Secrets of Dirty Dancing

A shocking smash hit

Dirty Dancing was filmed in just 44-days and studio executives were unsure of how the film would perform when it was released. Initially, test screenings were not received well and executives were considering scrapping the theater release and putting the film straight to video, but after careful thought, they decided to go ahead with the theater release.

To everyone’s surprise, the film was a knockout success and it made $170 million in the worldwide box office. Considering that it cost only $5 million to shoot, studio executives and Eleanor Bergstein couldn’t have asked for a better outcome.