National Film Registry: ‘Dirty Dancing’, ‘Beverly Hills Cop’, ‘Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan’ & ‘Texas Chainsaw Massacre’ Among 25 Movies Added This Year

The Library of Congress National Film Registry has unveiled their 25 movie title additions for the year, a quarter of them being films from the 1980s.

The National Film Registry recognizes those movies of cultural, historic or aesthetic importance which preserves the nation’s film heritage.

Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden announced the 2024 selection this morning. The selections bring the number of feature titles in the registry to 900. Some films are among the 2 million moving image collection items held in the Library of Congress.

Among the 1980s titles are such blockbusters as Dirty Dancing ($214.5M WW), Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan ($97M WW) and the Eddie Murphy R-rated action comedy, Beverly Hills Cop ($316.3M WW).

Star Trek II is the sequel which mushroomed the Gene Roddenberry TV series into a $2.2 billion grossing movie franchise. Dirty Dancing, written and produced by Eleanor Bergstein, to this day remains one of Lionsgate’s all-time best-selling library titles. The pic launched two multiplatinum soundtrack albums, numerous #1 hit singles, won an Academy Award for Best Original Song and a Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals, spawned a television series, multiple competition reality shows, a prequel film, a stage production with sold-out performances around the world, a made-for-television musical adaptation and counts a Lionsgate sequel film in development, and upcoming stage musical for Broadway. The Beverly Hills cop movies, spanning three theatrical releases, counts $712M at the global box office; the fourth title Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F recently becoming a Netflix streaming hit.  

The new selections date back nearly 130 years and include a diverse group of films, filmmakers and Hollywood landmarks. The selections span from a silent film created to entice audiences at the dawn of cinema in 1895 —Annabelle Serpentine Dance— to the newest selected film from 2010, the David Fincher directed, Aaron Sorkin scripted 3x Oscar-winning drama about origins of Facebook, The Social Network.

The public submitted nominations of more than 6,700 titles for consideration this year.

“Films reflect our nation’s history and culture and must be preserved in our national library for generations to come. We’re honored by the responsibility to add 25 diverse new films to the National Film Registry each year as we work to preserve our cultural heritage,” said Hayden. “This is a collective effort in the film community to preserve our cinematic heritage, and we are grateful to our partners, including the National Film Preservation Board.”

On Wednesday, Dec. 18, Turner Classic Movies (TCM) will host a television special starting at 8PM ET to screen a selection of films named to the registry this year. Hayden will join TCM host and film historian Jacqueline Stewart, who is chair of the National Film Preservation Board, to discuss the films. Stewart led the board in studying and recommending films across a variety of genres and eras to be considered for the registry.

“The National Film Registry now includes 900 titles, and what’s remarkable to me is that every year when the board talks about films and their significance, we find new titles to consider. The wealth of American film history is sometimes rather overwhelming, and people often wonder: how do you recommend this film or that film?” Stewart said. “It’s through a lot of research, conversation and discussion, and it’s through a commitment to showing the true diversity of filmmaking. I’m thrilled that we recognize student films and independent films, animation, documentary and experimental works, as well as feature length narrative drama, comedy, horror and science fiction on the registry this year.”

The National Association of Theatre Owners is also represented on the Library’s National Film Preservation Board by Joseph Masher, NATO Board Member and CEO of Scene One Entertainment, and Michael O’Leary, NATO President & CEO. 

“Movie theatres are among the few places left that allow people to share a common yet unique experience,” said Masher. “Cinemas reinforce those memorable communal experiences when many of us are looking for ways to build bridges and connect. We are excited to support the Library of Congress in their passionate work, and their selections for this year’s list, which highlights audience favorites and breakthrough titles that need to be revived on the big screen.”

“For more than a century, Americans of all ages have been flocking to theatres to experience the magic of a great movie on the big screen. This list honors that legacy and is more than just a celebration of movies as an art form, it’s a recognition of an industry united in telling stories and connecting audiences for generations to come,” says O’Leary. “On behalf of theatre owners everywhere, we applaud the work of the Library of Congress and Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden for her leadership in film preservation and recognizing the power of cinema in this year’s selections for the National Film Registry.”

Five films selected this year include prominent Hispanic artists or themes, including American Me, Mi Familia, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, Spy Kids and Up in Smoke.

Two movies this year feature the work of Edward James Olmos: Mi Familia and American Me. This brings the actor’s movies to a count of eight in the registry. American Me reps his first appearance as a director in the registry.

With this year’s addition of Mi Familia, director Gregory Nava now has three explorations of the Hispanic experience on the National Film Registry, the other titles being El Norte and Selena.

Two films this year rep Cheech Marin’s first titles in the registry: Up in Smoke and Spy Kids. 

Two films selected this year were produced by Lou Adler: American Me and Up in Smoke. Adler has several other films on the registry including Monterey Pop, Rocky Horror Picture Show and an appearance in 20 Feet From Stardom.

Powwow Highway from 1989 stands as one of the first indie movies to treat Native Americans as ordinary people, navigating the complexities of everyday life, departing from long-perpetuated stereotypes. The film was based on the novel of the same name by David Seals.

Of those titles made by Black directors this year, there is Compensation, Ganja and Hess, Uptown Saturday Night, Will, and Zora Lathan Student Films. The film Will is widely considered to be the first independent feature-length film directed by a Black woman, Jessie Maple, a trailblazing cinematographer and director.

An Oscar-winning documentary selected this year tells the story of the National AIDS Memorial Quilt, Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt, which was also an important period in LGBTQ history. The Library also holds the newly digitized archival records of the National AIDS Memorial Quilt, representing the lives of those who died of AIDS since 1981.

Deaf characters and culture are represented in two films this year: 1962’s The Miracle Worker and Compensation.

Films Selected for the 2024 National Film Registry

(chronological order)