Two Dolly Parton films go back into 200 AMC cinemas from today

News travels fast, and frankly, the world’s gone a bit quiet today. On 25 August 2026, we lost Dolly Parton at eighty. Everyone knows her catalogue and her generosity, but it turns out Hollywood’s just as keen to remember her turns on the big screen. To honour her, two of her classic films are headed back to cinemas for a rare encore—because apparently, the 1980s can still pull a crowd, especially if Dolly’s on the bill.

Dolly Parton's Steel Magnolias and The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas are hitting AMC screens in the US from 28 August, just a few days after her passing.

Let’s not pretend Dolly racked up dozens of movie credits—she was picky, and what she did choose left a mark. AMC Theatres (one of the few chains left with a bit of clout) is rolling out Steel Magnolias and The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas for a special tribute run, starting this Friday. About 200 locations across America are taking part, including plenty in Tennessee, which is as close as you’ll get to cinematic pilgrimage for Dolly fans. Each day, the plan is two matinée screenings, one for each film, at the usual Fan Faves discount pricing that doesn’t require you to hand over your life savings. Advance tickets? Already on sale.

The Films Getting the Spotlight

First up, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, which landed in US cinemas back in July 1982. Now, here’s the strange bit of box office history: for a brief moment, Parton and Burt Reynolds dethroned Spielberg’s E.T. from the top of the charts after six unbroken weeks. (E.T. eventually clawed back, but still—hear that, aliens?) In this one, Dolly played Mona Stangely, the brothel’s head honcho trying to keep things running despite a TV crusader played by Dom DeLuise stirring up trouble. Like quite a few things in Dolly’s life, it started on stage—a musical from 1978—before jumping to film.

And then there’s Steel Magnolias, released November 1989 and as Southern a drama as they come. It’s got all the heart and heartbreak, with Dolly holding her own amongst a who’s who: Sally Field, Julia Roberts, Shirley MacLaine, Olympia Dukakis, and Daryl Hannah. The story follows a tight-knit group of women in small-town Louisiana, juggling laughter, loss, and the odd funeral. This one’s a crier, yes, but also a crowd-pleaser—nearly $97 million at the global box office isn’t bad going, and it marked Julia Roberts’s first-ever Oscar nomination, if you want trivia for your next pub quiz.

Busy Week at the Cinema

If you do fancy catching these, know you’ll have plenty of company. Hollywood is determined to squeeze every bit of nostalgia it can into the final stretch of summer, between new releases like Coyote vs. Acme and reissues of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone and Terminator 2: Judgment Day. Adding both Steel Magnolias and The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas isn’t just another excuse to sell popcorn; it’s a proper nod to a woman whose film career may have been shorter than most, but who could make just about anything feel like an event—ask anyone who ever saw her lead a musical number or hijack a hair salon on screen.

• The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (1982): Dolly Parton, Burt Reynolds, Dom DeLuise. Brothel, bad press, and big hair.
• Steel Magnolias (1989): Dolly Parton, Sally Field, Julia Roberts, Shirley MacLaine, Olympia Dukakis, Daryl Hannah. Friendship, Southern charm, and more tragic haircuts than sense.