The 1984 rock musical drama Purple Rain is coming to 4K Ultra HD later this year, Warner Bros. Discovery has announced.
The Purple Rain 4K Ultra HD release date has been set for June 25, 2024, when the movie will also release on Blu-ray and digitally on storefronts like Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, Google Play, and Fandango at Home, among others.
The movie comes as the film celebrates its 40th anniversary in 2024. In honor of the milestone, Purple Rain has been completely restored digitally from an 8K scan of the original, 35mm Camera Negative of the movie.
The digitally restored picture was also restored from the original Dolby Stereo (LCRS) archived 35mm magnetic film source elements.
Special features on the upcoming release include:
Commentary by director Albert Magnoli, producer Robert Cavallo and cinematographer Donald E. Thorin
First Avenue: The Road to Pop Royalty – featurette
Let’s Go Crazy – music video
Take Me with U – music video
When Doves Cry – Music Video
I Would Die 4 U/Baby I’m a Star – music video
Purple Rain – music video
Jungle Love – music video
The Bird – music video
Sex Shooter – music video
What is Purple Rain about?
Originally released in 1984, Purple Rain starred Prince in his acting debut. The film followed a musician on the rise in Minneapolis, who navigates a tough home life and music career, he also balances a relationship with a fellow singer.
Purple Rain was directed by Albert Magnoli, who would later go on to become Prince’s manager. The screenplay for the film was co-written by Magnoli and William Blinn, and other stars include Apollonia Kotero, Morris Day, Olga Karlatos, and Clarence Williams III.
Besides acting in the film, Prince would also go on to make an accompanying soundtrack to the film. The soundtrack won an Academy Award for Best Original Song Score, and the duo of the film and soundtrack are often heralded as one of the best musical films and scores in movie history. In 2019, the film was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the United States National Film Registry for being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant”.