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AMC Theatres announced they’ll be playing the 1978 Paramount musical Grease at its 124 theaters over the weekend as a tribute to late star Olivia Newton-John, who passed at the age of 73 on August 8th after a long battle with cancer. The cost for admission is $5, with $1 of every ticket sold going to AMC Cares charity with proceeds to benefit breast cancer research.
“Olivia has been a symbol of triumphs and hope for over 30 years, sharing her journey with breast cancer,” Newton-John’s husband, John Easterling wrote on Facebook. “Her healing inspiration and pioneering experience with plant medicine continues with the Olivia Newton-John Foundation Fund, dedicated to researching plant medicine and cancer.” The actress and singer scored several hits across her career, including songs “Physical,” “Have You Never Been Mellow,” and “You’re the One That I Want” featured from Grease with co-star John Travolta who penned his own tribute on Instagram.
“My dearest Olivia, you made all of our lives so much better. Your impact was incredible. I love you so much. We will see you down the road, and we will all be together again. Yours from the first moment I saw you and forever! Your Danny, your John!” Newton-John appeared in 90 film and TV projects throughout her 57-year on-screen career and released 26 albums in her 45-year music career. Grease is based on the musical by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey. The film adaptation, directed by Randal Kleiser and written by Bronte Woodard, starred Newton-John as Sandy Olsson, a good girl who falls in love with greaser Danny Zuko (Travolta) over the summer. When they unexpectedly discover they’re in the same high school, they fall on a path to rekindle that romance. The film also starred Stockard Channing and Jeff Conway.
The film’s success spawned a sequel, Grease 2, in 1982, starring Michelle Pfeiffer and Maxwell Caulfield. There’s also a prequel TV series set in 1954, four years before the original musical, called Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies from Paramount+ that stars Marisa Davila, Cheyenne Isabel Wells, Ari Notartomaso, Tricia Fukuhara, Shanel Bailey, Madison Thompson, Johnathan Nieves, Jason Schmidt, Maxwell Whittington-Cooper, and Jackie Hoffman.