Domestic Box Office For 1981

RankRelease GrossMax ThOpening% of Total Open ThOpenCloseDistributor
1Raiders of the Lost Ark$212,222,0251,078$8,305,8233.9%1,078Jun 12Mar 18Paramount Pictures
2On Golden Pond$119,285,4321,015$89,213<0.1%2Dec 4-Universal Pictures
3Superman II$108,185,7061,878$14,100,52313%1,397Jun 19-Warner Bros.
4Arthur$95,461,682701$2,719,5342.8%701Jul 17-Warner Bros.
5Stripes$85,297,0001,074$6,130,1977.2%1,074Jun 26-Columbia Pictures
6The Cannonball Run$72,179,5791,692$11,765,65416.3%1,673Jun 19-Twentieth Century Fox
7Chariots of Fire$58,972,904810$68,9070.1%3Sep 25-Columbia Pictures
8For Your Eyes Only$54,812,802952$6,834,96712.5%952Jun 26-Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
9The Four Seasons$50,427,646623$4,365,6438.7%623May 22-Universal Pictures
10Time Bandits$42,365,581821$6,507,35615.4%821Nov 6-Embassy Pictures
11Clash of the Titans$41,092,328----Jun 12-Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
12Absence of Malice$40,716,963994$97,6670.2%2Nov 20-Columbia Pictures
13Reds$40,382,659644$2,325,0295.8%396Dec 4-Paramount Pictures
14The Fox and the Hound$39,900,000----Jul 10-Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
15Tarzan the Ape Man$36,565,280----Jul 24-Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
16Taps$35,856,053792$93,0050.3%3Dec 9-Twentieth Century Fox
17Sharky's Machine$35,610,1001,388$3,022,0418.5%1,388Dec 18-Warner Bros.
18Excalibur$34,967,437692$4,519,70612.9%692Apr 10-Warner Bros.
19History of the World: Part I$31,672,907484$4,792,73115.1%484Jun 12-Twentieth Century Fox
20Bustin' Loose$31,261,269828$6,622,75321.2%828May 22-Universal Pictures
21The Great Muppet Caper$31,206,25173$2,968,9909.5%73Jun 26-Universal Pictures
22Endless Love$31,184,024574$4,163,62313.4%574Jul 17-Universal Pictures
23An American Werewolf in London$30,565,292870$3,786,51212.4%870Aug 21-Universal Pictures
24Neighbors$29,916,2071,387$6,481,38621.7%1,387Dec 18-Columbia Pictures
25Fort Apache the Bronx$29,200,000----Feb 6-Twentieth Century Fox
26Cinderella
1981 Re-release
$28,040,0001,050$1,300,0004.6%560Dec 18-Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
27The French Lieutenant's Woman$26,890,068----Sep 18-Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
28Private Lessons$26,279,000224---Aug 28--
29Modern Problems$26,154,2111,119--1,111Dec 25-Twentieth Century Fox
30Halloween II$25,533,8181,211$7,446,50829.2%1,211Oct 30-Universal Pictures
31Only When I Laugh$25,524,778----Sep 23-Columbia Pictures
32Escape from New York$25,244,626----Jul 10-Embassy Pictures
33Body Heat$24,058,83834$564,5932.3%34Aug 28-Warner Bros.
34Ghost Story$23,371,905600$2,105,7299%548Dec 16-Universal Pictures
35Friday the 13th: Part 2$21,722,7761,350$6,429,78429.6%1,350Apr 30-Paramount Pictures
36The Final Conflict$20,471,382918$5,571,67527.2%918Mar 20-Twentieth Century Fox
37The Incredible Shrinking Woman$20,259,961789$4,279,26421.1%789Jan 30-Universal Pictures
38Mommie Dearest$19,032,261----Sep 18-Paramount Pictures
39Paternity$18,838,812----Oct 2-Paramount Pictures
40Under the Rainbow$18,826,490488$2,297,49312.2%488Jul 31-Warner Bros.
41The Howling$17,985,893----Apr 10-Embassy Pictures
42Eye of the Needle$17,583,634----Jul 24-Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
43Take This Job and Shove It$17,569,027----May 15-Embassy Pictures
44Outland$17,374,595331$3,059,63817.6%331May 22-Warner Bros.
45The Devil and Max Devlin$16,000,000----Feb 6-Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
46Caveman$15,965,924----Apr 17-Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
47Continental Divide$15,578,237864$3,218,34720.7%864Sep 18-Universal Pictures
48The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia$14,923,752----Aug 7-AVCO Embassy Pictures
49Ragtime$14,920,781447$151,3511%5Nov 20-Paramount Pictures
50Nighthawks$14,905,359659$2,525,36016.9%659Apr 10-Universal Pictures
51S.O.B.$14,867,086----Jul 1-Paramount Pictures
52Rich and Famous$14,492,125----Oct 9-Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
53Scanners$14,225,876----Jan 14-Embassy Pictures
54Dragonslayer$14,110,013868$2,407,93917.1%868Jun 26-Paramount Pictures
55True Confessions$12,850,276----Sep 25-Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
56Atlantic City$12,729,675----Apr 3-Paramount Pictures
57The Legend of the Lone Ranger$12,617,8451,018$2,945,60023.3%1,018May 22-Universal Pictures
58First Monday in October$12,480,249----Aug 21-Paramount Pictures
59The Postman Always Rings Twice$12,376,625----Mar 20-Paramount Pictures
60Blow Out$12,000,000----Jul 24--
61Back Roads$11,809,387805$3,046,33925.8%805Mar 13-Warner Bros.
62Thief$11,492,915----Mar 27-Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
63Victory$10,853,418----Jul 31-Paramount Pictures
64Rollover$10,851,261755$2,260,68920.8%755Dec 11-Warner Bros.
65Wolfen$10,626,725967$3,037,91128.6%967Jul 24-Warner Bros.
66Carbon Copy$9,566,593----Sep 25-Embassy Pictures
67Pennies from Heaven$9,171,289315---Dec 11-Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
68Deadly Blessing$8,279,042----Aug 14-Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
69Whose Life Is It Anyway?$8,206,145615---Dec 2-Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
70Prince of the City$8,124,2573$64,7130.8%3Aug 19-Warner Bros.
71The Funhouse$7,886,857814$2,765,45635.1%814Mar 13-Universal Pictures
72Buddy Buddy$7,258,543248---Dec 11-Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
73La Cage aux Folles II$6,950,125----Feb 15-Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
74...All the Marbles$6,468,195----Oct 16-Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
75Eyewitness$6,400,000----Feb 13-Twentieth Century Fox
76Gallipoli$5,732,587----Aug 28-Paramount Pictures
77My Bloody Valentine$5,672,031----Feb 11-Paramount Pictures
78Going Ape!$5,504,218----Apr 10-Paramount Pictures
79The Dogs of War$5,484,132----Feb 13-Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
80Student Bodies$5,165,432628$1,582,14830.6%628Aug 7-Paramount Pictures
81The Watcher in the Woods$5,000,000----Oct 7-Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
82All Night Long$4,454,295362$1,392,85231.3%362Mar 6-Universal Pictures
83The Pursuit of D.B. Cooper$3,702,028867$1,214,76732.8%867Nov 13-Universal Pictures
84Zoot Suit$3,256,08257$63,3561.9%57Oct 2-Universal Pictures
85The Fan$3,082,096----May 15-Paramount Pictures
86The Last Metro$3,007,436----Feb 13-Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
87Gas$2,869,425----Jul 23-Paramount Pictures
88Modern Romance$2,863,6421$18,2250.6%1Mar 13-Columbia Pictures
89The Hand$2,447,576183$566,73623.2%183Apr 24-Warner Bros.
90Heartbeeps$2,154,696493$407,46418.9%493Dec 18-Universal Pictures
91This Is Elvis$2,028,612309$429,14621.2%309Apr 10-Warner Bros.
92Sphinx$2,022,771214$439,56421.7%214Feb 13-Warner Bros.
93Honky Tonk Freeway$2,004,742629$939,42346.9%629Aug 21-Universal Pictures
94Raggedy Man$1,976,198199$287,08114.5%199Sep 18-Universal Pictures
95King of the Mountain$1,791,147703$958,63753.5%703May 1-Universal Pictures
96Cutter's Way$1,729,274----Mar 20-Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
97Silence of the North$1,622,898272$344,83721.2%272Oct 23-Universal Pictures
98From Mao to Mozart: Isaac Stern in China$1,205,934----Apr 10-Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
99Night School$1,169,875----Sep 11-Paramount Pictures
100Eyes of a Stranger$1,118,634180$546,72448.9%180Mar 27-Warner Bros.
101Herbie Goes Bananas
1981 Re-release
$1,000,000----Jun 12-Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
102Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo
1981 Re-release
$1,000,000----Jun 12-Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
103Sunday Lovers$621,931----Feb 13-Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
104Beyond the Reef$547,525----Apr 24-Universal Pictures
105Cattle Annie and Little Britches$534,816215$115,67921.6%215Apr 24-Universal Pictures
106Hard Country$534,653----May 1-Universal Pictures
107Man of Iron$492,035----Nov 20-Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
108Kelly$469,777----Mar 20-Paramount Pictures
109Freaky Friday
1981 Re-release
$300,000----Jun 12-Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
110The Sea Wolves$220,181----Jun 5-Paramount Pictures
111Second-Hand Hearts$19,450----Apr 24-Paramount Pictures
112Glen or Glenda
1981 Re-release
$10,158----May 22-Paramount Pictures