The night of December 17, 1987, belonged to New York City. The winter air was biting, but the atmosphere outside the legendary Ziegfeld Theatre on West 54th Street was incandescent. It was the world premiere of Moonstruck, and the city had turned out to celebrate a film that felt like a love letter to its own eccentricities.
Inside the massive, ornate auditorium of the Ziegfeld, the industry elite and the lucky public sat in hushed anticipation as the film began.
The story centers on Loretta Castorini (Cher), a superstitious Italian-American widow who settles for a safe marriage to the timid Johnny Cammareri (Danny Aiello). But when Johnny flies to Sicily, he asks Loretta to invite his estranged, tormented younger brother, Ronny, to the wedding.
When Alex Hayes first appeared on screen as Ronny in the bakery, slamming the oven door shut to reveal his anguish, the energy in the theater shifted tectonically. He looked nothing like the clean-cut pilot from Top Gun. His hair was wild and sweaty, his clothes stained with flour, his eyes burning with a manic, operatic intensity.
"My god, is that Alex?" a woman whispered in the dark. "He looks... feral."
"He looks dangerous," her friend whispered back.
The film then dives into the passionate, volatile affair between Loretta and Ronny. Drawn to his raw pain and intensity, Loretta cheats on her fiancé, leading to a whirlwind romance.
Parallel to this, the film explores the poignant marital strife of Loretta's parents. Her mother, Rose (Olympia Dukakis), suspects her husband, Cosmo (Vincent Gardenia), of having an affair. Their storyline provides the film's emotional anchor, grappling with fidelity, aging, and the fear of death, contrasting the young lovers' passion with the complex reality of long-term marriage.
During the film's famous climax, in a chaotic family breakfast scene, Rose confronts Cosmo, demanding he end his affair and return to her—a demand he reluctantly accepts.
When Johnny arrives, he breaks off the engagement, superstitiously believing that their marriage would cause his mother's death. Loretta berates him for breaking his promise and throws the engagement ring at him. Ronny borrows the ring and asks Loretta to marry him, to which she agrees. The family toasts the couple with champagne, and Johnny joins in at Grandpa's urging, since he will now be part of the family after all.
As the credits rolled to "That's Amore" by Dean Martin, the audience erupted in applause.
As the applause washed over them, Nancy leaned closer to Alex in the darkened VIP row. "Well? What do you think?"
Alex watched the credits roll, his expression thoughtful. "I like it," he said simply.
Nancy raised an eyebrow, surprised by the mild response given the raucous reception. "Only 'like' it?"
Alex shrugged slightly. "When I accepted this movie, I was in a different space. I'm different now."
"Alex, it was only a year ago," Nancy pointed out.
"Exactly," he replied. "I changed in a year. It's not like I don't enjoy the movie—it's fantastic, and it's going to be a hit, no doubt. But sitting here now... I just like it. I don't love it the way I did when I signed on."
Nancy nodded slowly. She understood that the recent breakup with Mia Sara had shifted his perspective fundamentally; it had affected him far more deeply than any previous relationship, leaving a mark on how he viewed stories of chaotic, passionate love.
She placed a gentle hand on his arm. "I understand. But right now, the public is waiting for you. We need to head down for the Q&A session."
Alex nodded, his eyes lingering on the screen for a fleeting second before he masked his introspection with his famous movie-star smile. He rose from his seat to follow her and join the rest of the cast on stage.
He fulfilled his media obligations that night and the following morning to promote Moonstruck.
After that he quietly boarded his private jet at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), accompanied by Nancy, heading for Eagle Lake, Texas.
******
While Alex may have only "liked" the final product, the critics absolutely loved it. 90 percent of critics gave the film positive reviews, praising the sharp script and the electric chemistry between the leads. The audience, as always with an Alex Hayes film, was even more enthusiastic, awarding it an A CinemaScore.
The box office numbers reflected this adoration immediately. The film grossed $5.3 million on Friday, followed by $5.2 million on Saturday, and $4.8 million on Sunday.
This performance crowned Moonstruck the weekend box office champion with a total of $15.3 million.
It was a staggering opening for a romantic comedy, securing its place as the third-highest weekend gross of 1987, trailing only the massive action blockbusters: Alex's own Top Gun ($37.5 million) and Beverly Hills Cop II ($33 million). Once again, Alex Hayes had proven he could open any genre, anywhere.
It continued to perform strongly through the remaining four days of the week, grossing another $9.1 million and pushing its first-week total to $24.4 million.
The following week, thanks to the family holiday Christmas season, Moonstruck saw a slight raise in performance. It grossed $16.7 million in its second weekend and a further $10.2 million in the remaining four days, bringing its cumulative domestic box office total to a staggering $51.3 million.
Entering the New Year of 1988, its third weekend grossed $13.4 million, and it earned $7.9 million during the following four weekdays. In its fourth weekend, a sharp drop was observed, grossing $9.8 million as the holiday season ended, followed by $5.2 million during the weekdays. In four weeks at the box office, the film's cumulative domestic box office total reached a staggering $87.6 million.
The film, produced on a modest $18 million budget, was already well into the profit zone based on domestic gross alone. With an additional $54.3 million grossed in foreign territories, the film's worldwide box office total shot up to $141.9 million, quietly cementing its status as one of the most successful films of 1987.