Restoring a film will take a year or more. The size of this theatrical release might be related to the strikes (are we out of movies yet?) but the restoration was planned out years ago most likely.

Not sure about that. A teaser was released around 16/18 March which was two or so days before WGA and AMPTO negotiations started (according to Forbes).

It’s fun!: https://youtu.be/BwuQtdb4guo

Additionally, the rerelease is being handled by A24[0], who signed on to the WGA/SAG-AFTRA back in July[1].

[0]: https://a24films.com/films/stop-making-sense

[1]: https://variety.com/2023/film/news/sag-aftra-independent-pro...

Yes, this gives A24 a gap into which to release.

Don't get me wrong, A24 have made some great films lately.

But having less competition at present surely helps them as well. We might have heard less about this re-release if there had been other movie hype / news going on at present.

E.g. the big name stars of Dune Part 2 would be be gearing up for the launch trail now if they weren't on strike and the release date pushed back "because its stars cannot promote the movie whilst the Hollywood actors' strike was ongoing" ( https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-66615759)