Paramount+ today announced TOM PETTY: HEARTBREAKERS BEACH PARTY will premiere exclusively on the service on Tuesday, March 11th in the U.S. and Canada and on Wednesday, March 12th in the UK, Australia, Latin America, France, Italy and Germany, marking the first time the fully restored version of the classic ‘80s documentary from legendary and Academy Award® winning director Cameron Crowe (Almost Famous, Jerry Maguire) will be widely available to a global audience.
TOM PETTY: HEARTBREAKERS BEACH PARTY is a fun, candid, fast-paced and musically rich ride with America’s greatest rock & roll band, a time capsule of the dawn of the MTV era and a rare, shining glimpse into Tom Petty’s lasting creative genius. Featuring nearly 20 minutes of never-before-seen bonus content, including new commentary from Crowe himself, alongside in-depth interviews, electrifying live performances and unprecedented intimate access to Petty and the band.
Originally airing only once on MTV in February 1983, the tapes from Crowe’s directorial debut, were finally found in 2024, nearly 40 years after it became folklore to fans, musicians and the entertainment industry at-large. The highly anticipated film, restored from its original 16mm source, is an era-defining look at rock & roll that captures Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers as they finish, promote and tour the groundbreaking Long After Dark album, the band’s third and final project with legendary producer Jimmy Iovine.
“Heartbreaker's Beach Party occupies a special place in my heart,” said 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, we’re bringing it back in all its reckless glory. I’m especially happy to add a postscript with the never-seen outtake footage I always treasured. The fact that the original film was yanked from MTV after only one airing shows that it was, and still is, an outlandish feast for fans in the best ways. Turn it up!!”
TOM PETTY: HEARTBREAKERS BEACH PARTY is executive produced by the Petty Legacy, LLC, Bruce Resnikoff, and Bruce Gillmer (MTV Entertainment Studios).
