The production on The Breakfast Club had already commenced under a veil of relative secrecy, avoiding the usual fanfare that might accompany a film starring Alex Hayes. John Hughes preferred a focused environment, allowing his young cast to delve into their characters without excessive external pressure.
The ensemble casting was potent, featuring a notable reunion from the successful 'Sixteen Candles'. Leading the group was Alex Hayes, taking on the role of the rebellious John Bender. He was joined by his Sixteen Candles co-stars Anthony Michael Hall as the studious Brian Johnson and Molly Ringwald as the popular Claire Standish.
Rounding out the core group of students spending their Saturday in detention were Ally Sheedy cast as the eccentric Allison Reynolds and Emilio Estevez as the jock Andrew Clark. Overseeing the detention was Paul Gleason playing the domineering Vice Principal Richard Vernon, with John Kapelos appearing as Carl Reed, the school's insightful janitor.
This carefully selected cast, was now quietly bringing Hughes's script to life, even as the ink dried on the distribution contract that would eventually bring their work to the world.
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As filming continued quietly on John Hughes's 'The Breakfast Club', featuring Alex Hayes in the role of John Bender, Hayes's previous blockbuster, 'Footloose', maintained its powerful presence in cinemas and on the music charts deep into its theatrical run.
The film demonstrated impressive staying power following its explosive debut.
* In its fourth weekend, 'Footloose' remained the undisputed box office champion, grossing $7.12 million. It added another $3.21 million over the subsequent four weekdays.
* The fifth weekend saw it hold the top spot again with $6.76 million, followed by $2.81 million during the weekdays.
* 'Footloose' secured its sixth consecutive weekend at No. 1 with a gross of $6.41 million, adding $2.14 million mid-week.
* Finally, in its seventh weekend, while still performing strongly with $5.42 million, 'Footloose' yielded the top spot to the newly released hit comedy Police Academy. It earned an additional $1.51 million over the following four days.
By the end of its seventh full week in release (Thursday, March 29th, 1984), 'Footloose' had reached a cumulative domestic box office gross of $95.50 million, confirming its status as a major blockbuster hit and tantalizingly close to its final domestic earnings.
Concurrent with this box office success, the film's music continued its reign. By this time, the 'Footloose' soundtrack album remained firmly at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart. On the Billboard Hot 100, Alex Hayes's title track "Footloose" also maintained its No. 1 position. Adding to the soundtrack's dominance, Deniece Williams' infectious single "Let's Hear It for the Boy" had surged up the charts, occupying the No. 2 spot right behind Alex Hayes's chart-topper. The phenomenon of 'Footloose' continued to saturate both movie theaters and radio waves.
As 'Footloose' continued its impressive run in theaters and dominated the music charts well into the spring of 1984, further validation of Alex Hayes's star power arrived with the release of the influential 1983 Top Ten Money Making Stars poll. Based on voting by motion picture exhibitors gauging which stars brought the most patrons into their theaters during the previous year, the list confirmed Hayes's already significant drawing power before the 'Footloose' phenomenon even began.
The 1983 poll results were:
1. Clint Eastwood
2. Eddie Murphy
3. Alex Hayes
4. Sylvester Stallone
5. Burt Reynolds
6. John Travolta
7. Dustin Hoffman
8. Harrison Ford
9. Richard Gere
10. Chevy Chase
Securing the #3 position placed Alex Hayes firmly among Hollywood's elite box office draws based on his 1983 film performances. This news broke just as 'Footloose' was proving his ability to carry a major film to blockbuster heights with his expanded talents on full display.
In its eighth weekend in release (the weekend of March 30th - April 1st, 1984), 'Footloose' continued to perform respectably, adding another $4.61 million to its earnings.
This weekend gross pushed the film across a major Hollywood milestone. Its total domestic cumulative box office now stood at $100.11 million.
Crossing the $100 million domestic threshold was a significant achievement in 1984, reserved for only the biggest hits. Remarkably, this marked the third film starring Alex Hayes to surpass the $100 million mark domestically. Achieving this feat by the age of 20 undeniably positioned Alex Hayes as not just a rising talent, but demonstrably one of the very biggest and most bankable movie stars in Hollywood.
******
Filming for 'The Breakfast Club' continued discreetly at the Maine North High School near Chicago. Inside the meticulously recreated library set that served as the film's primary location, director John Hughes fostered an environment of intense focus and collaboration. During a break between setups, four of the young cast members huddled together, poring over a freshly delivered copy of Variety.
Molly Ringwald (Claire), Anthony Michael Hall (Brian), Ally Sheedy (Allison), and Emilio Estevez (Andrew) stared at the article detailing the recently released 1983 Top Ten Money Making Stars list. Their co-star, Alex Hayes, was ranked number three, just behind Eastwood and Murphy. Another adjacent piece trumpeted the news that 'Footloose' had just surged past the $100 million domestic mark, making it Alex's third film to achieve such blockbuster status.
"Unbelievable," Anthony Michael Hall murmured, shaking his head slightly in awe. "Number three... and his third hundred-million-dollar movie? Already?"
Ally Sheedy nodded silently, her eyes wide. Emilio Estevez let out a low whistle. "The guy's barely twenty."
They glanced across the library set where Alex Hayes, momentarily shed of Bender's rebellious swagger, was deep in conversation with John Hughes, reviewing script pages. The intensity of their discussion was evident even from a distance.
"Okay, let's count," Molly said, ticking points off on her fingers. "He's a killer actor, obviously. He sings the number one song in the country. He dances like crazy in 'Footloose'. We know he was writing hit scripts before all that..." She paused, looking at the others. "...and now he's producing this." She gestured around the library set. "Seriously, what's left? Directing?"
Emilio chuckled softly. "Give him a year."
Molly turned to him, her expression thoughtful. "Your dad's famous, Emilio. He's Martin Sheen. Is it... was it like this for him?"
Martin Sheen (born Ramón Estévez) was, by 1984, a highly respected and critically acclaimed American actor with a career spanning over two decades on stage, television, and film. He was known for his intense commitment to his roles and often tackled complex, sometimes tortured characters, earning a reputation as a powerful dramatic actor rather than a conventional box-office superstar.
His filmography leading up to the mid-80s included several landmark performances:
* Badlands (1973): His starring role opposite Sissy Spacek in Terrence Malick's acclaimed debut film drew significant critical praise.
* Apocalypse Now (1979): His grueling and unforgettable portrayal of Captain Benjamin L. Willard in Francis Ford Coppola's Vietnam War epic became legendary, cementing his status as a fearless performer willing to push himself to the limits.
* The Dead Zone (1983): Sheen delivered a chilling performance as the dangerously ambitious political candidate Greg Stillson opposite Christopher Walken.
Emilio leaned back, considering it. "My dad's a phenomenal actor, Molly. Respected, known everywhere, does incredible work," he said seriously. "But this..." He nodded towards Alex, who was now laughing at something Hughes had said. "...this is different. Alex is a star. Like, a capital 'S' Star. Being an actor and being a star are completely different things in this town."
The others nodded, understanding the distinction. They were all talented young actors working hard on a potentially great film, but their co-star was operating on another level entirely.