19 Highest grossing movies from the 80’s

Deeya
Still from Who Framed Roger Rabbit (Image via Rotten Tomatoes)
Still from Who Framed Roger Rabbit (Image via Rotten Tomatoes)
Still from Raiders of the Lost Ark (Image via Paramount Movies)
Still from Raiders of the Lost Ark (Image via Paramount Movies)

The 1980s was the most quirky era in the history of pop culture. The movies took a flight of imagination and handled topics that were fantastical, sci-fi, and larger-than-life. The era’s movies still have a cultural impact. Here are 19 movies that became the highest-grossing films of the 1980s. The list is based on data from the Box Office Report website and considers the domestic revenue.

1. E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial (1982)

Still from the movie (Image via Rotten Tomatoes)
Still from the movie (Image via Rotten Tomatoes)

Directed by Steven Spielberg, this sci-fi movie, which was originally named Night Skies, tells the heartfelt story of a young boy who befriends an alien lost on Earth, and wants to help it get back home. It won the hearts of the viewers and was the highest-grossing movie of the decade at $399 million.

2. Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi (1983)

Still from the movie (Image via Star Wars)
Still from the movie (Image via Star Wars)

Starring Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, and others, this epic space opera continues the ongoing battle between the authoritarian Galactic Empire and the fighters of the Rebel Alliance. The final movie in the original trilogy was highly anticipated and thanks to its stunning visual effects and effective plot, it grossed $263 million.

3. Batman (1989)

Still from the movie (Image via Rotten Tomatoes)
Still from the movie (Image via Rotten Tomatoes)

Directed by Tim Burton and starring Michael Keaton in the titular role, the iconic superhero fights crime in Gotham City and takes on his arch nemesis, the Joker. The film set the blueprint for superhero movies and viewers still consider Keaton’s Batman and Nicholson’s Joker to be superior. The movie raked in $252 million.

4. Indiana Jones and Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)

Still from the movie (Image via Paramount Movies)
Still from the movie (Image via Paramount Movies)

Directed by Steven Spielberg, this action-adventure movie introduced audiences to the might of Harrison Ford, who coolly and charmingly portrayed an archaeologist trying to recover the lost Ark of the Covenant before other sinister forces. The movie was a smash hit and spawned a franchise. The pop culture phenomena grossed $245 million.

5. Ghostbusters (1984)

Still from the movie (Image via Ghostbusters)
Still from the movie (Image via Ghostbusters)

Starring Bill Murray, Harold Ramis, and others, this supernatural comedy centres around three parapsychologists, who come face-to-face with a real ghost after they start a ghost-catching business. The movie used expensive visual effects, which paid off, as it garnered $238 million. The film spawned a franchise and is a cult classic.

6. Beverly Hills Cop (1984)

Still from the movie (Image via Paramount Movies)
Still from the movie (Image via Paramount Movies)

This buddy cop action comedy brought Eddie Murphy into the limelight who was till then, famous for starring on Saturday Night Live. The movie about a street-smart detective in Detroit who travels to Beverly Hills, California, to solve the murder of his friend became an instant classic. The film grossed $234 million at the box office.

7. Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

Still from the movie (Image via Star Wars)
Still from the movie (Image via Star Wars)

The sequel to the more light-hearted and simplistic original Star Wars movie, this film came back with a more complex plot and a darker atmosphere, which made it critically acclaimed. With the iconic revelation that Darth Vader is Luke’s father, the movie became a pop cultural phenomenon and grossed $222 million.

8. Back to the Future (1985)

Still from the movie (Image via Universal Pictures)
Still from the movie (Image via Universal Pictures)

Directed by Robert Zemeckis and the iconic actor Michael J. Fox, who was till then, known for his role in Family Ties, this sci-fi movie about a teenager sent back in time by an eccentric scientist’s time-travelling DeLorean became a huge hit. The movie was rejected more than forty times by different studios but ended up earning $210 million.

9. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)

Still from the movie (Image via Paramount Movies)
Still from the movie (Image via Paramount Movies)

This installment brings in Sean Connery who plays Harrison Ford’s Indian Jones’ dad. The third instalment in the film series, it revolves around the iconic archaeologist’s hunt for his dad, who is kidnapped by Nazis, while he also tries to find the Holy Grail. Spielberg made this movie more lighthearted after its predecessor was criticized and the movie made $197 million.

10. Indian Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)

Still from the movies (Image via Paramount Movies)
Still from the movies (Image via Paramount Movies)

The second instalment in this film series received the most backlash. This action-adventure movie by Spielberg revolves around Indiana Jones helping villagers find a mystical stone and rescuing their children from a cult. The movie was criticized for its graphic violence and portrayal of India. It ultimately grossed $179 million.

11. Tootsie (1982)

Still from the movie (Image via Rotten Tomatoes)
Still from the movie (Image via Rotten Tomatoes)

Starring Dustin Hoffman, this satirical romantic comedy revolves around a talented but arrogant actor who lands a role in a soap opera by disguising as a woman. He takes on the misogynist working environment with his empowering tirade. The movie was appreciated for its commentary, humour, and performances and grossed $177 million.

12. Top Gun (1986)

Still from the movie (Image via Rotten Tomatoes)
Still from the movie (Image via Rotten Tomatoes)

The action drama that proved to be the breakthrough role for Tom Cruise, revolves around a talented but haughty naval aviator who trains along with his friend at the elite US Navy’s Fighter Weapons School, or, Top Gun, and learns about love, duty, and life. The movie was the breakout hit of the year. Its soundtrack sold nine million copies and it grossed $176 million.

13. Crocodile Dundee (1986)

Still from the movie (Image via Rotten Tomatoes)
Still from the movie (Image via Rotten Tomatoes)

Starring Paul Hogan, who also co-wrote the screenplay, this action comedy set in the Australian Outback, revolves around an American journalist who travels to Australia to interview a quirky crocodile poacher. The movie became the highest-grossing movie in Australia and the highest-grossing non-US movie. The film’s Australian charm helped it gross $174 million.

14. Rain Man (1988)

Still from the movie (Image via Rotten Tomatoes)
Still from the movie (Image via Rotten Tomatoes)

Dustin Hoffman again wowed the audiences with a starring performance as an autistic savant. Directed by Barry Levinson, the heartfelt road comedy-drama also stars Tom Cruise, who plays an arrogant wheeler-dealer and is outraged that his father left all his money to a long-lost brother before he begins to bind with him. The movie was a hit at the Oscars and it grossed $172 million.

15. Three Men and a Baby (1987)

Tom Selleck (Image via Getty)
Tom Selleck (Image via Getty)

Starring Tom Selleck, Steve Guttenberg, Ted Danson, and others, this comedy movie about three bachelors who try to raise a baby after one of them has a love child, tugged at the heart of the viewers and became an instant hit. Based on a French movie, the American version grossed $167 million.

16. Fatal Attraction (1987)

Still from the movie (Image via Rotten Tomatoes)
Still from the movie (Image via Rotten Tomatoes)

This movie is a raunchy psychological thriller starring Glenn Close and Michael Douglas and revolves around an attorney who cheats on his wife and is then stalked by his lover, causing a threat to his family. The movie was a smash hit and earned $156 million.

17. Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988)

Still from the movie (Image via Rotten Tomatoes)
Still from the movie (Image via Rotten Tomatoes)

Based on a novel by Gary K. Wolf, this fantasy comedy directed by Robert Zemeckis is one of the first movies to combine live-action and animation. It revolves around a private investigator who must help a toon framed for murder. The quirky movie was the most expensive movie at the time with a budget of $70 million but earned $154 million in return.

18. Beverly Hills Cop II (1987)

Still from the movie (Image via Rotten Tomatoes)
Still from the movie (Image via Rotten Tomatoes)

Eddie Murphy comes back as the sharp-witted and tongued Axel Foley in this sequel to the hit original. The film sees him get back with his mates, detectives Rosewood and Taggart, as they try to take down a criminal organization after their senior is shot. Even though it earned less than its predecessor it still made $153.6 million at the box office.

19. Gremlins (1984)

Still from the movie (Image via Rotten Tomatoes)
Still from the movie (Image via Rotten Tomatoes)

Starring Zach Galligan, Phoebe Cates, and others, this comedy horror revolves around a man, Billy, who receives a Gizmo as a pet, who is actually a mogwai and wreaks havoc on Christmas Eve. The film has dark elements and is therefore a comedy for adults. Nevertheless, the movie became a hit and grossed $153 million.

Edited by Nimisha
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