| Xanadu | |
|---|---|
&sq=Qlik&lang=&file=File:Xanadufilm.jpg) Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Robert Greenwald |
| Written by |
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| Produced by | Lawrence Gordon |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Victor J. Kemper |
| Edited by | Dennis Virkler |
| Music by | |
| Distributed by | Universal Pictures |
Release date |
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Running time | 96 minutes[1] |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $20 million[2] |
| Box office | $23 million[2] |
Xanadu is a 1980 American musical fantasy film written by Richard Christian Danus and Marc Reid Rubel and directed by Robert Greenwald. The film stars Olivia Newton-John, Michael Beck, and Gene Kelly in his final film role. It features music by Newton-John, Electric Light Orchestra, Cliff Richard and the Tubes. The title is a reference to the nightclub in the film, which takes its name from Xanadu, the summer capital of Kublai Khan's Yuan dynasty in China. The city appears in Kubla Khan by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, an 1816 poem quoted in the film.
Released in the United States on August 8, 1980, by Universal Pictures, the film was a box-office disappointment, was panned by critics, and was an inspiration (along with Can't Stop the Music) for the creation of the Golden Raspberry Awards to recognize the worst films of the year. Despite the film's lackluster performance, the soundtrack album became commercially successful worldwide and was certified double platinum in the United States. The song "Magic" was a US chart-topper for Newton-John, and the title track (performed by Newton-John and Electric Light Orchestra) reached number one in the United Kingdom and several other countries. The film has since become a cult classic for its mixture of 1980s music and culture with modern-day aesthetics.[3]
- ^ "Xanadu (PG)". British Board of Film Classification. August 19, 1980. Archived from the original on October 25, 2022. Retrieved October 25, 2012.
- ^ a b Higgins, Bill (December 21, 2018). "Hollywood Flashback: 'Xanadu' Was So Bad It Launched the Razzies in 1980". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on March 31, 2022. Retrieved June 6, 2022.
- ^ Chiu, David (August 12, 2020). "'Xanadu': Remembering The Cult Movie Musical's Amazing Soundtrack Album 40 Years Later". Forbes. Archived from the original on March 2, 2023. Retrieved September 8, 2020.