Domestic Box Office For September 1988
Limited releases are those released in fewer than 600 theaters.
| Rank | Release | Gross | Max Th | Opening | % of Total | Open Th | Open | Close | Distributor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gorillas in the Mist | $24,720,479 | 1,085 | $366,925 | 1.5% | 15 | Sep 23 | - | Universal Pictures |
| 2 | Punchline | $21,042,667 | 917 | $160,742 | 0.8% | 4 | Sep 30 | - | Columbia Pictures |
| 3 | Eight Men Out | $5,680,515 | 349 | $1,129,491 | 19.9% | 147 | Sep 2 | - | Orion Pictures |
| 4 | Sweet Hearts Dance | $3,790,493 | 246 | $1,116,902 | 29.5% | 246 | Sep 23 | - | TriStar Pictures |
| 5 | Tougher Than Leather | $3,582,760 | 130 | $748,193 | 20.9% | 130 | Sep 16 | - | New Line Cinema |
| 6 | Messenger of Death | $3,074,681 | 450 | $1,035,279 | 33.7% | 450 | Sep 16 | - | Cannon Film Distributors |
| 7 | Running on Empty | $2,835,116 | 238 | $215,157 | 7.6% | 22 | Sep 9 | - | Warner Bros. |
| 8 | Bird | $2,181,286 | 93 | $27,116 | 1.2% | 1 | Sep 30 | Feb 23 | Warner Bros. |
| 9 | Patty Hearst | $1,223,326 | 460 | $601,680 | 49.2% | 460 | Sep 23 | Nov 17 | Atlantic Releasing Corporation |
| 10 | Spellbinder | $657,446 | 326 | $657,446 | 100% | 326 | Sep 23 | - | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) |
| 11 | Track 29 | $429,028 | 13 | $19,304 | 4.5% | 2 | Sep 9 | - | Island Pictures |
| 12 | Some Girls | $401,421 | 23 | $11,704 | 2.9% | 2 | Sep 9 | - | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) |
| 13 | The Deceivers | $346,297 | 68 | $18,245 | 5.3% | 1 | Sep 2 | Oct 13 | Cinecom Pictures |
| 14 | Miles from Home | $188,964 | 32 | $72,872 | 38.6% | 32 | Sep 16 | - | Cinecom Pictures |
| 15 | Rocket Gibraltar | $187,349 | 5 | $60,523 | 32.3% | 5 | Sep 2 | - | Columbia Pictures |
| 16 | Seven Hours to Judgment | $177,820 | 73 | $66,352 | 37.3% | 73 | Sep 16 | - | Trans World Entertainment (TWE) |
| 17 | The Prince of Pennsylvania | $5,415 | 1 | $3,174 | 58.6% | 1 | Sep 16 | - | New Line Cinema |
