Fox Searchlight is one of the premiere specialty labels in Hollywood, releasing successful movies such as “Little Miss Sunshine,” “Sideways” and the pop-culture juggernaut “Juno.” But lately Searchlight has been in the dark.

The unit of News Corp.’s 20th Century Fox, known for picking quirky films that resonate with the public, has released only a handful this year, far fewer than in the recent past. Two pictures it had high hopes for flopped. Others performed adequately but hardly with distinction.

In another miscue, a separate division set up by Searchlight chief Peter Rice to make thrillers and comedies aimed at teens has yet to catch on after nearly two years. In January, the label, Fox Atomic, folded its marketing operation and laid off nearly two dozen employees.

Now Searchlight hopes to finally emerge from the shadows Wednesday when it opens “Slumdog Millionaire,” a film from director Danny Boyle about an 18-year-old Mumbai orphan who has a shot at winning the jackpot on India’s “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.”

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