On September 29, 1975, an independent musical comedy horror film was released in the United States to relatively small audiences. Several opening cities withdrew from the film’s release and a Halloween opening night in New York City was cancelled. It would take several months for New York City theaters to give it a midnight showing, ultimately leading to a phenomenon of audience participation. Now, 50 years later, The Rocky Horror Picture Show is forever engrained in pop culture history.

The musical cult classic's half-century milestone was celebrated with a 4K Ultra remaster, a 10-month process overseen by Walt Disney Restoration. The remastered version includes a newly mixed Dolby Atmos audio track and an updated logo, with its iconic red lips now featuring a gold top hat inscribed with "50" in red ink.

"When The Rocky Horror Picture Show was first released, no one thought it would be around very long let alone 50 years,” producer Lou Adler said in a press release. “What began as a small, rebellious project has become a global celebration of individuality, community and creative freedom. This anniversary is a tribute to the fans who kept it alive and kicking all these years.”

To celebrate the milestone, the original Columbia, Brad and Magenta hit the road to host screenings across the country. Die-hards (and several virgins) donned their best sequins for a showing at the historic Chicago Theatre, where Nell Campbell, Barry Bostwick and Patricia Quinn took the stage for a Q&A before a live shadow cast performed alongside an unedited version of the film.

The Rocky Horror Picture Show Fan Club President Larry Viezel kicked off the night. The lobby featured some of his personal collection of movie costumes, handwritten lyrics, behind-the-scenes photos and more. Viezel would introduce the evening, laying down the rules and assisting in the Transylvanian Pledge of Allegiance and National Anthem before Campbell emerged from the wings to judge the costume contest.

When Bostwick and Quinn joined Campbell on stage, the Viezel-led discussion shared stories of first auditions, costume budgets and how the film was originally a stage production. The insight from the three stars, two of whom were first cast in the musical, gave the audience a new look into just how remarkable it is that this film is still being shown 50 years later.

“I’m glad Chicago still has a lot of weirdos and queer-dos,” Bostwick said. “Let’s fuck this theater up.”

50 years and counting, audiences of all ages hold newspapers over their heads, toss rolls of toilet paper into the air and shout insults at the screen for a movie that essentially flopped during its initial release. The Rocky Horror Picture Show became so much more than a movie to so many people, and changed pop culture for the better.