Regal Joins AMC in Bringing Dolly Parton’s Most Beloved Films Back to Theaters Nationwide

The entertainment world lost one of its most beloved figures this week with the passing of Dolly Parton, who died Tuesday, August 25, at age 80 following a brief battle with cancer. Best known for a country music career that spanned decades, Parton also left behind a smaller but deeply cherished body of film work, including two roles that have remained fan favorites for nearly 40 years.

Theater chains moved quickly to honor her legacy on the big screen. AMC Theatres announced it would bring back ‘Steel Magnolias’ and ‘The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas’ for special screenings at approximately 200 locations nationwide, running from Friday, August 28, through Wednesday, September 2, with two matinee showings daily at AMC’s Fan Faves value pricing.

Now, Regal is expanding its own tribute in a significant way. Regal initially offered screenings of the same two films exclusively in Tennessee, Parton’s home state, but that tribute is set to expand to Regal theaters nationwide the following weekend, giving fans across the country another opportunity to revisit these performances on the big screen.

Regal’s Tennessee screenings carry an added charitable purpose, with tickets priced at $9.25 and all proceeds benefiting Parton’s Imagination Library literacy program along with East Tennessee Children’s Hospital through the Regal Foundation. Harkins Theatres has also joined the tribute on a smaller scale, screening both films exclusively on August 29 and 30 with $6 tickets, all going toward the Imagination Library as well.

‘Steel Magnolias,’ released in 1989 and directed by Herbert Ross, cast Parton as Truvy Jones, the owner of a small-town Louisiana beauty salon at the center of an ensemble that included Sally Field, Julia Roberts, Shirley MacLaine, Olympia Dukakis, and Daryl Hannah. Based on Robert Harling’s 1987 play, the film went on to earn Julia Roberts a Supporting Actress Oscar nomination and grossed $86.4 million domestically.

Parton’s other major film tribute, ‘The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas,’ arrived in 1982 under director Colin Higgins and cast her as Miss Mona Stangley, the proprietor of a beloved but controversial Texas brothel. Co-starring Burt Reynolds as her secret romantic partner and local sheriff, the film also featured Dom DeLuise as a moralizing television personality and Charles Durning in a Supporting Actor Oscar-nominated role. The film opened to $11.8 million in its debut weekend, notably ending E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial’s six-week run atop the box office, and went on to gross close to $70 million domestically.

A Career That Extended Well Beyond Music

While Parton’s film career never rivaled the scope of her music catalog, it still produced several enduring credits beyond these two titles, including her 1980 big-screen debut in ‘9 to 5,’ which later inspired a Tony-nominated stage musical. She also starred in the 1992 romantic comedy ‘Straight Talk’ and earned an Emmy nomination for her performance in Netflix’s 2021 holiday film ‘Christmas on the Square.’

With AMC’s tribute already underway and Regal’s expansion set to reach audiences nationwide the following weekend, fans across the country will soon have multiple opportunities to see Parton’s most celebrated screen performances back where they belong. Between the charitable ticket proceeds and the sheer scale of theaters participating, the rollout stands as a fitting way for the film industry to honor an icon whose influence reached far beyond Nashville.

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