Doctor Sleep isn't just the title of Stephen King's sequel to The Shining, it's also a nickname bestowed on Danny Torrance for a particular reason. When it comes to hype, Doctor Sleep was easily near the top of the list of most talked about horror releases of 2019. Then, something odd happened. The movie came out, but nobody went to see it. That's an exaggeration of course, but when a wide release movie doesn't manage to break even in theaters, that's a really bad thing for all involved.
As famous as Stephen King is, not everyone has read all of his books, and one wonders if the sequel's odd title put any potential viewers off. While the trailers made Doctor Sleep's connection to The Shining very clear, not everyone watches trailers, or pays attention to every bit of marketing for a film. Some people just decide to go to a movie, and pick something that sounds interesting. To those people, at least those unaware of King's book, 2-plus hour psychological horror film called Doctor Sleep probably didn't scream out "this is something you should spend exorbitantly high ticket prices to see."
That's as logical an explanation as any for why a positively reviewed sequel to a beloved horror classic performed so poorly at the box office. However, while it's barely touched on in the film, there's a reason the movie (and book) are called Doctor Sleep, and it's tied to the character of Danny Torrance.
Doctor Sleep: How Danny Torrance Earns That Nickname
When Doctor Sleep begins, Danny Torrance (Ewan McGregor) is basically at rock bottom. He's a drunken, drugged-up failure with a terrible personal life and no professional prospects. He's arguably even worse than where his father Jack Torrance was prior to accepting the job taking care of the Overlook Hotel. Thankfully, Dan seeks a fresh start, and finds himself in a small town, where he makes friends, gets sober, and earns an honest living. While he didn't know at that point that his destiny would see him end up back at the Overlook, he was making good faith efforts to be the opposite of his father.
Part of these efforts is what sees Danny Torrance earn the nickname of "Doctor Sleep." While working as an orderly at a hospice facility, Dan proves to have a knack for calming patients in their last minutes, thanks in part to his shining abilities. One such patient bestows upon him the nickname of Doctor Sleep, and while this is glossed over quickly onscreen, in order to further the main plot, King's book naturally makes this odd occupation a bigger part of Dan's overall character. Either way though, perhaps the movie would've been better served being titled The Shining 2: Return to the Overlook.