1995's cult classic Empire Records is trending on social media as fans celebrate Rex Manning Day.Celebrated annually on April 8, Rex Manning Day commemorates the day that washed-up '80s pop idol Rex Manning (portrayed by Maxwell Caulfield) visited the fictional Empire Records to sign autographs for his dedicated fanbase, which consisted of mostly older women and gay men. The day also happened to coincide with the store employees' plans to "damn the man" and "save the Empire." Among the fans (and brands) celebrating the day was actor Ethan Embry, who starred in Empire Records as Mark and tweeted, "You better Damn the Man today."
Upon its theatrical release in September 1995, Empire Records was a box office bomb, earning just over $300,000 from a $10 million budget. Despite that, the coming-of-age comedy has become a verifiable cult classic. Caulfield recently spoke about the continued celebration of the coming-of-age film in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter.
"It's titled Rex Manning Day, but it might as well be called Empire Records Day," Caulfield said. "It initially eluded me because the film had been such a box office disappointment, so I didn't give it the credence that it has developed over the years. It just won't go away. It's one of those showbiz oddities."
On a previous Rex Manning Day in 2018, Embry confirmed the deeper meaning behind the decision for Empire Records to take place on April 8. "The reason we picked April 8th as the day to have the powdered/coifed Rex Manning visit Empire is because [Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain] was found on the 8th of April, the day the music of the 90s lost its mascot," Embry said. Cobain was found dead on April 8, 1994, exactly a year before Empire Records took place.
Directed by Allan Moyle, Empire Records features an ensemble cast of Embry, Liv Tyler, Renée Zellweger, Robin Tunney, Tobey Maguire, Rory Cochrane, Anthony LaPaglia, Johnny Whitworth and Debi Mazar. The movie follows the staff of a struggling Delaware record store over the course of a single day, which includes an autograph signing by Rex Manning, a fake funeral, the loss of thousands of dollars in cash and a customer with a gun. Despite all of that, as Embry says in the film, "We mustn't dwell. No, not today. We can't! Not on Rex Manning Day!"
In honor of the occasion, Empire Records is on sale today to rent today on Vudu for $2.99 (from $3.99), and to own for $9.99 (from $14.99).
Source: Twitter, The Hollywood Reporter