Purple Rain

Purple Rain is a 1984 American rock musical drama film directed by Albert Magnoli and written by Magnoli and William Blinn, in which Prince makes his film debut. Filmed on locations in Minneapolis and Los Angeles, the film features many Minnesota landmarks, including the Crystal Court of the IDS Center and the legendary First Avenue nightclub. Many aspects of Prince’s personal life were mirrored by the role of "The Kid" and, except for Prince, all the musicians in the film go by their real name, leading many to view Purple Rain as an autobiographical account of his own life.

The film was a phenomenal success, becoming the 10th biggest film of 1984 and grossing almost 70 million dollars at the box office. The press gave mostly favorable reviews sometimes billing it "the finest rock movie ever made". It earned Prince an Academy Award for Best original Score. The Purple Rain soundtrack is Prince’s most iconic album. It was the most commercially and culturally impactful release of his career, and coupled with the film of the same name, it influenced the fashion and sound of the rest of the 1980s. Prior to Purple Rain, Prince was an industry underdog, tirelessly working to carve out a niche for his funk-rock sound. But by the time the first singles from Purple Rain hit the radio airwaves and the videos for “When Doves Cry” and “I Would Die 4 U” went into heavy rotation on MTV, he was well on his way to becoming a global superstar and a pop culture phenomenon.

By the end of 1985, Purple Rain had received two Grammys, three American Music Awards, two Brit Awards, and an Academy Award for Best Original Song Score, and the album remained at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 for 24 weeks (August 4, 1984 to January 18, 1985), and in the top 10 for 32 weeks, selling over 25 million copies worldwide.