Highest-Grossing Movies of the 1980s
The 1980s weren't only fun. They were a decade of technological advancement. The home computer debuted, portable listening devices such as Walkmans and boomboxes became popular, and VCRs became as commonplace as TVs, making it possible to watch almost any movie, any time.
This tech boom brought advances in moviemaking. Fantasy and action scenes became more believable. Movie series such as "Star Wars," "Indiana Jones," "Rocky" and "Rambo" ruled the day. Comedies like "Back to the Future," "Beverly Hills Cop" and "Ghostbusters" turned into blockbuster franchises. And megastars were born with Sylvester Stallone, Harrison Ford, Eddie Murphy and Tom Cruise scoring huge hits at the box office.
There will never be another time like that, but the magic of Hollywood can recreate that spirit. These are the highest-grossing movies of the '80s.
50. Lethal Weapon
Release date: March 6, 1987
Director: Richard Donner
Starring: Mel Gibson, Danny Glover
Worldwide gross box office receipts: $120,207,127
Bottom line: Mel Gibson and Danny Glover play two cops thrown together to catch drug smugglers.
Martin Riggs (Gibson) is a former Green Beret who is suicidal after the death of his wife, and Roger Murtagh (Glover) is a 50-year-old police veteran. Despite their different approaches, the two find a way to work together and eventually become friends.
The film spent three weeks at number one and was nominated for an Oscar for Best Sound Mixing.
49. Good Morning, Vietnam
Release date: Dec. 25, 1987
Director: Barry Levinson
Starring: Robin Williams, Forest Whitaker
Worldwide gross box office receipts: $123,922,370
Bottom line: DJ Adrian Cronauer (played by Robin Williams) refuses to play by the rules when he is assigned to the U.S. Armed Services radio station in Vietnam.
Loosely based on a true story, Williams was given freedom to improvise Cronauer’s broadcasts, earning him a Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy and an Oscar nomination for Best Actor.
A critical success, the film was included in the American Film Institute’s 2000 list of the top 100 funniest films in American cinema.
48. Rocky III
Release date: May 28, 1982
Director: Sylvester Stallone
Starring: Sylvester Stallone, Talia Shire, Carl Weathers, Burt Young, Burgess Meredith, Mr. T
Worldwide gross box office receipts: $124,146,897
Bottom line: "Rocky III," the second of the franchise to be directed by Sylvester Stallone, continues the story of Rocky Balboa five years after winning the heavyweight championship.
Rocky is challenged by a young contender while unveiling a statue of himself at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. (The statue is still at the museum and has been a point of controversy over the years.)
The movie’s theme song, "Eye of the Tiger" by Survivor, was nominated for an Oscar and spent six weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and 25 weeks in the top 10, ending the year as the number 2 single.
47. First Blood
Release date: Oct. 22, 1982
Director: Ted Kotcheff
Starring: Sylvester Stallone, Richard Crenna, Brian Dennehy
Worldwide gross box office receipts: $125,212,904
Bottom line: In the first installment of the Rambo franchise, a veteran Green Beret (played by Sylvester Stallone) runs to the mountains from law enforcement and wages a one-man war against them.
The film had initial mixed reviews but did well at the box office, spawning a franchise of five movies.
The film was twice adapted for television, in 1990 and 2010.
46. Parenthood
Release date: Aug. 2, 1989
Director: Ron Howard
Starring: Steve Martin, Rick Moranis, Martha Plimpton, Keanu Reeves, Jason Robards, Mary Steenburgen, Dianne Wiest
Worldwide gross box office receipts: $126,297,830
Bottom line: Family drama and everyday challenges are exposed through a peek in the life of the Midwestern family the Buckmans.
The film was positively received and was nominated for two Academy Awards: Best Supporting Actress (Dianne Wiest) and Best Song, "I Love to See You Smile" by Randy Newman.
45. An Officer and a Gentleman
Release date: July 30, 1982
Director: Taylor Hackford
Starring: Richard Gere, Debra Winger, David Keith, Louis Gossett Jr.
Worldwide gross box office receipts: $129,795,554
Bottom line: Zack Mayo (played by Richard Gere) is a U.S. Navy Aviation Officer candidate newly enrolled at officer school. He falls in love with a "townie" (played by Debra Winger) and is pushed hard by Marine Corps Gunnery Sergeant Emil Foley (played by Louis Gossett Jr.).
Well received by critics, the film won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for Gossett (the first African-American to do so) and Best Original Song.
It also was nominated for Best Actress, Most Original Score, Best Film Editing and Best Original Screenplay.
44. Aliens
Release date: July 18, 1986
Director: James Cameron
Starring: Sigourney Weaver
Worldwide gross box office receipts: $131,060,248
Bottom line: In this sequel to the 1979 movie, "Alien," Ellen Ripley (played by Sigourney Weaver) is rescued after 57 years in hypersleep in an escape shuttle. When things at the colony seem awry, she is sent back to investigate.
The movie spent four weeks at number one and was one of the highest-grossing rated R movies to that date. It was nominated for seven Academy Awards, including Best Actress and won two: Sound Effects Editing and Visual Effects.
It also won eight Saturn Awards, the Hugo for Best Dramatic Presentation and was voted the "Greatest Film Sequel of All Time" by Empire magazine.
43. Black Rain
Release date: Sept. 22, 1989
Director: Ridley Scott
Starring: Michael Douglas, Andy Garcia, Ken Takakura, Kate Capshaw
Worldwide gross box office receipts: $134,212,055
Bottom line: Two New York City cops arrest a Yakuza member and escort him to Japan where they find themselves dragged into the Japanese underworld.
The movie received mixed reviews, but was a box office hit.
It was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Sound Mixing and Best Sound Editing.
42. Platoon
Release date: Dec. 19, 1986
Director: Oliver Stone
Starring: Tom Berenger, Willem Dafoe, Charlie Sheen
Worldwide gross box office receipts: $138,545,632
Bottom line: The first in a trilogy of films directed by Oliver Stone about the Vietnam War, this film tells the story of a young soldier confronted with the moral dilemmas and horrors of war.
Stone wrote the screenplay based on his own experiences in Vietnam. The movie was critically acclaimed and was nominated for eight Oscars, winning four: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Sound Mixing and Best Film Editing.
It also won the Golden Globe for Best Director, Best Drama and Best Supporting Actor (Tom Berenger).
41. Die Hard
Release date: July 15, 1988
Director: John McTiernan
Starring: Bruce Willis, Alan Rickman, Bonnie Bedelia
Worldwide gross box office receipts: $140,767,956
Bottom line: NYPD officer John McClane (played by Bruce Willis) works to save his wife and others taken hostage by German terrorists at the Nakatomi Plaza in Los Angeles.
An unlikely Christmas movie (the only apparent connection is that it takes place on Christmas Eve), the film has been immensely popular and was followed by four sequels.
Critical reviews were mixed, and despite a limited release, it finished its first weekend at number three.
40. Driving Miss Daisy
Release date: Dec. 15, 1989
Director: Bruce Beresford
Starring: Morgan Freeman, Jessica Tandy, Dan Aykroyd
Worldwide gross box office receipts: $145,793,296
Bottom line: Jessica Tandy and Morgan Freeman star in this movie that explores the relationship between Miss Daisy and her African-American chauffeur from 1948 to 1973.
It was well-liked by critics and received nine Academy Award nominations, winning four: Best Picture, Best Actress (Tandy), Best Makeup and Best Adapted Screenplay.
39. Gremlins
Release date: June 8, 1984
Director: Joe Dante
Starring: Zach Galligan, Phoebe Cates, Hoyt Axton
Worldwide gross box office receipts: $148,168,459
Bottom line: A boy receives a unique pet but breaks the three important care rules he was given, causing mischievous monsters to wreak havoc on his small town.
Though it was successful, both critically and at the box office, it was heavily criticized for its violence.
Largely due to complaints about this violence and that seen in "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom," the Motion Picture Association of America that year added a new rating: PG-13.
38. Big
Release date: June 3, 1988
Director: Penny Marshall
Starring: Tom Hanks, Elizabeth Perkins, Robert Loggia, John Heard
Worldwide gross box office receipts: $151,668,774
Bottom line: Twelve-year-old Josh is embarrassed at being too short for a carnival ride and makes a wish at an arcade game (which is mysteriously working despite being unplugged) to "be big." He is surprised the next morning when he wakes in the body of an adult.
Josh experiences challenges as a boy in a man’s body and seeks a way to return to his childhood.
The film received critical acclaim and was the first woman-directed feature film to gross over $100 million.
It received Oscar nominations for Best Actor and Best Original Screenplay
37. Licence to Kill
Release date: July 14, 1989
Director: John Glen
Starring: Timothy Dalton, Carey Lowell, Robert Davi, Talisa Soto, Benicio del Toro
Worldwide gross box office receipts: $156,167,015
Bottom line: In the 16th film in the series, James Bond (Timothy Dalton) goes against orders to seek vengeance against a drug lord.
The first 007 film to not use an Ian Fleming title, the plot does contain elements of two of Fleming’s stories.
It was the first Bond film to be completely shot outside of the U.K. and received generally positive reviews.
36. The War of the Roses
Release date: Dec. 8, 1989
Director: Danny DeVito
Starring: Michael Douglas, Kathleen Turner, Danny DeVito
Worldwide gross box office receipts: $160,188,546
Bottom line: A dark comedy, the movie was based on the novel by Warren Adler. A wealthy couple, the Roses (played by Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner) engage in a bitter and over-the-top divorce battle.
It took the number one spot on opening weekend, box office sales dropped slightly over the next two weeks, then it again reached first place on its fourth weekend.
It received positive critical reviews and was nominated for several awards, including the Golden Globes for Best Picture, Best Actor and Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy.
35. Born on the Fourth of July
Release date: Dec. 22, 1989
Director: Oliver Stone
Starring: Tom Cruise, Kyra Sedgwick, Raymond J. Barry, Jerry Levine, Frank Whaley, Willem Dafoe
Worldwide gross box office receipts: $161,001,698
Bottom line: The true story of Ron Kovic (played by Tom Cruise), a soldier who becomes paralyzed during the Vietnam War and becomes an anti-war, pro-human rights activist, the film covers 20 years of Kovic’s life.
Directed by Oliver Stone, it is the second in his trilogy of Vietnam War films, following the 1986 "Platoon."
It was praised by critics and was nominated for eight Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Actor and won for Best Director and Best Film Editing. It also won four Golden Globes.
34. Three Men and a Baby
Release date: Nov. 25, 1987
Director: Leonard Nimoy
Starring: Steve Guttenberg, Ted Danson, Tom Selleck
Worldwide gross box office receipts: $167,780,960
Bottom line: Three bachelors quickly learn what’s involved in taking care of a baby when one arrives (literally) on their doorstep.
Almost immediately, miscommunications cause confusion as a drug deal goes wrong, and the men work to protect the baby they have fallen in love with.
A remake of the French comedy "Trois hommes et un couffin," the film was a critical and box office success. It was the first Disney film to gross over $100 million domestically and was the highest-grossing movie in 1987.
33. Cocktail
Release date: July 29, 1988
Director: Roger Donaldson
Starring: Tom Cruise, Elisabeth Shue, Bryan Brown
Worldwide gross box office receipts: $171,504,781
Bottom line: Tom Cruise plays a New York City bartender with a special flair when it comes to mixing drinks, but struggles to make good decisions in relationships.
Though the reviews were generally negative (it won the Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Picture and Worst Screenplay), the movie was a box office hit, earning almost nine times its $20 million budget.
32. Tootsie
Release date: Dec. 17, 1982
Director: Sydney Pollack
Starring: Dustin Hoffman, Jessica Lange, Teri Garr, Dabney Coleman, Charles Durning
Worldwide gross box office receipts: $177,200,000
Bottom line: Actor Michael Dorsey (played by Dustin Hoffman) dresses as a woman to land a role in a soap opera and, in doing so, complicates his personal life.
The movie was met with critical praise and was the second-highest-grossing film for 1982.
It was nominated for 10 Academy Awards and won for Best Supporting Actress (Jessica Lange).
31. The Little Mermaid
Release date: Nov. 17, 1989
Director: Ron Clements and John Musker
Starring: Jodi Benson, Christopher Daniel Barnes, Kenneth Mars, Pat Carroll, Buddy Hackett
Worldwide gross box office receipts: $184,155,863
Bottom line: This Disney animated feature retells Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale of a mermaid who wants to be human. In this retelling, a mermaid princess makes a deal with Ursula, the evil sea witch to win a human prince’s love.
The movie won two Oscars: Best Original Score and Best Original Song, "Under the Sea." On its initial run, "The Little Mermaid" was the highest-grossing animated fil,m and it rejuvenated Disney’s animation production business.
It also spawned a successful stage adaptation and a live-on-TV presentation.
30. Rambo III
Release date: May 25, 1988
Director: Peter MacDonald
Starring: Sylvester Stallone, Richard Crenna
Worldwide gross box office receipts: $189,015,611
Bottom line: Rambo is on another mission, this time to save his friend Col. Trautman from Soviet forces in Afghanistan.
At the time, it was the most expensive film ever made and is the second-most successful film of the franchise.
Reviews went from mixed to negative, and it made the 1990 Guinness Book of World Records for being the most violent film ever made.
Nominated for 5 Razzies, it was awarded only one: Worst Actor (Stallone).
29. Dirty Dancing
Release date: Aug. 21, 1987
Director: Emile Ardolino
Starring: Patrick Swayze, Jennifer Grey, Jerry Orbach, Cynthia Rhodes
Worldwide gross box office receipts: $213,446,382
Bottom line: Frances "Baby" Houseman (played by Jennifer Grey) falls in love with dance instructor Johnny Castle (Patrick Swayze) at the Catskills resort where her family spends their summers.
The film premiered at the 1987 Cannes Film Festival in May and had positive to mixed critical reviews. It not only had box office success, but also crept into the culture, spawning a "new" style of dance and the phrase, "Nobody puts Baby in a corner."
The film won both the Golden Globe and Academy Award for Best Original Song, "(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life" recorded by Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes. The song also won the Grammy Award for Best Duet.
28. Ghostbusters II
Release date: June 16, 1989
Director: Ivan Reitman
Starring: Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Sigourney Weaver, Harold Ramis, Rick Moranis, Ernie Hudson, Annie Potts
Worldwide gross box office receipts: $215,394,738
Bottom line: Set five years after the original "Ghostbusters," the company has gone bust after a lawsuit. New spectral activity and the discovery of a river of ectoplasm allow the professors (played by Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis and Bill Murray) to revive their business and work to save the world.
The movie had mostly negative reviews. The general consensus was that it lacked originality. It was the number one film opening weekend, breaking the all-time record for a one-day opening, but steadily slipped, leaving the top 10 by its seventh week.
27. Twins
Release date: Dec. 9, 1988
Director: Ivan Reitman
Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Danny DeVito, Kelly Preston, Chloe Webb, Bonnie Bartlett, Tony Jay
Worldwide gross box office receipts: $216,614,388
Bottom line:Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito play twins who couldn’t be more unalike.
Separated at birth as part of a secret experiment, they reunite at age 35 after Julius (Schwarzenegger) is told he has a brother and goes searching for him.
The movie received mixed reviews and was the number one release its first weekend.
26. Honey, I Shrunk the Kids
Release date: June 23, 1989
Director: Joe Johnston
Starring: Rick Moranis, Matt Frewer, Marcia Strassman, Kristine Sutherland
Worldwide gross box office receipts: $222,724,172
Bottom line: A scientist accidentally shrinks his kids and their friends. The insect-sized teens have to find a way to avoid dangers as he searches for them.
An unexpected success, the film became the highest-grossing live-action Disney film and held this record for five years.
Both critics and audiences enjoyed the movie, and it was nominated for several awards. The film also spawned two successful sequels.
25. Out of Africa
Release date: Dec. 20, 1985
Director: Sydney Pollack
Starring: Robert Redford, Meryl Streep, Klaus Maria Brandauer
Worldwide gross box office receipts: $227,514,205
Bottom line: A Danish baroness and plantation owner (Meryl Streep) has an affair with a big game hunter (Robert Redford) in 20th century colonial Kenya.
Based loosely on Isak Dinesen’s autobiography of the same name, the movie received mixed reviews.
It was nominated for11 Oscars and won seven, including Best Picture and Best Director. It also won Golden Globes for Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor (Klaus Maria Brandauer) and Best Score.
24. Lethal Weapon 2
Release date: July 7, 1989
Director: Richard Donner
Starring: Mel Gibson, Danny Glover, Joe Pesci, Patsy Kensit
Worldwide gross box office receipts: $227,853,986
Bottom line: Riggs and Murtaugh team up again two years after the original "Lethal Weapon."
This time, they are working to stop South African diplomats attempting to use their immunity to get away with committing crimes.
The film was the third-highest-grossing movie in North America in 1989.
23. Dead Poets Society
Release date: June 2, 1988
Director: Peter Weir
Starring: Robin Williams
Worldwide gross box office receipts: $235,860,116
Bottom line: Robin Williams plays John Keating, an English teacher who uses poetry to inspire his students at a fictional boarding school in Vermont.
The movie was met with critical praise and strong box office sales. It won multiple awards, including the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay.
It was also nominated for Best Actor, Best Picture and Best Director Awards for both the Golden Globe and Academy Awards.
22. Crocodile Dundee II
Release date: May 25, 1988
Director: John Cornell
Starring: Paul Hogan, Linda Kozlowski, John Meillon
Worldwide gross box office receipts: $239,606,210
Bottom line: The movie takes up the story of Mick Dundeee and Sue Charlton a year later in New York where they are living happily, until Sue is taken hostage.
Mick saves her and takes her back to Australia where he believes they will be safe, but they are followed.
Critical reviews were lukewarm, but the movie was the sixth-highest-grossing film in the U.S. in 1988.
21. Ghostbusters
Release date: June 8, 1984
Director: Ivan Reitman
Starring: Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Sigourney Weaver, Harold Ramis, Rick Moranis, Ernie Hudson
Worldwide gross box office receipts: $282,242,989
Bottom line: Three professors (played by Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis and Bill Murray) start a new business — as ghost removers.
The comedy was a critical and financial success. It was the number one film on its release weekend (the same weekend the hit "Gremlins" was released), the second-highest-grossing film of the year and the highest-grossing comedy up until that point.
At number one for seven weeks, it was one of only four movies that year to exceed $100 million in ticket sales.
20. Coming to America
Release date: June 29, 1988
Director: John Landis
Starring: Eddie Murphy, Arsenio Hall, James Earl Jones, John Amos, Madge Sinclair
Worldwide gross box office receipts: $288,752,301
Bottom line: A pampered African prince (played by Eddie Murphy) travels to Queens, New York, to seek out a woman worthy to become his bride.
The film received positive reviews and was an immediate box office success, debuting at number one.
It was nominated for two Oscars: Best Costume Design and Best Makeup.
19. Look Who's Talking
Release date: Oct. 13, 1989
Director: Amy Heckerling
Starring: John Travolta, Kirstie Alley, Olympia Dukakis, George Segal, Abe Vigoda, Bruce Willis
Worldwide gross box office receipts: $296,999,813
Bottom line: Kirstie Alley and John Travolta have top billing, but the star of this movie is baby Mikey (Bruce Willis), whose thoughts are heard only by the viewers.
Mollie (Alley) is an accountant having an affair with a married man and becomes pregnant. She goes into labor and takes a cab to the hospital. The cab driver (Travolta) comes back into her life, and a romance blossoms.
The film had mixed critical reviews, but was a surprise box office hit, remaining at number one in the U.S. with $10 million-plus gross sales for five weekends and also topping sales in the U.K. opening weekend.
18. Beverly Hills Cop II
Release date: May 20, 1987
Director: Tony Scott
Starring: Eddie Murphy, Judge Reinhold, Jürgen Prochnow, Ronny Cox, John Ashton, Brigitte Nielsen, Allen Garfield, Dean Stockwell, Paul Reiser
Worldwide gross box office receipts: $299,965,036
Bottom line: Axel Foley returns to Beverly Hills to help solve a series of "alphabet crimes." Though critical reviews were mixed, it did well at the box office, with opening weekend sales the highest to that date.
It received an Academy Award nomination and a Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song, "Shakedown" by Bob Seger and also received a Razzie for Worst Original Song: George Michael’s "I Want Your Sex."
17. Rambo: First Blood Part II
Release date: May 22, 1985
Director: George P. Cosmatos
Starring: Sylvester Stallone, Richard Crenna, Charles Napier
Worldwide gross box office receipts: $300,400,432
Bottom line: The second movie in the Rambo franchise, it takes place three years after the first film. Rambo returns to Vietnam to rescue American POWs by infiltrating an enemy basecamp.
The movie was the number one film the weekend of release and broke numerous international box office records.
It was nominated for an Oscar for Best Sound Editing and won several Razzie Awards, including Worst Picture, Worst Actor (Stallone) and Worst Screenplay (Stallone and James Cameron).
16. Rocky IV
Release date: Nov. 27, 1985
Director: Sylvester Stallone
Starring: Sylvester Stallone, Talia Shire, Burt Young, Carl Weathers, Brigitte Nielsen, Dolph Lundgren
Worldwide gross box office receipts: $300,473,716
Bottom line: World heavyweight boxing champ Rocky Balboa (played by Sylvester Stallone) takes on the Soviet-backed Drago, a six-foot-four, 260-pound machine, after Rocky's friend Apollo Creed is killed in the ring.
Though critical response was mixed, it was the most financially successful movie of the Rocky franchise and remained the highest-grossing sports movie for 24 years until "The Blind Side" was released.
15. Beverly Hills Cop
Release date: December 5, 1984
Director: Martin Brest
Starring: Eddie Murphy, Judge Reinhold, John Ashcroft, Ronny Cox
Worldwide gross box office receipts: $316,360,478
Bottom line: Eddie Murphy plays freewheeling Detroit cop Axel Foley, who is unofficially investigating the murder of his best friend in Beverly Hills.
The movie had critical and financial success. It spent 14 weeks in the number one spot and was the highest-grossing movie of the year.
14. Fatal Attraction
Release date: September 18, 1987
Director: Adrian Lyne
Starring: Michael Douglas, Glenn Close, Ann Archer
Worldwide gross box office receipts: $320,145,693
Bottom line: A married man (Michael Douglas) has what he thinks is a one-night stand, but his lover (Glenn Close) begins to stalk him and his family.
The film received six Academy Award nominations and was the highest-grossing movie of the year worldwide.
13. Crocodile Dundee
Release date: September 26, 1986
Director: Peter Faiman
Starring: Paul Hogan, Linda Kozlowski, Mark Blump, David Gulpilil, Michael Lombard, John Meillon
Worldwide gross box office receipts: $328,203,506
Bottom line: American journalist Sue Charlton (Linda Kozlowski) travels to the Australian outback to meet a crocodile poacher Mick Dundee (Paul Hogan) and brings him home to New York City where he causes a stir through his ignorance of the local customs.
Hogan’s character was inspired by Rod Ansell, an Australian rancher and hunter who famously survived 56 days in "the bush" with limited supplies.
It was the highest-grossing film of all time in Australia and the second-highest in the U.S. in 1986.
12. Who Framed Roger Rabbit
Release date: June 24, 1988
Director: Robert Zemeckis
Starring: Bob Hoskins, Christopher Lloyd, Joanna Cassidy, Charles Fleischer
Worldwide gross box office receipts: $329,803,958
Bottom line: Unusual in that it combined real-life and cartoon characters, this movie is set in a 1947 world where cartoons and people both inhabit the same space.
The cartoon Roger Rabbit is accused of murder and has to rely on a toon-hating private eye to prove his innocence.
The movie had both critical and financial success and won three Academy Awards: Best Film Editing, Best Sound Effects Editing and Best Visual Effects.
It also brought a new phrase into the lexicon: "I’m not bad. I’m just drawn that way."
11. Back to the Future Part II
Release date: Nov. 22, 1989
Director: Robert Zemeckis
Starring: Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, Thomas F. Wilson
Worldwide gross box office receipts: $331,950,002
Bottom line: In this second movie in the "Back to the Future" trilogy, Marty McFly travels forward, to 2015, and realizes he has to return to 1955 to restore the proper timeline after the DeLorean is stolen by arch-nemesis Biff Tannen and used for his own benefit.
The movie was the third-highest-grossing film in 1989 and had mixed critical reviews.
10. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
Release date: May 23, 1984
Director: Steven Spielberg
Starring: Harrison Ford, Kate Capshaw, Amrish Puri, Roshan Seth, Philip Stone, Ke Huy Quan
Worldwide gross box office receipts: $333,107,271
Bottom line: The second story featuring Harrison Ford’s Indiana Jones (which takes place in 1935, a year before the first) has Indy searching for a mystical stone in India, which at the time was still part of the British Empire.
During his quest, he encounters a secret cult that engages in enslavement and human sacrifice.
Though the film was financially successful, reviews were mixed, largely due to its dark tone and gory scenes.
Two months later, the Motional Picture Association of America created the PG-13 rating.
9. Top Gun
Release date: May 16, 1986
Director: Tony Scott
Starring: Tom Cruise, Kelly McGillis, Val Kilmer, Anthony Edward, Tom Skerritt
Worldwide gross box office receipts: $353,811,728
Bottom line: Tom Cruise plays Maverick, a hotshot young pilot who knows he is at the top of his class at the U.S. Navy’s elite fighter jet school. While he is talented, he is seen as reckless, which affects his relationships and his career.
Adding to the film’s budget by contracting actual Navy planes and completing some filming aboard a U.S. aircraft carrier seems to have paid off. The film received several award nominations and won an Oscar and Golden Globe award for Best Original Song, "Take My Breath Away" by Berlin.
8. Raiders of the Lost Ark
Release date: June 12, 1981
Director: Steven Spielberg
Starring: Harrison Ford, Karen Allen, Denholm Elliott
Worldwide gross box office receipts: $353,988,025
Bottom line: Archaeologist Indiana Jones (played by Harrison Ford) is sent by the U.S. government in 1936 to find the Ark of the Covenant before the Nazis can find it and misuse its power.
The movie was the highest-grossing movie of 1981 and received eight Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture.
It won for Best Art Direction, Film Editing, Sound, and Visual Effects as well as a Special Achievement Award for Sound Effects Editing (five awards in total).
7. Rain Man
Release date: Dec. 16, 1988
Director: Barry Levinson
Starring: Tom Cruise, Dustin Hoffman, Valeria Golino
Worldwide gross box office receipts: $354,825,435
Bottom line: Self-absorbed Charlie Babbitt (played by Tom Cruise) learns his father died and left the bulk of his multimillion-dollar estate to Charlie’s savant brother, Raymond (played by Dustin Hoffman), whom he had not previously known existed.
The brothers learn more about each other as they travel across the country.
The movie was the highest-grossing film of the year and was nominated for eight Oscars, winning four: Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay, Best Director and Best Actor in a Leading Role (Hoffman).
6. Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi
Release date: May 25, 1983
Director: Richard Marquand
Starring: Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, David Prowse, Anthony Daniels, Kenny Baker, Peter Mayhew, Billy Dee Williams
Worldwide gross box office receipts: $374,593,074
Bottom line: In this third-produced movie in the "Star Wars" saga, the Rebels rescue Han Solo and seek to destroy the second Death Star while Luke tries to help bring Darth Vader back from the dark side.
The movie was the highest-grossing film of its year and received mostly positive reviews.
5. Back to the Future
Release date: July 3, 1985
Director: Robert Zemeckis
Starring: Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, Crispin Glover
Worldwide gross box office receipts: $381,109,762
Bottom line: Michael J. Fox plays Marty McFly, a high school student who is accidentally sent back to his parents’ high school years by his friend, the eccentric Doc Brown, who has created a time-traveling machine from a DeLorean.
When Marty realizes his arrival has altered the future (his present), he has to fix things to ensure his own survival.
The movie was the highest-grossing film of 1985 and was nominated for multiple awards, winning the Hugo for Best Dramatic Production, the Saturn for Best Science Fiction Film and the Oscar for Best Sound Effects Editing.
4. Batman
Release date: June 23, 1989
Director: Tim Burton
Starring: Michael Keaton, Jack Nicholson, Kim Basinger, Robert Wuhl, Jack Palance
Worldwide gross box office receipts: $411,348,924
Bottom line: The Dark Knight (played by Michael Keaton) begins his crime-fighting career in Gotham City by taking on the Joker (played by Jack Nicholson).
The film was both a financial and critical success and proved that Michael Keaton was more than a comedic actor.
At the time, it was the fifth-highest-grossing movie in history and was nominated for several awards, winning an Oscar for Best Art Direction.
3. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
Release date: May 24, 1989
Director: Steven Spielberg
Starring: Harrison Ford, Denholm Elliott, Sean Connery
Worldwide gross box office receipts: $474,171,806
Bottom line: The third film about Indiana Jones, this was the first to be rated PG-13 (the rating did not exist when the first two were released).
When his father goes missing searching for the Holy Grail in 1938, Indiana Jones once again has to stop the Nazis from securing a powerful artifact.
The movie won the Oscar for Best Sound Effects Editing.
2. Star Wars Episode V — The Empire Strikes Back
Release date: May 21, 1980
Director: Irvin Kershner
Starring: Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, David Prowse, Anthony Daniels, Kenny Baker, Peter Mayhew, Billy Dee Williams
Worldwide gross box office receipts: $400,083,259
Bottom line: The follow-up to the 1977 hit "Star Wars," "The Empire Strikes Back" was the second film produced in the epic space saga.
Set three years after the first film (or fourth, depending on your perspective), Luke Skywalker begins his Jedi training with Yoda while Darth Vader and bounty hunter Boba Fett chase his friends around the galaxy.
One of the most expensive films ever made to date, it became the highest-grossing movie of 1980.
1. E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial
Release date: June 11, 1982
Director: Steven Spielberg
Starring: Dee Wallace, Peter Coyote, Henry Thomas, Drew Barrymore
Worldwide gross box office receipts: $663,400,925
Bottom line: In this family film, a boy named Elliot comes across an extraterrestrial (E.T.) who was accidentally left behind on Earth.
Elliot and his siblings try to help him get home and have to keep E.T. hidden from their parents and authorities as they work out a plan.
A huge box office hit, E.T. quickly became the highest-grossing film of all time, a record it held until "Jurassic Park" was released in 1993.
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