The Goonies ‘R’ Good Enough to Return in a September 2023 Theatrical Re-Release
The Goonies first hit theaters on June 7, 1985, introducing moviegoers to the adventures of the kids from the “Goondocks” — Mikey (Sean Astin), Brand (Josh Brolin), Data (Ke Huy Quan), Mouth (Corey Feldman), Chunk (Jeff Cohen), Andy (Kerri Green) and Stef (Martha Plimpton) — who hope to save a number of their Oregon homes from demolition by going on a quest to find a fortune in hidden pirate booty.
While Goonies wasn’t as huge a hit as another Steven Spielberg-produced film that opened about a month later in the summer of ’85 — Back to the Future — it was popular enough to ultimately end up as the No. 7 highest-grossing movie of the year, grossing about $61 million (between Witness at No. 6 and Police Academy 2: Their First Assignment at No. 8).
More importantly, The Goonies has retained a cultural significance that some of the other, less-remembered of those “Steven Spielberg Presents” Amblin productions of the ’80s — titles like the very underrated Young Sherlock Holmes, which was released around Christmas ’85, or Batteries Not Included (1987), for example — may have not.
The fun movie is still a favorite, especially among those who were in just the right age-group wheelhouse (between about ages 8 and 12, I’d say) when they first caught it in theaters.
That demo, and ensuing generations of kids, have likely enjoyed The Goonies on TV, home video and streaming for a while, but September 2023 will offer a very limited chance to experience (or re-experience) this Richard Donner-directed, Chris Columbus-scripted (from a story by Spielberg) movie on the big screen.
© Warner Bros./Courtesy Everett Collection
Warner Bros. is re-releasing The Goonies to theaters as part of its continuing celebration of the studio’s 100th anniversary. Details on the re-release are a bit scarce and confusing, though, and you might have to embark upon something akin to the hunt for One-Eyed Willy‘s treasure to discover where, or if, the film is playing in your area. But we’ll try to point you to some resources that can help.
I found showings at select AMC theaters, as well as a local theater chain, in my area starting Friday, Sept. 1, and continuing through Thursday, Sept. 7, with additional showings turning up at another theater chain, Cinemark, on Sunday, Sept. 10, and Wednesday, Sept. 13.
Ultimately, your treasure map to finding The Goonies in theaters will likely be Fandango or another theater-site search, or at your local theater chain’s website.
Good luck in your search! At least you won’t have the thuggish Mama Fratelli (Anne Ramsey) and her knuckle-headed sons Jake and Francis (Robert Davi and Joe Pantoliano), or a jerk like Troy (Steve Antin), standing in your way.
On the other hand, I guess you probably won’t have Sloth (John Matuszak) around to lend you a hand, either.
Remind