Here's an awesome bit of news to head into your weekend with: according to Deadline, Universal - working in partnership with the Criterion Collection - is bringing Spike Lee's 1989 masterpiece, Do The Right Thing, back to theaters later this month with a newly-minted 4K restoration. This'll be a one-week engagement, with screenings planned at AMC, Regal, Cinemark and Alamo Drafthouse theaters, with some of those chains also offering one-off screenings of the film in 35mm.
Says Jim Orr, Universal's President of Domestic Theatrical Distribution:
"When Spike Lee’s revolutionary Do the Right Thing was released by Universal Pictures 30 years ago this June, it ignited a national conversation on race and race relations in America that challenged our assumptions about ourselves and our country and heralded the arrival of a generation-defining filmmaker.
In the decades since [Do the Right Thing], Universal has released six of Lee’s most unforgettable films including Crooklyn, Mo Better Blues, Jungle Fever and Inside Man. And last year, NBCUniversal’s Focus Features released Lee’s acclaimed BlacKkKlansman, which earned Lee his long-overdue first Academy Award. Universal is honored by Lee’s enduring relationship with the studio, and we are thrilled to re-release his masterwork Do the Right Thing with this extraordinary new restoration.”
For those of you who don't live anywhere near an AMC, Regal, Cinemark or Alamo Drafthouse theater, there's further good news: on July 23rd, the Criterion Collection will also be celebrating Do The Right Thing's 30th anniversary with a brand-new Blu-ray/DVD release, a director-approved "definitive edition" which includes the new 4K restoration.
If you've never seen Do The Right Thing, well, first of all, we need to have a conversation about your priorities. But that can wait. For now, just be aware that Do The Right Thing's week-long return to theaters will begin rolling out on June 28th. Make sure to check in with your preferred local theaters to find out who's showing it near you and when you can buy tickets. This movie demands to be seen on the biggest screen possible - that newly-restored image quality's gonna make it leap right off the damn screen - and what better time to experience it than on the film's 30th anniversary?