Studio Announces Reboot Of Movie Still In Theaters, Says Audiences Are Ready For A Fresh Take

BURBANK, CA — Citing strong demand for a reimagining, Meridian Pictures announced Monday that it has greenlit a reboot of Harbor Light, the $140 million maritime drama that opened 11 days ago and is currently playing on 3,900 screens.

"The original Harbor Light meant a lot to people, and it still means a lot to people, because they are watching it right now," said Meridian president of production Dana Whitcomb, speaking at a press event held in the lobby of a multiplex where the original was showing on six screens. "But it's been almost two weeks. A whole generation of moviegoers has come of age since Friday, and they deserve a Harbor Light that speaks to them."

Whitcomb said the reboot would be "darker, more grounded, and set on a slightly different harbor," and would keep only the elements fans loved most, which studio research identified as the title and the lighthouse. Production begins Thursday. The new film is scheduled to open during the original's third weekend so the two can, in Whitcomb's words, "be in conversation with each other."

The original's director, Owen Pask, said he learned about the reboot from a trailer that played before his own movie. "I was at a screening to do a Q&A, and they ran it right before the lights went down," said Pask, 51. "My lead actor is in it. He plays a different, sadder version of the same guy. He waved at me from the screen." Pask added that the studio has offered him a cameo as "Man Who Remembers The Old Harbor."

Industry analysts called the move overdue. "Audience attention for a theatrical release now peaks around minute 40 of the first showing," said Corinne Albee of the box office tracking firm FrameRate Analytics, who noted that Harbor Light had been recapped, memed, and declared "underrated" by the Tuesday after it opened. "Studios used to wait a decade to reboot something. That's how they left money on the table in the '90s. At this point the original is basically a legacy property."

Meridian also confirmed that the reboot is the first phase of a larger plan that includes a prequel about the lighthouse's construction, a limited series following a gull seen briefly in the original's second act, and a 25th-anniversary re-release of the original slated for next month.

Moviegoers appeared divided. "I liked the first one, but honestly, I'm still in it," said Ventura resident Tom Iribe, 38, who stepped out mid-screening to buy popcorn and returned to find the reboot's poster taped over the one he had walked past on his way in. "I've been gone six minutes and I'm already nostalgic. I feel like the old one was better."

At press time, Meridian had announced that the reboot would itself be rebooted after test audiences who saw an early cut Saturday called it "a little dated."