Overview
- Speaking at San Diego Comic-Con on July 25, Guillermo del Toro announced the 20th‑anniversary theatrical re-release and said the 3D conversion was done entirely by hand with “absolutely no goddamn AI.”
- The film will play in theaters on Oct. 9 in 3D and 4K/HDR formats overseen by del Toro, with Cineverse, Fathom and Barco handling curated presentations and tickets slated to go on sale Sept. 9.
- Del Toro said he chose a slower, manual process because human technicians make artistic depth decisions, and he framed the move as protecting a lineage of craft and training for future crews.
- He also teased a making‑of documentary that will explore the original production and restoration work and that will include appearances by Jacob Elordi, Cate Blanchett and Charlie Day.
- The re-release follows del Toro’s earlier 4K restoration debut at Cannes this year and arrives as the film‑restoration field increasingly experiments with AI, a shift that could affect labor, costs and how technical skills are passed to new technicians.