Fox Searchlight has announced that due to their wins at the Golden Globes and preparation for Oscar season, it will extend the theatrical releases of Slumdog Millionaire and The Wrestler.
Slumdog won four awards: Best Picture – Drama, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Original Score. It will be playing in roughly 1,300 theaters starting January 23rd.
Searchlight won’t begin its national TV campaign for Slumdog until next week.
The company also mentioned that it will also up The Wrestler‘s runs from about 60 to 160 on Friday, eventually playing in roughly 400 theaters by Jan. 23. The film’s star, Mickey Rourke, took home the award for Best Actor in a Drama.
Searchlight picked up domestic distribution rights to Slumdog Millionaire in summer from Warner Brothers after Warner Independent Pictures, who made Slumdog, closed down.
Searchlight bought domestic rights to The Wrestler at the Venice Film Festival.
Other independent films that won awards at Sunday’s Globes were the Weinstein Company’s The Reader and DreamWorks/Paramount’s Revolutionary Road, both starring Kate Winslet, who won supporting actress for the former and lead actress for the latter.
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, who was the only nationwide release of the films nominated for Golden Globes, did not win any categories.