Spike Lee & Denzel Washington's Highest 2 Lowest Returnin...

Spike Lee’s & Denzel Washington’s Acclaimed 84% RT Crime Remake Sets Theatrical Re-Release Just 3 Months After $1.5M Disappointment

Denzel Washington as David King wearing a suit and looking over his shoulder in Highest 2 Lowest

By Nick Bythrow Published 7 minutes ago Nick Bythrow is a Lead Writer for ScreenRant. He has been writing for the site since September 2022. He graduated from Hampshire College in 2022, where he triple majored in Journalism, Communications, and Media Studies. When he's not writing about TV and movies for ScreenRant and his blog, Frayed Branches, Nick is penning speculative fiction and poetry on Amazon. He lives outside Boston, Massachusetts. Sign in to your ScreenRant account Summary Generate a summary of this story follow Follow followed Followed Like Like Thread Log in Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents: Try something different: Show me the facts Explain it like I’m 5 Give me a lighthearted recap

Spike Lee and Denzel Washington's acclaimed crime remake, Highest 2 Lowest, sets a theatrical re-release just three months after its $1.5 million disappointment. A remake of Akira Kurosawa's 1963 Japanese police procedural, High and Low, the movie focuses on music mogul David King being targeted by a ransom plot. Highest 2 Lowest reviews have been overwhelmingly positive from critics.

The film was released theatrically on August 15 by A24. However, despite its positive reception, the film didn't garner much at the box office, earning a mere $1.5 million across two weeks. The movie was then released onto Apple TV on September 5, a theater-to-streaming release plan that had been in place regardless of how much money it made.

Now, A24 has confirmed that Highest 2 Lowest will be returning to theaters for a special event night. The latest Lee-Washington collaboration movie will be re-released theatrically the night of Saturday, December 6. Attendees will be given a free movie poster. The film will also include a short film by Lee based on Aiyana-Lee’s title track for the movie.

Denzel Washington on a bench in Highest 2 Lowest

Highest 2 Lowest marks the fifth collaboration movie between Lee and Washington. The previous movies were 1990's Mo' Better Blues, 1992's Malcom X, 1998's He Got Game, and 2006's Inside Man. The movie is their first together in 19 years and the first time they've collaborated for a remake of another film. Given its reception, it clearly paid off.

Kurosawa's High and Low is based on the 1959 novel King's Ransom by Ed McBain.

However, the film's box office results were notably poor, to the point where A24 and Apple did not release initial numbers for the movie's opening weekend. Luckily, the film's theatrical release was always supposed to be temporary, with the movie destined to go to Apple TV after its first two weeks on the big screen.

Even so, the re-release seems like a way to drum up more interest in Lee's latest movie. Since it will be a special, one-night event, it's unclear how many attendees there will be. But, with the promise of an exclusive short film that ties into the movie, there's plenty of draw, especially for those who've always enjoyed Lee's work.

With Highest 2 Lowest coming back to theaters, the movie might be able to garner some additional attention despite its box office failings. Although the movie's limited release means it won't recoup much in the way of sales, it does draw more attention to the film, possibly bringing audiences in to experience it on the big screen.

12 7.6/10

7/10

Highest 2 Lowest

10 stars 9 stars 8 stars 7 stars 6 stars 5 stars 4 stars 3 stars 2 stars 1 star Like Follow Followed R Crime Thriller Drama Release Date August 15, 2025 Runtime 133 minutes Director Spike Lee Writers Alan Fox, Akira Kurosawa, Hideo Oguni, Ryūzō Kikushima, Eijirō Hisaita, Evan Hunter Producers Todd Black, Jason Michael Berman

5 Images

Denzel Washington as David King in Highest 2 Lowest

Jeffrey Wright as Paul looking serious in Highest 2 Lowest.

Denzel Washington on a bench in Highest 2 Lowest

Denzel Washington sitting on the subway with sunglasses and baseball hat in Highest 2 Lowest

Denzel Washington looks down in Highest 2 LowestClose

Cast

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Denzel Washington David King
Jeffrey Wright Paul Christopher

Genres Crime, Thriller, Drama Powered by

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Movies
Highest 2 Lowest

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