Most Popular Movies 1980
This chart shows the 1980 movie releases that have attracted the most interest on The Numbers web site over the past 24 hours. A share of 100 corresponds to 1 percent of the total views for all 1980 releases.
See also: Domestic Release Schedule for 1980 - Top 1980 Worldwide
| ← 1979 | Most Popular Overall | 1981 → |
1
| The Blues Brothers |
| Director: John Landis |
| Lead Roles: John Belushi as Joliet Jake , Dan Aykroyd as Elwood |
| Initial Theatrical Release: June 20, 1980 (Wide) by Universal |
| Keywords: Life on the Outside, Car Chase, Neo Nazis, Saturday Night Live, Action Comedy, Fugitive / On the Run, Musicians, Monks and Nuns |
| Classification: Based on TV, Comedy, Live Action, Contemporary Fiction |
|
Domestic BO: $57,229,890 |
|
International BO: $15,389 |
2
| Cruising |
| Director: William Friedkin |
| Lead Roles: Al Pacino as Steve Burns |
| Initial Theatrical Release: January 1, 1980 (Wide) by United Artists |
| Keywords: Film Noir, Serial Killer, Set in New York, Set in New York City, NYPD, Police Detective, Undercover, Sexual Fetishism, LGBTQ+, Police Brutality, Erotic Thriller |
| Classification: Based on Fiction Book/Short Story, Thriller/Suspense, Live Action, Contemporary Fiction |
|
Domestic BO: $19,784,223 |
3
| Airplane! |
| Director: David Zucker, Jerry Zucker, Jim Abrahams |
| Lead Roles: Robert Hays as Ted Striker, Julie Hagerty as Elaine Dickinson |
| Initial Theatrical Release: July 4, 1980 (Wide) by Paramount Pictures |
| Keywords: Spoof, Travel Industry, Epilogue, Disaster, In a Plane, Religious, Terminal Illness, War, Relationships Gone Wrong, Food, Non-Chronological, Breaking the Fourth Wall, Addiction, Mental Illness, Invented Language, Directing Yourself, Voiceover/Narration, Flight Attendant |
| Classification: Original Screenplay, Comedy, Live Action, Contemporary Fiction |
|
Domestic BO: $83,453,539 |
|
International BO: $768 |
4
| Caligula |
| Director: Tinto Brass, Giancarlo Lui, Bob Guccione |
| Initial Theatrical Release: February, 1980 (Wide) by Analysis |
| Keywords: Historical Drama, Dysfunctional Family, Ancient Rome, Incest, Government Corruption, Political Assassination, Death of a Sibling, Development Hell, Famously Bad |
| Classification: Based on Real Life Events, Drama, Live Action, Historical Fiction |
|
Domestic BO: $23,400,000 |
5
| Star Wars Ep. V: The Empire Strikes Back |
| Director: Irvin Kershner |
| Lead Roles: Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker, Harrison Ford as Hans Solo, Carrie Fisher as Princess Leia Organa |
| Initial Theatrical Release: May 20, 1980 (Wide) (United Kingdom) |
| Keywords: Visual Effects, Heroic Adventure, Fugitive / On the Run, Good vs. Evil, Rebellion, Mentor, Friendly Ghost |
| Classification: Original Screenplay, Adventure, Live Action, Science Fiction |
|
Domestic BO: $291,738,960 |
|
International BO: $257,262,126 |
6
| Oh, God! Book II |
| Director: Gilbert Cates |
| Initial Theatrical Release: October 3, 1980 (Wide) by Warner Bros. |
| Keywords: Religious, Farcical / Slapstick Comedy, Gods and Goddesses |
| Classification: Based on Fiction Book/Short Story, Comedy, Live Action, Fantasy |
|
Domestic BO: $14,504,277 |
7
| The Final Countdown |
| Director: Don Taylor |
| Lead Roles: Kirk Douglas as Capt. Matthew Yelland, Martin Sheen as Warren Lasky, James Farentino as Commodore Richard Owens |
| Initial Theatrical Release: 1980 (Wide) by United Artists |
| Keywords: Time Travel, Action Adventure, 1940s, World War II, On a Boat, Ensemble, Cult Movie |
| Classification: Original Screenplay, Action, Live Action, Science Fiction |
|
Domestic BO: $16,647,800 |
|
International BO: $40,000,000 |
8
| Raging Bull |
| Director: Martin Scorsese |
| Lead Roles: Robert De Niro as Jake La Motta |
| Initial Theatrical Release: November 14, 1980 (Wide) by United Artists |
| Keywords: Biography, Boxing, Film Noir, Throwing a Fight / Match, Sports Drama, Prologue, Non-Chronological, 1960s, 1940s, Underdog, 1950s, 1981 Oscars Best Picture Nominee |
| Classification: Based on Real Life Events, Drama, Live Action, Dramatization |
|
Domestic BO: $23,380,203 |
|
International BO: $37,446 |
9
| The Changeling |
| Director: Peter Medak |
| Initial Theatrical Release: 1980 (Wide) by Associated Film Distributors |
| Keywords: Supernatural, Psychological Horror, Death of a Spouse or Fiancée / Fiancé, Death of a Son or Daughter, Dysfunctional Family, Familial Murder, False Identity, Politicians, Surprise Twist, Haunting, Haunted House, Séance |
| Classification: Original Screenplay, Horror, Live Action, Fantasy |
|
Domestic BO: $12,000,000 |
|
International BO: $147 |
10
| Caddyshack |
| Director: Harold Ramis |
| Lead Roles: Chevy Chase as Ty Webb |
| Initial Theatrical Release: July 25, 1980 (Wide) by Warner Bros. |
| Keywords: Golf, Slobs vs. Snobs, Class Warfare, Farcical / Slapstick Comedy, Inspired by a True Story, Autobiographical, Ensemble |
| Classification: Original Screenplay, Comedy, Live Action, Contemporary Fiction |
|
Domestic BO: $39,846,344 |
|
International BO: $3,420 |
11
| The Long Riders |
| Director: Walter Hill |
| Initial Theatrical Release: May 16, 1980 (Wide) by United Artists |
| Keywords: Screenplay Written By the Star, Revisionist Western, Family Affair, Relatives Playing Relatives |
| Classification: Original Screenplay, Western, Live Action, Historical Fiction |
|
Domestic BO: $15,198,912 |
12
| The Shining |
| Director: Stanley Kubrick |
| Lead Roles: Jack Nicholson as Jack Torrance |
| Initial Theatrical Release: May 23, 1980 (Wide) by Warner Bros. |
| Keywords: Writing and Writers, Writer's Block, Haunting, Domestic Abuse, Addiction, Dysfunctional Family, Psychological Horror |
| Classification: Based on Fiction Book/Short Story, Horror, Live Action, Fantasy |
|
Domestic BO: $45,052,898 |
|
International BO: $1,170,539 |
13
| Just Tell Me What You Want |
| Director: Sidney Lumet |
| Initial Theatrical Release: February 8, 1980 (Wide) by Warner Bros. |
| Keywords: Romance |
| Classification: Based on Fiction Book/Short Story, Romantic Comedy, Live Action, Contemporary Fiction |
|
Domestic BO: $2,086,905 |
14
| Ordinary People |
| Director: Robert Redford |
| Initial Theatrical Release: September 19, 1980 (Wide) by Paramount Pictures |
| Keywords: Dysfunctional Family, Oscars Best Picture Winner, Life Drama, 1981 Oscars Best Picture Nominee |
| Classification: Based on Fiction Book/Short Story, Drama, Live Action, Contemporary Fiction |
|
Domestic BO: $52,302,978 |
15
| Xanadu |
| Director: Robert Greenwald |
| Lead Roles: Olivia Newton-John as Kira, Gene Kelly as Danny McGuire, Michael Beck as Sonny Malone |
| Initial Theatrical Release: August 8, 1980 (Wide) by Universal |
| Keywords: Artists, Musicians, Music Industry, Animated Sequences, Romance, Cult Movie, Non-Chronological, Same Actor, Multiple Roles, Gods and Goddesses, Big Band, Disco, Roller Skating, Famously Bad, Epic Musical |
| Classification: Original Screenplay, Musical, Live Action, Fantasy |
|
Domestic BO: $22,762,571 |
|
International BO: $40 |
16
| Somewhere in Time |
| Director: Jeannot Szwarc |
| Initial Theatrical Release: October 3, 1980 (Wide) by Universal |
| Keywords: Time Travel, Romantic Drama, Writing and Writers, Romance, Writer's Block, Set in Chicago, Novel or Other Work Adapted by Author |
| Classification: Based on Fiction Book/Short Story, Drama, Live Action, Fantasy |
|
Domestic BO: $9,709,597 |
18
| Stir Crazy |
| Director: Sidney Poitier |
| Lead Roles: Gene Wilder as Skip Donahue, Richard Pryor as Harry Monroe |
| Initial Theatrical Release: December 12, 1980 (Wide) by Columbia |
| Keywords: Prison, African Americans |
| Classification: Original Screenplay, Comedy, Live Action, Contemporary Fiction |
|
Domestic BO: $101,300,000 |
19
| Maniac |
| Director: William Lustig |
| Lead Roles: Joe Spinell as Frank Zito, Caroline Munro as Anna |
| Initial Theatrical Release: 1980 (Wide) by Analysis |
| Keywords: Slasher Horror, Child Abuse, Serial Killer, Hallucinations, Prostitution, Romance, Relationships Gone Wrong, Dysfunctional Family, Cult Movie |
| Classification: Original Screenplay, Horror, Live Action, Contemporary Fiction |
|
Domestic BO: $10,000,000 |
20
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| Battle Beyond the Stars |
| Director: Jimmy T. Murakami |
| Lead Roles: Richard Thomas as Shad, Robert Vaughn as Gelt, John Saxon as Sador, George Peppard as Cowboy, Darlanne Fluegel as Nanelia, Sybil Danning as Saint-Exmin |
| Initial Theatrical Release: August 10, 1980 (Limited) by New World |
| Classification: Original Screenplay, Action, Live Action, Science Fiction |
21
| Hangar 18 |
| Initial Theatrical Release: 1980 (Wide) by Sunn Classics Pictures |
|
Domestic BO: $11,000,000 |
22
| Silent Scream |
| Director: Denny Harris |
| Lead Roles: Barbara Steele |
| Initial Theatrical Release: January 18, 1980 (Limited) by American Cinema Releasing |
| Classification: Original Screenplay, Horror, Live Action, Contemporary Fiction |
23
| Windwalker |
| Initial Theatrical Release: 1980 (Wide) by Pacific International |
|
Domestic BO: $18,000,000 |
24
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| The Blue Lagoon |
| Director: Randal Kleiser |
| Initial Theatrical Release: June 20, 1980 (Wide) by Universal |
| Keywords: Survival Drama, Romance, Coming of Age, Marooned |
| Classification: Based on Fiction Book/Short Story, Drama, Live Action, Historical Fiction |
|
Domestic BO: $47,923,795 |
25
| Carny |
| Lead Roles: Jodie Foster as Donna |
| Initial Theatrical Release: May 23, 1980 (Wide) by United Artists |
| Classification: Original Screenplay, Drama, Live Action, Contemporary Fiction |
|
Domestic BO: $1,817,720 |