What was the best-selling movie of the 1980s?
A good thing can only last for so long. After the New Hollywood boom of the late 1960s and the 1970s, which saw filmmakers take back creative control by injecting their movies with more experimentalism, the 1980s welcomed a dark time for mainstream cinema.
Well, that opinion depends on how much of a fan of epic blockbusters you are, but the decade welcomed back the dominance of the studio system while also marking the dawn of the mega franchise era, resulting in a decline in gritty, character-driven films.
We saw the rise of filmmakers like James Cameron, George Lucas, and Steven Spielberg, who only continued to make movies of bigger scope and bigger budgets as the decade continued. The trend towards sci-fi movies and huge blockbusters, especially those that fell into the action genre, was established in the previous decade, with the likes of Star Wars, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Rocky, and Dirty Harry.
However, the 1980s was a mixed bag, with incredibly popular franchises coming to the fore, like Indiana Jones, Star Wars, Robocop, Die Hard and even horror series like A Nightmare on Elm Street and Friday the 13th, suggesting that there was plenty of potential in creating long-running cinematic worlds that would encourage viewers to return with each release. The flashier and more commercially appealing the film, the better.
As a result, the ‘80s was a bit of a warzone, full of movies that were desperately trying to catch the attention of viewers in the hopes of becoming financially successful, with some distinctly more successful than others. There were huge hits like Back to the Future and Top Gun, both of which had widespread appeal and acted like a time capsule of the era, reflecting a period when the same movie could truly captivate a child as much as an adult.
While Hollywood wanted to sell sentimental stories or ones that inspired nostalgia, like The Goonies or even The Breakfast Club, what was the highest-grossing movie of the whole decade?
What was the best-selling movie of the 1980s?
It might not come as a surprise to discover that the best-selling movie of the 1980s came from the mind of Steven Spielberg. The filmmaker just seems to know what it is that audiences want, and he has rarely failed to produce a popular hit. It was his second release of the decade, coming after Raiders of the Lost Ark, which allowed him to rule over Hollywood: ET the Extra-Terrestrial.
The movie grossed a whopping $792million, making it the biggest movie of the decade. Years later, it is still highly beloved by viewers, held dearly as a nostalgic classic that champions the idea of friendship and connection. The magic of the film has resonated with many viewers, young and old, and that wonder of being a child can be felt through every scene, especially when little Elliott first befriends the mysterious alien.
Inspired by Spielberg’s own experience of his parents’ divorce, which left him feeling isolated and alienated, the film is perhaps his most personal, and it’s no surprise that it subsequently captured the attention of countless viewers across the world with its tender approach to bringing a child out of their shell.
It became an international sensation, although it was overtaken by Jurassic Park as Spielberg’s most successful movie in 1993, a film that has since grossed over $1billion.
