Netflix Is Losing Generation-Defining Sci-Fi Cult Classic Donnie Darko in January

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A popular but controversial movie from the 2000s will soon be removed from Netflix. The streaming service is constantly updating its selection, and this film is one of the titles departing soon.

If you’re a fan of the 2001 film Donnie Darko, you only have a few weeks left to watch it on Netflix. It’s leaving the streaming service on January 18, 2025, so subscribers have just over a month to revisit this thought-provoking movie.

Okay, so let me tell you about Donnie Darko. It’s a film written and directed by Richard Kelly, and it really stuck with me. It stars Jake Gyllenhaal as Donnie, this really troubled teenager, and everything changes for him when he meets this seriously creepy figure named Frank – who, get this, is dressed as a giant rabbit. After that, Donnie starts having these bizarre visions and feels like he’s being used, almost like a puppet, to carry out Frank’s plans. It all spirals into this incredibly intense and violent situation, and honestly, it’s a wild ride.

I remember when Donnie Darko came out in 2001 – it definitely sparked a lot of debate! Some critics really didn’t get it, calling it confusing and disjointed. But most people, and me included, thought it was a really bold and original indie sci-fi film. It’s still highly rated today, actually – Rotten Tomatoes currently gives it an 88% ‘Certified Fresh’ score based on reviews from over 120 critics!

A follow-up film, S. Darko, came out in 2009. Directed by Chris Fisher and written by Nathan Atkins, it didn’t involve the original director, Richard Kelly. Daveigh Chase returned to play Samantha, Donnie’s sister, as she did in the first movie. Similar to the original, S. Darko featured a complex, time-twisting story with plenty of teenage angst and suspense.

However, S. Darko wasn’t well-received like the original film. It currently has a very low 13% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and audiences aren’t much more impressed, giving it an 18% approval rating based on over 50,000 reviews.

What the Future Might Look Like for Donnie Darko

Although Richard Kelly is very selective about the projects he works on and maintains strict creative control, he hasn’t finished with the story that began with his film S. Darko. In 2021, he said he would never let anyone else expand the Donnie Darko universe without his full involvement and control, and that he’s eager to return to that world with a large-scale project.

In 2023, Kelly shared that she’s been thinking about her work on Donnie Darko a lot, saying she’ll likely continue to discuss it for years to come. She finds new layers to the films each time she revisits them and would love the opportunity to create a director’s cut with a larger budget to realize some previously impossible visual effects. There haven’t been any developments on this idea since.

Donnie Darko will be available for streaming on Netflix until Jan. 18, 2026.

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2025-12-08 19:06