Breakfast Club returns to theaters

Universal Pictures rereleases the film to celebrate its 40th anniversary with September screenings and renewed attention to its legacy.

The Breakfast Club Returns to Theaters for 40th Anniversary

Universal Pictures will rerelease The Breakfast Club in theaters nationwide on September 7 and September 10 to mark its 40th anniversary. The 1985 coming of age drama follows five high school students who spend a Saturday in detention and learn to see each other beyond their cliques. The film, directed by John Hughes and featuring Molly Ringwald, Emilio Estevez, Judd Nelson, Ally Sheedy and Anthony Michael Hall, is celebrated for its focus on identity, alienation, and connection rather than spectacle. Hughes encouraged the cast to improvise, a choice that helped make the dialogue feel lived in and intimate.

Beyond its box office run, The Breakfast Club left a mark on pop culture. Annie Leibovitz photographed the poster, and the theme song Don't You Forget About Me by Simple Minds became iconic. The film's enduring resonance was underscored by a remastered edition during its 30th anniversary and its preservation in the National Film Registry. The cast reunited earlier this year for a 40th anniversary discussion at the C2E2 convention in Chicago, and advance tickets go on sale August 16 ahead of the September screenings.

Its return to theaters shows how a film about classroom cliques still speaks to modern viewers. The Breakfast Club is a case study in how intimate conversations and imperfect characters can outlast flashy set pieces and big budgets. Reissues signal a broader trend of welcoming classic titles back into public spaces and inviting new generations to discuss how youth and identity have changed. At the same time, the attention on nostalgia carries risks of overshadowing newer voices in cinema and shaping a fixed memory of the 1980s.

Highlights

The film keeps offering a doorway to shared memories and new questions about belonging