Dolly Parton was widely known as the Queen of Country thanks to her incredible music career, but the beloved singer-songwriter was also a force of nature at the box office. While many of Parton’s hit songs soared in popularity in the days after her death, some of her hit movies took off, too.
On September 3, The Wrap reported that Parton’s first movie, the 1980 hit 9 to 5, soared to the top of the ratings for linear TV viewing in the days following her death on Tuesday, August 25. That Sunday evening, ABC aired 9 to 5 in homage to Parton, and millions tuned in.
The movie, co-starring Lily Tomlin and Jane Fonda, zoomed into the No. 1 spot on The Wrap Report, an “exclusive first look at the most-watched movies and TV series of the last week.” According to the list, 9 to 5 beat out every other linear program during the week of August 24 to 31, from America’s Got Talent to Jeopardy Masters.
Lily Tomlin, Dolly Parton and Jane Fonda in “9 to 5,” which premiered in 1980.20th Century Fox/ZUMA Press/TNS, Houston Chronicle via Getty Images
But the renewed success of 9 to 5 isn’t just happening on network TV. The Oscar-nominated movie’s video-on-demand numbers also exploded the day after Parton’s death, according to Screen Rant. 9 to 5, about women striving for more respect and responsibility in the workplace, quickly became Apple TV‘s most-purchased video-on-demand movie in the U.S., zooming past the summer blockbuster, Toy Story 5.
Some of Parton’s other movies made it into the VOD Top 15, too: her 1982 musical The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas took fourth place, the 1989 tear-jerker Steel Magnolias found its way to 11th place, and Parton’s 1992 comedy Straight Talk landed at No. 14, per The Wrap.
Dolly Parton Became Close Friends With Her 9 to 5 Co-Stars
Parton had never stepped foot on a movie set when she landed the role of witty secretary Doralee Rhodes and wrote the film’s theme song. In a joint interview with Fonda and Tomlin before the premiere, her co-stars marveled that Parton arrived to the shoot with the entire 9 to 5 script memorized — not just her parts.
“I just assumed we had to,” she said, adding that she’d rehearsed all of the lines with her own secretary.
Her process and the chemistry between the three women clearly worked. According to Forbes, 9 to 5 grossed about $103 million in the U.S., making it the second-most popular movie of 1980, just behind The Empire Strikes Back.
The trio of actresses became close while filming the movie, and their friendships spanned across decades. Both Tomlin and Fonda shared their sadness via social media after Parton’s death. Tomlin posted a black-and-white photo of her with Parton and captioned it “no words” with a broken heart emoji.
Fonda issued a lengthier statement, writing, “I am devastated. I just learned that Dolly has moved on. I know that millions are mourning and I want to say this – more than anyone I have ever known, Dolly will always be with us because she was so present, so powerful, so generous and playful that she is woven into all our lives and hearts forever.”
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