When Disney tried to become more 'hip' and 'edgy', it decided to release Midnight Madness. Too 'hip' for Disney's normal audience but not 'edgy' enough for its target audience, the film quickly failed at the box office, its only claim to fame being that it featured a young Michael J. Fox.
Enter HBO. Not known for being family-friendly, it made a deal with Walt Disney Productions to air some of its late 70's, early 1980's live action films. One of which was Midnight Madness. The film was in heavy rotation during those long summer days when HBO would try to cater to all the kids spending their days at "Camp Latchkey". The overlooked film quickly gained a cult following- and a generation of fans.
