The Breakfast Club

For other uses, see Breakfast Club (disambiguation).

The Breakfast Club
The five main characters huddled together, four seated in various poses and a girl lying across in front.
Theatrical release poster
Directed byJohn Hughes
Written byJohn Hughes
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyThomas Del Ruth
Edited byDede Allen
Music byKeith Forsey
Production
companies
Distributed byUniversal Pictures
Release dates
  • February 7, 1985 (1985-02-07) (Los Angeles)
  • February 15, 1985 (1985-02-15) (United States)
Running time
97 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$1 million[2]
Box office$51.5 million[3]

The Breakfast Club is a 1985 American indie[4][5] teen coming-of-age comedy-drama film written, produced, and directed by John Hughes. It stars Emilio Estevez, Paul Gleason, Anthony Michael Hall, Judd Nelson, Molly Ringwald, and Ally Sheedy. The film tells the story of five teenagers from different high school cliques who serve a Saturday detention overseen by their authoritarian vice principal.

Hughes had written the script in 1982, and began casting for the film after the release of Sixteen Candles (1984). Filming took place from March to May 1984, and the entire film was shot at Maine North High School in Des Plaines, Illinois.

The film premiered in Los Angeles on February 7, 1985, and was theatrically released by Universal Pictures on February 15, 1985. It grossed $51.5 million against a $1 million budget, and earned acclaim from critics, who consider it to be one of Hughes's most memorable and recognized works. The media subsequently referred to the film's five main actors as members of a group called the "Brat Pack". In 2015, the film was digitally remastered and was re-screened in 430 theaters in celebration of its 30th anniversary.[6]

In 2016, The Breakfast Club was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".[7][8][9][10] The film has been considered as one of the best films of the 1980s, and one of the best teen films of all time.

  1. ^ "The Breakfast Club". Bbfc.co.uk. Archived from the original on January 10, 2014. Retrieved July 30, 2014.
  2. ^ "The 80's: 'The Breakfast Club'". Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved September 29, 2014.
  3. ^ "The Breakfast Club". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on May 31, 2018. Retrieved June 2, 2018.
  4. ^ "Undercover Indies: How 'The Breakfast Club' Went Small-Scale and Created a Cult Classic". Film Independent. October 14, 2021. Archived from the original on April 18, 2023. Retrieved April 18, 2023.
  5. ^ "10 Indie Movies That Became Pop Culture Hits". Collider. March 6, 2023. Archived from the original on April 18, 2023. Retrieved April 18, 2023.
  6. ^ "Breakfast Club 30". BreakfastClub30.com. Archived from the original on March 11, 2015. Retrieved May 3, 2021.
  7. ^ Daniel Kreps (December 14, 2016). "'Breakfast Club,' 'Rushmore' Among Films Added to National Film Registry". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on December 22, 2017. Retrieved December 21, 2017.
  8. ^ Michael O'Sullivan (December 14, 2016). "National Film Registry honors 'Breakfast Club,' 'Rushmore' and other teen angst movies". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on January 6, 2018. Retrieved December 21, 2017.
  9. ^ "2012 National Film Registry Picks in A League of Their Own". Library of Congress. Archived from the original on November 26, 2020. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
  10. ^ "Complete National Film Registry Listing". Library of Congress. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved September 18, 2020.