Get Ready To Cut Loose: Kevin Bacon’s 80s Classic Hits Paramount+ Soon
Kevin Bacon’s 1984 cult favorite Footloose is cutting loose on Paramount+ in the coming weeks, reigniting the high-energy showdown over a small town’s ban on dancing and rock.
Break out the skinny ties and aggressive footwork: the original 1984 Footloose is about to start streaming on Paramount+. Yes, the Kevin Bacon one. Perfect timing, too.
When and where you can watch it
Paramount+ has confirmed it is adding Footloose to its library early next month. According to ComicBook.com, the film starts streaming on Saturday, January 1, 2026. New Year, new dance ban to rebel against.
A quick refresher on what this movie actually is
Directed by Herbert Ross and written by Dean Pitchford, Footloose follows Ren McCormack, a Chicago kid who gets dropped into the small town of Bomont, where the local powers-that-be have outlawed both dancing and rock music. Ren is not built for that level of quiet. As he settles in, he butts heads with the town’s conservative leadership, falls for Ariel Moore, and finds himself toe-to-toe (sorry) with her dad, Reverend Shaw Moore. With some backup from his friends, Ren pushes to overturn the ban and give Bomont’s teens a life that is not entirely church, chores, and silence.
Who is in it
- Kevin Bacon as Ren McCormack
- Lori Singer as Ariel Moore
- John Lithgow as Reverend Shaw Moore
- Dianne Wiest
- Sarah Jessica Parker
- Chris Penn
How it played then (and how it plays now)
Footloose was a box office hit in its day, pulling in more than $80 million worldwide, per Box Office Mojo. Critics were mixed and still are: it sits at 55% on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer (47 reviews), but audiences are friendlier with a 71% Popcornmeter score. Which tracks. It is an unapologetic time capsule with big feelings, bigger hair, and needle drops for days.
The legacy that keeps it kicking
Beyond the movie, the story lived on with a 1998 stage musical and a 2011 film remake. The original, though, is the one everyone references when a town meeting gets tense and somebody suggests dancing is the problem.
Bottom line: if you have never seen Kevin Bacon rage-dance in a warehouse, or you have and want to relive the moment, Paramount+ is serving it up January 1.