‘The Bodyguard’: How Fans Can View the Movie For Its 30th Anniversary
While fans are gearing up to flock to theaters for the highly anticipated Whitney Houston biopic, her first film is celebrating its 30th anniversary. The Bodyguard, released in 1992, starred Houston as an international singing superstar with a crazed fan who hires a bodyguard and falls in love with him. It was the biggest film of the year, and the soundtrack performed even better. Now, fans can see the film in theaters for a special release.
The film will be re-released in select theaters for its 30th anniversary
Fans can go to the theaters coming on Sunday, Nov. 6, and again Wednesday, Nov. 9. “The Bodyguard’s story and songs are indelibly etched on the hearts of movie and music fans all around the globe,” Kymberli Frueh, SVP of Programming and Content Acquisitions for Trafalgar Releasing said in a statement, per Deadline. “We are pleased to partner with Warner Bros. to bring this anniversary celebration to fans.”
Tickets for the special showings go on sale on Wednesday, Sept. 28, at 10:00 a.m. ET. Fans can purchase them at TheBodyguard30.com.
Upon its release, the movie spent ten weeks in the Top 10, ultimately grossing over $400 million worldwide. For the year, it was the seventh-highest-grossing film of 1992 in the US and Canada, and the second-highest-grossing film of the year, worldwide, coming behind Aladin, which opened on the same day as The Bodyguard.
Whitney Houston initially didn’t want to take the role
Costner was attached to the film for years before finding the perfect lead character. After seeing Houston, he was convinced she was the perfect match. But Houston needed some convincing. “I got word that he wanted me to do this film and that he didn’t want anyone else to do it besides me,” Houston once revealed in an interview. “That intrigued me. [I thought to myself] ‘Why can’t anybody else do this film?’”
Costner was so committed to having Houston in the film that he delayed filming several times to accommodate Houston’s hectic touring schedule. “We postponed the movie for a year to wait for Whitney,” Costner revealed. The “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” singer was worth the wait. “There’s an exotic quality to Whitney, there’s this thing about her, and guys are in love with her,” he added.
While Costner was sold on Houston, she still had to prove herself to casting directors. “We were obligated to screen-test her,” Costner explained. “I didn’t feel that we needed to but giving her this role in this movie, I felt that she could. Not very many Whitney’s come along.”
There’s also a Broadway musical adaptation
The same year Houston passed in 2012, the Broadway musical adaptation of the film debuted in the UK. Playbill reports that The Pussycat Dolls alum Melody Thornton will star as Rachel Marron in the upcoming U.K. and Ireland tour, launching at Glasgow King’s Theatre on Jan. 28, 2023. She previously starred as Houston’s character during the musical’s six-month tour of China.
Deborah Cox also starred in the lead role in the UK and US tours at differing times. Her last run was in 2020.
The musical merges music Houston performed in the original film and some of the biggest hits of her career. Fans will be treated to the soundtrack hits, including “I Have Nothing” and “I Will Always Love You,” as well as Houston’s big hits such as “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” and “One Moment In Time.”
