Overview
- Publishers reported on Wednesday that the film will play limited group screenings in more than a dozen U.S. cities on July 4 and reopen in about 600 theaters in September.
- The director’s cut adds roughly 10 minutes of previously unreleased scenes, including moments with Nancy Reagan in the Oval Office, a sequence with Reagan’s father Jack, and shots at the Santa Barbara ranch.
- Director Sean McNamara said he was glad to restore what he called some of his favorite cut moments for audiences to see for the first time.
- The rerelease leans on the film’s commercial track record, which includes more than $30 million worldwide in its initial 2024 run, while seeking to build on strong audience support.
- Critical response remains sharply split: Rotten Tomatoes shows a low critics’ score versus a very high audience rating, with major outlets calling the film hagiographic or historically flawed and author Paul Kengor defending the audience reception.