Purple Rain (film)

Purple Rain is a 1984 American rock musical drama film scored by and starring Prince in his acting debut. Developed to showcase his talents, it contains several concert sequences, featuring Prince and his band The Revolution. The film is directed by Albert Magnoli, who later became Prince's manager, from a screenplay by Magnoli and William Blinn. The cast also features Apollonia Kotero, Morris Day, Olga Karlatos and Clarence Williams III.

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Purple Rain
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Albert Magnoli
Written by	Albert Magnoli William Blinn
Produced by	Robert Cavallo Joseph Ruffalo Steven Fargnoli
Starring	Prince Apollonia Kotero Morris Day Olga Karlatos Clarence Williams III
Cinematography	Donald E. Thorin
Edited by	Albert Magnoli Ken Robinson
Music by	Prince[1] Michel Colombier
Production company	Purple Films
Distributed by	Warner Bros.
Release date	July 27, 1984 (1984-07-27)
Running time	111 minutes[2]
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$7.2 million[3]
Box office	$70.3 million[4]

Principal photography took place almost entirely in Minneapolis: the film features many local landmarks, including the Crystal Court of the IDS Center and the First Avenue nightclub, which was paid $100,000 for the club being used during filming; it was closed for 25 days.[5] Also some of the scenes of First Avenue were shot at The Wiltern in Los Angeles.

Purple Rain grossed $70.3 million worldwide, against its $7.2 million budget.[3] The film won an Academy Award for Best Original Song Score. Publications and critics have regarded Purple Rain as one of the greatest musical films.[6] In 2019, the film was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the United States National Film Registry for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".[7]

Purple Rain was supported with its soundtrack album of the same name, which featured two US chart-topping singles, "When Doves Cry" and "Let's Go Crazy", as well as the number-two hit "Purple Rain". The soundtrack is certified 13× Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and has sold over 25 million copies worldwide.[8]