovered in 1990, the adventures of the heroic turtles are truly meant to be seen on a giant screen in a darkened theater, so we hope audiences of all ages will make Leonardo, Donatello, Michelangelo and Raphael part of their entertainment plans.”

Obviously, a lot of theaters in the U.S. and around the world are closed following another surve in covid-19 cases. For tickets and participating theater locations, visit FathomEvents.com

Here’s the film’s official synopsis, per Fathom Events:

Adapted from the early Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comics with characters created by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird, the movie achieved the then-seemingly impossible feat of bringing its reptilian heroes to full live-action with a team of puppeteers and a voice cast led by Brian Tochi as Leonardo, Corey Feldman as Donatello, Josh Pais as Raphael, Robbie Rist as Michelangelo and Kevin Clash as Splinter, the Turtles’ master. The film also features Judith Hoag and Elias Koteas.

Directed by Steve Barron, produced by Kim Dawson, Simon Fields and David Chan, with a story by Bobby Herbeck and screenplay by Todd W. Langen and Bobby Herbeck, the film opened on March 30, 1990, and immediately became the No. 1 film at the domestic box office, holding that spot for four consecutive weekends. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles would become one of the highest-grossing independent films to date.