What do you get when you combine a Halloween cult favorite with an undying fan following’s penchant for midnight screenings and theaters on the upswing following the movie industry being dwarfed by a global pandemic? The extraordinary statistic that a 46-year old movie, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, ranked #15 on the box office charts and grossed $250,000 over the spooky holiday.
Originally released in 1975, the film received terrible reviews but has since become one of the biggest cult classics of all time. The film currently holds the record for longest-running theatrical release due to the ongoing midnight viewings tradition.
The movie stars Tim Curry as Dr. Frank N. Furter, an alien from the distant galaxy of Transexual, Transylvania, who comes to Earth to conduct experiments and throw parties.
Having clearly resonated with many over the years, the tradition of the midnight screening includes people dressing up as characters from the film, shouting jokes at the screen, and occasionally throwing rice and/or toast at the screen.
The announcement of the film charting on the box office came from Disney of all things, who is the studio that acquired the film’s original distributor, 20th Century Fox. The film is estimated to have grossed $120 million during its still-ongoing theatrical run.
For a while there, the tradition of midnight screenings closed down due to COVID, like many other films during the pandemic, but a resurgence is now underway for the movie as social distancing restrictions began to be lifted.
Did you join in on watching Rocky Horror Picture Show for Halloween? Sound off in the comments!