Want to celebrate “Purple Rain” on exactly the 40th anniversary of the movie’s opening? There are two high-profile screenings Saturday in the Twin Cities presented by different forces in the Prince world.
Which ‘Purple Rain’ screening will fans attend: Paisley Park or Target Center?
The 40th anniversary of Prince’s movie is Saturday, with options from different factions of his estate.
The Minnesota Star Tribune
July 25, 2024 at 11:00AM
At Paisley Park in Chanhassen, the new 4K version (think hi-def) will be shown for $40 (includes a museum tour); limited on-site parking is $25.
At Target Center in downtown Minneapolis, “Purple Rain” will be shown on the giant scoreboard ($19.99) with performances by Jamecia Bennett and Shapeshift Dance and appearances by people who worked on the movie as well as “Purple Rain” memorabilia on display.
The quasi-autobiographical, made-in-Minneapolis 1984 film catapulted Prince to international stardom. “Purple Rain’s” blockbuster soundtrack album delivered such hits as “When Doves Cry,” “Let’s Go Crazy” and the title track, and led to an Oscar and three Grammys.
Which party on Saturday should a fan choose?
“It’s hard to make a call,” said Laura Tiebert, of Phoenix, a Purple believer and co-author of “The Rise of Prince 1958-1988.”
So she bought tickets to both shows. She wonders who the unannounced “special guests” will be at Target Center. She plans to see how the seats are selling downtown and then “make a game-day decision.”
The Paisley Park affair (paisleypark.com) runs from 6 to 9:30 p.m., with film starting at 7:30 p.m.; ticketholders must be 18 or older. The Target Center program (targetcenter.com) is slated from 4 to 8 p.m., with the movie beginning about 4:20 p.m.; it is an all-ages show.
Neither event sees itself in competition with the other.
“We’ve got multiple screenings all around the country,” said Londell McMillan of Prince Legacy LLC, which oversees Paisley Park. “I don’t see something in downtown Minneapolis competing directly with the way we’ve got our event. We will want as many people as possible to see ‘Purple Rain,’ the 4K or otherwise, as many times as possible to see the greatness of Prince. I hope everything works out well for everybody.”
Mark Webster, who is producing the Target Center event with Prince’s sister Sharon Nelson, doesn’t think their screening is vying with Paisley’s.
“Sharon just wanted to do something so families can come and see this movie; she wants to make it affordable,” he said. “Nobody is making any money on this but Target Center.”
The Timberwolves and Lynx arena will be set up for 3,500 people, but Webster, who is leasing the film from Swank Motion Pictures, is not expecting a full house.
He said he felt Paisley Park already commemorated the 40th anniversary of “Purple Rain” with the multiday Celebration 2024 in June in both Chanhassen and Minneapolis.
Lawyers for Paisley Park sent a cease-and-desist letter to Webster’s group to prevent them from selling unauthorized merchandise at Target Center. Webster, who worked at Paisley Park from 2018 to ‘23 in security and media outreach, told the Star Tribune that he never planned to sell merchandise.
Some Prince fans see these two screenings as a continuation of the disagreements between Prince Legacy LLC and Nelson, after the Prince Estate was settled following six acrimonious years of negotiations.
“It makes me sad; it doesn’t make me feel celebratory at all,” said Marilynn McNair of Atlanta, who saw the 4K movie at Celebration 2024 and would see it again at Paisley Park if she were coming to Minneapolis this weekend. “There’s no kumbaya, there’s no joining of hands. It doesn’t make you feel good as a fan.”
Stacy Morgan of Minneapolis, a regular at local Prince events, plans to skip both screenings.
“It’s just insane,” she said. “There’s one fan base and two paid events. It’s just drama. Having the factions divide the fan base on an event that should be honoring Prince and this film and the legacy of it, it just leaves a bad taste.”
Rick Banton of Philadelphia, always outspoken on X, praised the 4K print he saw at Celebration 2024 as “fantastic. You can definitely tell the difference both in audio and video.” Even though he’s not coming to Minneapolis this weekend, he appreciates that fans have the option in Prince’s hometown.
“You say your goal is to bring in younger and more casual fans, what are you doing to draw them in?” Banton asked of Prince’s estate. “A young fan can’t afford certain things. I think it’s a missed opportunity on Paisley Park’s part.”
Banton said “Purple Rain” doesn’t have a connection to Paisley Park, which opened in 1987, like it does to, say, First Avenue, where the parts of the movie were shot.
“For me, I would probably go to Target Center to be amongst casual fans to see how they take to it,” he said. “I already saw it with the hard-core fans at Celebration.”
Even people who worked with Prince are befuddled by the dueling screenings. Sheila E. entertained at the “Purple Rain” premiere party in Hollywood and opened for Prince on the Purple Rain Tour. She’s performing at the Dakota in Minneapolis this weekend and won’t be able to attend either screening. But if she could?
“I would probably go to the Target Center to be with the fans,” she said. “That would be a way to celebrate.”
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