FULLY RESTORED WITH 20 MINUTES OF ADDITIONAL UNRELEASED FOOTAGE
Los Angeles, CA & London, UK – September 10, 2024 — Trafalgar Releasing and the Tom Petty Estate are thrilled to announce the highly anticipated big screen debut of TOM PETTY: HEARTBREAKERS BEACH PARTY. The lost 1983 cult classic documentary, directed by legendary Rolling Stone journalist and Academy Award-winning director Cameron Crowe (Almost Famous, Jerry Maguire), will screen in cinemas worldwide for two special nights only on October 17 and October 20 (on what would have been Tom Petty’s 74th birthday). Fans will experience Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers like never before with a new introduction from Crowe himself and an all-new 20-minute cut of unreleased outtakes from the acclaimed director. Watch/share the trailer HERE.
“Heartbreakers Beach Party occupies a special place in my heart,” says Crowe. “Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers leaned into the making of the film with a kind of hilarious music-filled honesty that still feels fresh forty years later. It was also my first experience as a director. Thanks to Adria Petty and the Petty Estate, along with our co-filmmakers Danny Bramson, Phil Savenick, Doug Dowdle and Greg Mariotti, I’m so happy we’re bringing it back in all its reckless glory. The fact that it was yanked from MTV after only one airing at 2:00 a.m. just shows that it was indeed an outlandish feast for fans in all the best ways. Let that sucker blast!”
Tickets for TOM PETTY: HEARTBREAKERS BEACH PARTY are available now at www.TomPettyFilm.com.
This cinematic event marks the first time TOM PETTY: HEARTBREAKERS BEACH PARTY has been seen on the big screen, fully remastered in 4K. Originally airing only once on MTV in February 1983, it was Crowe’s directorial debut and pirated versions have been coveted by fans ever since. Featuring a mix of in-depth interviews, electrifying live performances and unprecedented intimate access to Petty and the band—including Mike Campbell, Benmont Tench, Stan Lynch, and new addition Howie Epstein—the film’s influence can even be seen in Rob Reiner’s This Is Spinal Tap.
The film, now restored from its 16mm source by Crowe, reveals an era defining look at rock & roll in 1982 when Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers finished, promoted and toured around the groundbreaking album Long After Dark. Often misunderstood, this is the band’s third and final album with legendary rock producer Jimmy Iovine. Alongside the film an expansive reissue, Long After Dark (Deluxe Edition), featuring a collection of rediscovered and unheard songs will be released on October 18.
MTV, a relatively new network at the time, was instrumental in shaping music culture, and this film captures the essence of that era. The film features behind the scenes footage of the iconic apocalyptic western music video for “You Got Lucky,” directed by Jim Lenahan, which was groundbreaking and pioneering for its short film approach and futuristic style.
This is the second “Meet Up” for Tom Petty fans following the successful 2021 Trafalgar release of award-winning and critically acclaimed Tom Petty: Somewhere You Feel Free - The Making of Wildflowers.
“This special cinematic event offers Tom Petty fans a unique opportunity to unite and honor the music that has deeply resonated with countless fans through many decades and generations,” says Kymberli Frueh, Senior Vice President for Programming and Content Acquisitions at Trafalgar Releasing. “The cinema platform offers a way for these fans to connect with one another and hopefully create new memories together.”
ROLLING STONE
Rare Cameron Crowe-Directed Tom Petty Documentary Gets First Ever Streaming Release
DECIDER
Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Tom Petty: Heartbreakers Beach Party’ on Paramount+, A Cameron Crowe-Directed Romp From 1982 Rescued From The MTV Archives
Thanks to this documentary material’s reclamation, it’s time we never thought we’d get with a rocker taken too soon.
Tom Petty: Heartbreakers Beach Party, reclaimed from the archives, is partly a time capsule, partly a celebration of archival live footage, and partly a tribute to the legacy of Tom Petty, as both a nice guy who wrote a bunch of great songs, and as the leader of a band that was one of the biggest things going early 1980s America.
https://decider.com/2025/03/11/tom-petty-heartbreakers-beach-party-paramount-plus-review/
THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER
How to Watch ‘Tom Petty: Heartbreakers Beach Party’ Online
CONSEQUENCE
Heartbreakers Beach Party Review: Cameron Crowe Gets Intimate With Tom Petty
there’s still enough fan in [Crowe] for the film to ultimately feel like a celebration of [Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers] work, if only because the music is ever-present, a reminder of how in the early ’80s, a time where (as Crowe says during the outtakes) synth was king, real people playing real guitars stood out as something special. And to date, something singular about the way the Heartbreakers rock out remains.
https://consequence.net/2025/03/heartbreakers-beach-party-review-cameron-crowe/
TV INSIDER
How Tom Petty Made Cameron Crowe a Director With ‘Heartbreakers Beach Party’
https://www.tvinsider.com/1180811/tom-petty-heartbreakers-beach-party-cameron-crowe-documentary/
RELIX
‘Tom Petty: Heartbreakers Beach Party,’ Cameron Crowe’s Long Lost 1983 Documentary, Releases on Paramount+
GRATEFUL WEB
“TOM PETTY: HEARTBREAKERS BEACH PARTY” streaming now exclusively on Paramount+
THE TODAY SHOW
Cameron Crowe’s ‘Heartbreakers Beach Party’ headed to theaters
STAGE AND CINEMA
Film Recommendation: TOM PETTY: HEARTBREAKERS BEACH PARTY (directed by Cameron Crowe; Big Screen Debut)
https://stageandcinema.com/
AMERICAN SONGWRITER
Long-Lost 1980s Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers Documentary Directed by Cameron Crowe Coming to Theaters
THE MUSIC UNIVERSE
Cameron Crowe-directed Tom Petty film to hit theaters
https://themusicuniverse.com/
ENTERTAINMENT FOCUS
‘Tom Petty: Heartbreakers Beach Party’ coming to cinemas in October
BRAVE WORDS
TOM PETTY AND THE HEARTBREAKERS - "Tom Petty: Heartbreakers Beach Party" Arrives In Cinemas Next Month; Video Trailer
BROOKLYN VEGAN
Lost Tom Petty 'Heartbreakers Beach Party' documentary by Cameron Crowe getting theatrical rerelease
GRATEFUL WEB
Cameron Crowe's directorial debut Tom Petty: Heartbreakers Beach Party in cinemas for the first time October 17 & 20
SYDNEY MORNING HERALD
Like Spinal Tap? Try this cult documentary about Tom Petty
THE TELEGRAPH
The long-lost film showing why Tom Petty never backed down