If you were around at the time, you’ll remember — the ‘90s was a raunchy decade. Between “Girls Gone Wild” TV ads and the Monica Lewinsky scandal, sex was a topic you couldn’t avoid. One of the biggest hits of 1992, “Basic Instinct,” stretched the limits of what you’d see in a mainstream film — and the team behind it, director Paul Verhoeven and writer Joe Eszterhas, followed it up with an even more provocative film set in Las Vegas.
💰 The Investment
“Showgirls” opened 30 years ago on September 22, 1995. It was the first and only NC-17 movie to receive a wide North American release, appearing in 1,388 theaters. The budget was around $45 million and Eszterhas received $2 million for the script before a word of it was even written.
👠 The Story
The cast was short on big-name stars, but featured Elizabeth Berkley as the lead, marking an abrupt vibe shift from her role on the “Saved By The Bell” high school sitcom. Her character comes to Vegas with dreams of being a showgirl, but ends up working in a strip club before joining a casino’s big-budget topless revue and facing “All About Eve” levels of competitive jealousy.
🎥 The Production
Some scenes were shot in a Los Angeles studio and parts of Northern Nevada, but most of “Showgirls” was filmed on location in Las Vegas. The cinematography captures an era when Spago was in the Forum Shops, Fremont Street didn’t have a covered pedestrian walkway, and The Library Gentlemen’s Club was known as Cheetah’s. We also see departed casinos like the Stardust and Riviera. The Luxor looks the same in a prominent shot, but feels different knowing it was nearly brand new at the time.
👎 The Response
The reviews were notoriously harsh. It was a small victory for “Showgirls” to receive one star instead of zero from a critic. Despite the massive marketing campaign, the film performed below expectations, grossing less than half of its budget. The Golden Raspberry Awards named “Showgirls” not only the worst movie of the year, but of the decade.
🎞️ The Legacy
“Showgirls” did well in DVD sales and became a cult favorite, carrying on the camp traditions of “Valley of the Dolls” and “Mommy Dearest.” The LGBTQ community embraced the movie for its bisexual plot elements, an unauthorized musical parody played in both New York and San Francisco, and there’s even a documentary that reevaluates the movie.
- What do you think? Is this box office flop misunderstood? City Cast Las Vegas co-host Dayvid Figler debates the legacy of “Showgirls” in a lively back-and-forth conversation with film critic Josh Bell. [City Cast Las Vegas 🎧]
