Opening Night

Name: Opening Night
Genre: Drama
Released: 1977-12-22
Duration: 2 h 24 min
Rating: 7.6
Cast: Gena Rowlands, John Cassavetes, Ben Gazzara, Joan Blondell, Paul Stewart

1977·Movie·PG-13·144 min·★ 7.6(258)

Drama More English titles

“The Show Must Go On…”

Actress Myrtle Gordon is a functioning alcoholic who is a few days from the opening night of her latest play, concerning a woman distraught about aging. One night a car kills one of Myrtle's fans who is chasing her limousine in an attempt to get the star's attention. Myrtle internalizes the accident and goes on a spiritual quest, but fails to finds the answers she is after. As opening night inches closer and closer, fragile Myrtle must find a way to make the show go on.

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Where to watch Opening Night in United States

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Click a service to open Opening Night there. Availability last verified on June 20, 2026.

Where is Opening Night streaming around the world?

Country	Streaming on	Rent / Buy
United States	HBO Max Amazon Channel, YouTube TV, Criterion Channel, HBO Max	Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home
Canada	Criterion Channel	Apple TV Store
France	Molotov TV	—
Spain	Filmin	—

About Opening Night

Opening Night is a 1977 English-language drama film directed by John Cassavetes. The cast is led by Gena Rowlands, John Cassavetes, Ben Gazzara. It has a runtime of 2h 24m. Viewers rate it 7.6/10 across 300 ratings. In United States, it is currently streaming on HBO Max Amazon Channel, YouTube TV, Criterion Channel.

Opening Night was produced by Faces International Films and made in United States of America. It was released on December 22, 1977, and carries a PG-13 certification.

Director: John Cassavetes
Writers: John Cassavetes
Release date: December 22, 1977
Original language: English
Age rating: PG-13
Status: Released
Country: United States of America
Production: Faces International Films

#alcohol#autograph#aging#apparition#car accident#nervous breakdown#obsessed fan#alcoholic#broadway star#stage play#broadway theatre#lost youth#psychological disorder#former lovers

Opening Night cast & crew

Opening Night was directed by John Cassavetes and written by John Cassavetes.

The cast features Gena Rowlands as Myrtle Gordon, John Cassavetes as Maurice Aarons, Ben Gazzara as Manny Victor, Joan Blondell as Sarah Goode, Paul Stewart as David Samuels, and Zohra Lampert as Dorothy Victor.

Behind the camera, the score was composed by Bo Harwood, cinematography is by Al Ruban, and it was produced by Michael Lally and Sam Shaw.

Is Opening Night worth watching?

Opening Night holds an audience score of 7.6/10 from 258 ratings, marking it as well-reviewed drama films.

At 2h 24m, it's a standard feature-length watch.

If you enjoy drama, Opening Night is worth a place on your watchlist.

How and where to watch Opening Night

In United States, you can stream Opening Night on HBO Max Amazon Channel, YouTube TV, Criterion Channel, HBO Max, and Mometu, or rent and buy it on Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, and Fandango At Home. Click any service above to open it directly.

Streaming rights change country by country and month by month, so the options above reflect United States today — switch your country at the top of the where-to-watch section to see availability elsewhere.