A few days before the premiere, Prince had a nightmare that Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert despised the film, with Ebert ripping the film apart. He said, "I dreamed those two guys on the TV were reviewing the movie and that fat guy was tearing me up!" Siskel and Ebert both loved the film in their reviews.
The audio from the three songs in the final concert, which included "I Would Die 4U", "Baby I'm A Star", and the title song "Purple Rain," were recorded live on August 3, 1983, at the First Avenue club in Minneapolis, as part of a fund raiser for the Minnesota Dance Theater. It also marked the official debut of Prince's new band The Revolution. The concert scenes were re-enacted later.
The film was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress, who deemed it "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" in 2019.
When The Kid's father is playing the piano, the piece, titled "Father's Song" -- which would serve as the interlude for "Computer Blue", performed in the next scene -- is actually being played by Prince. In addition, the piece was composed by Prince's father, John L. Nelson.
Scenes of Wendy and Lisa kissing, suggesting a same-sex relationship, were deleted from the final version. In real life, they were in a relationship.