The 10 highest-grossing movies of the 1980s
Before the 1980s rolled around, cinema looked pretty alien in comparison to the modern day. Sure, big-budget hits such as Jaws, The Exorcist and Rocky existed, but the true commercial nature of the art form hadn’t yet been fully realised. Such would most certainly change in the following decade, when franchises began to rule the roost, bringing such hits as Star Wars, Indiana Jones and Back to the Future.
Cinema would indeed dramatically change in the ‘80s as studios began to realise the value in franchises that could be tied into merchandise that could make some extra cash in their back pockets. Such was illustrated most clearly in the sci-fi franchise Star Wars, created by George Lucas, which released three movies from 1977-1983, as well as millions of pieces of merchandise.
From lunchboxes to pencil cases to bedspreads, movie franchises allowed fans to become indebted to their favourite brands, being the perfect customers for studios in the process. Indeed, each of the movies on the list of the ten highest-grossing movies of the 1980s, bar just one, took advantage of such merchandise opportunities, creating a band of loyal rabid fans in the process.
The only movie of the ten that didn’t take advantage of merchandising was the 1989 ‘Best Picture’ winner Rain Man. Starring Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman, the movie made $354.8million from a budget of just $25million. Telling the story of a selfish LA yuppie who exploits his autistic brother to gain money, the film is the only ‘Best Picture’ winner to make the list.
What is truly remarkable, looking at the top ten, is the sheer amount of projects that involved esteemed director Steven Speilberg. Aside from the four movies he directed on the list, Spielberg also had a hand in the making of the Robert Zemeckis movie Back to the Future, where he was an executive producer. Helping to create the modern blockbuster as we know it with the release of Jaws in 1975, Spielberg’s impact on contemporary cinema is unparalleled.
Elsewhere, such movies as Tony Scott’s Top Gun, Tim Burton’s Batman and both ‘80s Star Wars flicks make the cut.
The number one spot is taken by E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, which made $792.9million in 1982 from a budget of just $10.5million.
Take a look at the full list below.
The 10 highest-grossing movies of the 1980s:
- Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (Steven Spielberg, 1984) – $333m
- Rain Man (Barry Levinson, 1988) – $354m
- Top Gun (Tony Scott, 1986) – $357m
- Back to the Future (Robert Zemeckis, 1985) – $383m
- Raiders of the Lost Ark (Steven Spielberg, 1981) – $389m
- Batman (Tim Burton, 1989) – $411m
- Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (Steven Spielberg, 1989) – $474m
- Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi (Richard Marquand, 1983) – $475m
- Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back (Irvin Kershner, 1980) – $538m
- E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (Steven Spielberg, 1982) – $792m
