On Aug. 25, 2026, news broke that legendary singer Dolly Parton passed away at the age of 80. While best known for her incredible music career and equally impressive philanthropic work, Parton also had a strong film career. While she didn’t have the most extensive filmography, her film work in the 1980s left a lasting impact, and in honor of her passing, two of her films are getting a special theatrical re-release.
Variety reports that AMC Theatres will offer special presentations of Steel Magnolias and The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas starting Friday, August 28. The screenings will take place in approximately 200 locations across the United States, including Parton’s home state of Tennessee. Participating locations will offer two matinee screenings daily, one for each film, at AMC Fan Faves value pricing. Tickets are on sale now.
The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas opened in theaters on July 23, 1982, and is notable for knocking E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial out of the number one spot at the box office after a six-week run (the Steven Spielberg-directed sci-fi film later reclaimed the spot). Co-starring Burt Reynolds,The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas has Parton playing Mona Stangely, the madam of a local brothel who fights to save it from a moral crusade taken up by a television personality portrayed by Dom DeLuise. The film adapts the 1978 musical of the same name.
Steel Magnolias is based on the 1987 play of the same name and centers on the bond a group of women shares in a small-town Southern community in Louisiana, and how they cope with life’s joys and death’s hardships. Parton co-stars alongside Sally Field, Julia Roberts, Shirley MacLaine, Olympia Dukakis, and Daryl Hannah. The movie opened in theaters on Nov. 15, 1989, and went on to gross $96.8 million worldwide. Many consider it a classic as the film earned Julia Roberts her first Academy Award nomination.
The final week of summer will feature plenty of new releases like Coyote vs. Acme, along with re-releases like Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone and Terminator 2: Judgment Day. The re-releases of Steel Magnolias and The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas not only add more options for moviegoers, but also serves as a fitting tribute to Dolly Parton’s legacy. The two films, along with her debut feature film 9 to 5, demonstrated that while Parton might not have had the longest film career, her presence alone elevated a movie into an event.
