Brian left a flare gun in his locker, which went off accidentally, destroying a ceramic elephant lamp he'd made for shop class. Andrew taped another, weaker kid's butt together using athletic tape because he felt he hadn't cut loose on anyone in high school like his domineering father had. The characters then confess why they are in detention. They all realize that, despite their differences, they face similar problems. They discover they all have poor relationships with their parents: Claire's parents use her to get back at each other during arguments John's parents physically and verbally abuse him Allison's parents are neglectful Andrew's father pushes him to the limit to succeed, especially in wrestling and Brian's parents pressure him to earn the highest grades possible. Gradually, they open up and reveal their secrets: Claire has many experiences of peer pressure due to her popularity John comes from an abusive household Allison is a compulsive liar who dreams of running away from home Andrew can't think for himself due to his controlling father and Brian contemplated suicide over a failing grade. The students then pass the time by talking, arguing, and, at one point, smoking marijuana. They all eventually feel sorry for him after seeing how he deals with abusive adults like Vernon, who gives John eight weekends' worth of additional detention and eventually locks him in a storage closet, out of which he escapes and returns to the library. John spends most of his time bullying or harassing Claire, Brian, and Andrew. John, who has an antagonistic relationship with Vernon, ignores the rules and riles up the other students. He assigns them a thousand-word essay, in which each must describe "who you think you are." He leaves, returning only occasionally to check on and reprimand them. They gather in the school library, where Vice Principal Richard Vernon instructs them not to talk, move from their seats, or sleep until they are released at 4:00 p.m. Each comes from a different clique: Claire Standish, snobbish and extremely popular Brian Johnson, a brainiac Andrew Clark, a jock on the wrestling team John Bender, a punk and rebel and Allison Reynolds, an introverted outcast. On Saturday, March 24, 1984, five students at the fictional Shermer High School report at 7:00 a.m. The film was digitally remastered and was re-screened in 430 theaters in celebration of its 30th anniversary in 2015. 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 media referred to the film's five main actors as members of a group called the " Brat Pack". Critics consider it to be one of Hughes's most memorable and recognizable works. It received critical acclaim and earned $51.5 million on a $1 million budget. Universal Pictures released it in cinemas in the United States on February 15, 1985. The film premiered in Los Angeles on February 7, 1985. It stars Emilio Estevez, Anthony Michael Hall, Judd Nelson, Molly Ringwald and Ally Sheedy as teenagers from different high school cliques who spend a Saturday in detention with their authoritarian assistant principal ( Paul Gleason). The Breakfast Club is a 1985 American teen coming-of-age comedy-drama film written, produced, and directed by John Hughes.