Claim: The Breakfast Club premiered in Los Angeles in 1985.

The Breakfast Club is a 1985 American coming-of-age comedy-drama film written , produced , and directed by John Hughes , starring Emilio Estevez , Paul Gleason , Anthony Michael Hall , Judd Nelson , Molly Ringwald and Ally Sheedy . The storyline follows five teenagers , each members of different high school cliques , who spend a Saturday in detention together and come to realize that they are all more than their respective stereotypes , while facing a strict disciplinarian .   The film premiered in Los Angeles on February 7 , 1985 . Universal Pictures released the film in cinemas in the United States on February 15 , 1985 . It received critical acclaim and earned $ 51.5 million on a $ 1 million budget . Critics consider it one of the greatest high school films of all time , as well as one of Hughes ' most memorable and recognizable works . The media referred to the film 's five main actors as members of a group called the `` Brat Pack '' .   The title comes from the nickname invented by students and staff for morning detention at New Trier High School , the school attended by the son of one of John Hughes ' friends . Thus , those who were sent to detention before school starting time were designated members of `` The Breakfast Club '' .  In 2016 , the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being `` culturally , historically , or aesthetically significant '' .   The film was digitally remastered and was re-screened throughout 430 theaters in celebration of its 30th anniversary in 2015 .