1995’s Showgirls, from Paul Verhoeven, is getting a 30th anniversary reissue in UK cinemas. More on the re-release here.
Sometimes, it’s the classics that get a birthday re-release in cinemas. Sometimes, it’s films regarded as, well, not quite such classics. Case in point, Paul Verhoeven’s hugely contentious Showgirls, a film that caused no end of controversy on its original release back in 1995, and fell far short of its expected box office total too.
Reuniting Verhoeven with Basic Instinct writer Joe Eszterhas, the movie stars Elizabeth Berkley, Kyle MacLachlan and Gina Gershon, and much has been written about it over the years. Yet also, Showgirls has, over time, been reassessed. With a year or two of its original release, cult screenings were taking place in cinemas. More recently, while the film still has no shortage of critics, it’s been assessed far more warmly. There’s also a documentary about it all that’s worth checking out, called You Don’t Nomi.
But! To the matter in hand. Most people have never seen Showgirls in a cinema, and the opportunity to do so is coming shortly. Park Circus is re-releasing the film onto UK screens from 6th June 2025.
It’s currently listed as playing in over 25 cinemas, although we don’t have an exact count at the moment. It’s likely the re-release will be restricted primarily to cities, although it’s always worth asking your local if they’d consider showing a movie. Can’t do any harm.
The version of Showgirls that’s coming back to cinemas anyway is the 4K restoration of the film, and it’s likely to have never looked better. Be quite something if it’s paired in a double bill with Striptease, that came out around the same time, and featured one of Burt Reynolds’ best later performances.
You can find more on the story of Showgirls in a Film Stories podcast episode, right here.
