THE HOLLYWOOD DEVIL: Why Dogma Was Held Hostage For Two Decades
The angels are finally flying free! Kevin Smith’s controversial masterpiece, Dogma, is suddenly getting a massive theatrical re-release and is heading to K Blu-ray this December. But the reason this film has been practically unseen and un-streamable for a generation is a scandal straight out of a Hollywood horror script: the film’s rights were held hostage by none other than Harvey Weinstein.
For years, Dogma, a hilarious and provocative romp starring Oscar winners Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, and featuring the stunning Salma Hayek and Alan Rickman, vanished from existence. DVDs fetched exorbitant prices online, and streaming was a non-starter. Smith himself famously joked that his film about angels was “owned by the devil himself.” The rising Rotten Tomatoes score—now hovering around percent—is not just about new critics; it is the sound of a film finally escaping bondage.
The Catholic Conspiracy: How Protests Put The Film In Peril
The drama started the moment Dogma hit theaters. The film, which features Alanis Morissette as God and Chris Rock as a marginalized Black apostle, was met with fierce protests from religious groups, specifically the Catholic League, who denounced it as blasphemy. Smith even received hundreds of thousands of pieces of hate mail and multiple bona fide death threats.
The protests were so loud that Disney, who owned the film’s original distributor, Miramax, got ice-cold feet. They wanted nothing to do with the controversy. To solve the problem, the Weinstein brothers personally bought the rights and set up a distribution deal with Lionsgate. This single, cynical transaction is the reason the film disappeared for years. The initial backlash handed the keys to Dogma to the very people who would later lock it away.
The Streaming Blackout: Weinstein’s Cynical Power Play Exposed
After its initial release, the rights reverted back to Weinstein, and that is where the true cinematic tragedy began. Despite its cult status and immense fan demand, Weinstein refused to do anything with the property. Dogma was last released physically on Blu-ray in before sinking into a legal abyss.
Smith revealed that in the run-up to his downfall, Weinstein even called him to discuss a potential Dogma sequel—a move Smith now believes was a cynical maneuver to determine if Smith was a source for the impending New York Times story. Smith later flat-out refused to work on any project related to the film as long as Weinstein was involved, unwilling to enrich the disgraced mogul who was asking an exorbitant, unreasonable price to sell the rights back. “He’s holding it hostage,” Smith repeatedly lamented, exposing the shocking truth of how easily one powerful figure can silence a piece of cinematic history.
The Resurrection: Why The Timing Is Holy For Hollywood
Thankfully, the legal nightmare is over. Smith recently revealed the rights were acquired by a new distribution company, allowing for the massive th-anniversary re-release, titled Dogma: Resurrected! The film, which hits ,+ theaters in June and K Ultra HD in December , is poised to blow the minds of a new generation who have only heard whispers of its genius.
This re-release is a massive win for fans who have spent years chasing blurry, illegal copies. It is a moment of justice—a movie finally free from the shackles of its disgraced producer. For a film that asks big questions about faith and the divine, its return feels nothing short of miraculous, proving that even in the darkest corners of Hollywood, the truth will eventually emerge.
The Stacked Cast: Where Legends Were Made
Beyond the controversy, the film is a fascinating time capsule of s Hollywood. It featured an impossibly stacked cast of stars at their creative peak: Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, fresh off their Good Will Hunting Oscar win; the late, great Alan Rickman as the droll angel Metatron; comedian Chris Rock; and the indescribably sexy Salma Hayek as the muse Serendipity.
The film’s high-wattage cast, combined with Smith’s signature foul-mouthed, philosophical dialogue—which is still widely quoted today—is what made it so risky and vital. It was the last time the world truly took Kevin Smith seriously as a filmmaker swinging for the fences with a high-budget, ambitious story about faith and the fallibility of God.
The Cliffhanger: Will This Mean A Sequel Is Coming?
The rights are finally free, the critical score is rising, and fan demand is through the roof. The only logical next step? A Dogma sequel! Smith has already hinted that being free from Weinstein’s clutches means he can “return to the world of Dogma to tell new tales on a Biblical scale.”
Will Ben Affleck and Matt Damon return as Bartleby and Loki? Will Alanis Morissette reappear? The prospect of a Dogma sequel or even a TV series is now real, and it is the ultimate payoff for fans who endured years of silence. But the re-release proves that in Hollywood, the fight for creative control is the real epic, and sometimes, the only way to save your work is to wait for the devil to finally get his due.
