1981 Top-Grossing Movies Worldwide
This chart ranks movies by their total cumulative worldwide box office earnings for movies released in 1981. Each movie is ranked by its total gross across all years it played, not just earnings during 1981.
| Rank | Movie | Worldwide Box Office | Domestic Box Office | International Box Office | Domestic Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Raiders of the Lost Ark | $367,451,914 | $225,686,079 | $141,765,835 | 61.4% |
| 2 | For Your Eyes Only | $195,300,000 | $54,800,000 | $140,500,000 | 28.1% |
| 3 | Superman II | $190,400,000 | $108,185,706 | $82,214,294 | 56.8% |
| 4 | On Golden Pond | $119,285,432 | $119,285,432 | $0 | 100.0% |
| 5 | Stripes | $85,300,000 | $85,300,000 | $0 | 100.0% |
| 6 | Arthur | $81,464,486 | $81,464,486 | $0 | 100.0% |
| 7 | Fort Apache, The Bronx | $65,200,000 | $29,200,000 | $36,000,000 | 44.8% |
| 8 | An American Werewolf in London | $61,968,388 | $31,973,249 | $29,995,139 | 51.6% |
| 9 | Chariots of Fire | $61,924,076 | $61,558,162 | $365,914 | 99.4% |
| 10 | The Cannonball Run | $57,498,710 | $57,498,710 | $0 | 100.0% |
| 11 | Reds | $50,000,300 | $50,000,000 | $300 | 100.0% |
| 12 | Clash of the Titans | $44,400,000 | $30,000,000 | $14,400,000 | 67.6% |
| 13 | The Postman Always Rings Twice | $44,200,000 | $12,200,000 | $32,000,000 | 27.6% |
| 14 | The Fox and the Hound | $43,899,231 | $43,899,231 | $0 | 100.0% |
| 15 | The Four Seasons | $42,488,161 | $42,488,161 | $0 | 100.0% |
| 16 | Time Bandits | $37,400,000 | $37,400,000 | $0 | 100.0% |
| 17 | Cheech & Chong's Nice Dreams | $37,000,000 | $37,000,000 | $0 | 100.0% |
| 18 | Tarzan, The Ape Man | $36,565,000 | $36,565,000 | $0 | 100.0% |
| 19 | Taps | $35,856,053 | $35,856,053 | $0 | 100.0% |
| 20 | Excalibur | $34,200,000 | $34,200,000 | $0 | 100.0% |
| 21 | Absence of Malice | $33,312,129 | $33,312,129 | $0 | 100.0% |
| 22 | Endless Love | $33,000,000 | $33,000,000 | $0 | 100.0% |
| 23 | Sharky's Machine | $32,984,898 | $32,984,898 | $0 | 100.0% |
| 24 | History of the World: Part I | $31,672,000 | $31,672,000 | $0 | 100.0% |
| 25 | Bustin' Loose | $31,261,000 | $31,261,000 | $0 | 100.0% |
| 26 | The Great Muppet Caper | $31,206,251 | $31,206,251 | $0 | 100.0% |
| 27 | Neighbors | $29,916,207 | $29,916,207 | $0 | 100.0% |
| 28 | Victory | $27,453,000 | $10,853,000 | $16,600,000 | 39.5% |
| 29 | The Jazz Singer | $27,118,000 | $27,118,000 | $0 | 100.0% |
| 30 | Only When I Laugh | $25,782,304 | $25,782,304 | $0 | 100.0% |
| 31 | Halloween II | $25,533,818 | $25,533,818 | $0 | 100.0% |
| 32 | Escape from New York | $25,276,592 | $25,244,700 | $31,892 | 99.9% |
| 33 | Mommie Dearest | $25,032,000 | $19,032,000 | $6,000,000 | 76.0% |
| 34 | Modern Problems | $24,474,312 | $24,474,312 | $0 | 100.0% |
| 35 | Body Heat | $24,060,803 | $24,058,000 | $2,803 | 100.0% |
| 36 | Graduation Day | $23,894,000 | $23,894,000 | $0 | 100.0% |
| 37 | Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior | $23,668,893 | $23,667,907 | $986 | 100.0% |
| 38 | The French Lieutenant's Woman | $22,600,000 | $22,600,000 | $0 | 100.0% |
| 39 | Friday the 13th Part 2 | $21,723,267 | $21,722,776 | $491 | 100.0% |
| 40 | The Final Conflict | $20,471,382 | $20,471,382 | $0 | 100.0% |
| 41 | The Incredible Shrinking Woman | $20,259,000 | $20,259,000 | $0 | 100.0% |
| 42 | Outland | $20,000,000 | $20,000,000 | $0 | 100.0% |
| 43 | Nighthawks | $19,600,000 | $14,600,000 | $5,000,000 | 74.5% |
| 44 | Heavy Metal | $19,571,091 | $19,571,091 | $0 | 100.0% |
| 45 | Paternity | $18,838,000 | $18,838,000 | $0 | 100.0% |
| 46 | Under the Rainbow | $18,826,490 | $18,826,490 | $0 | 100.0% |
| 47 | Private Lessons | $18,066,774 | $18,064,851 | $1,923 | 100.0% |
| 48 | The Private Eyes | $18,000,000 | $18,000,000 | $0 | 100.0% |
| 49 | The Howling | $17,985,130 | $17,985,000 | $130 | 100.0% |
| 50 | Eye of the Needle | $17,583,053 | $17,583,000 | $53 | 100.0% |
| 51 | Take This Job and Shove It | $17,569,000 | $17,569,000 | $0 | 100.0% |
| 52 | Ragtime | $17,468,158 | $17,468,158 | $0 | 100.0% |
| 53 | Ghost Story | $16,202,210 | $16,202,210 | $0 | 100.0% |
| 54 | The Devil and Max Devlin | $16,000,000 | $16,000,000 | $0 | 100.0% |
| 55 | Caveman | $15,965,000 | $15,965,000 | $0 | 100.0% |
| 56 | Continental Divide | $15,578,000 | $15,578,000 | $0 | 100.0% |
| 57 | S.O.B. | $14,867,086 | $14,867,086 | $0 | 100.0% |
| 58 | Scanners | $14,200,000 | $14,200,000 | $0 | 100.0% |
| 59 | The Night the Lights Went Out… | $14,000,000 | $14,000,000 | $0 | 100.0% |
| 60 | Blow Out | $13,748,714 | $13,747,234 | $1,480 | 100.0% |
| 61 | The Legend of the Lone Ranger | $13,400,000 | $13,400,000 | $0 | 100.0% |
| 62 | On the Right Track | $13,000,000 | $13,000,000 | $0 | 100.0% |
| 63 | Rich and Famous | $13,000,000 | $13,000,000 | $0 | 100.0% |
| 64 | True Confessions | $12,200,000 | $12,200,000 | $0 | 100.0% |
| 65 | First Monday in October | $12,000,000 | $12,000,000 | $0 | 100.0% |
| 66 | Back Roads | $11,809,387 | $11,809,387 | $0 | 100.0% |
| 67 | Sphinx | $11,400,000 | $2,000,000 | $9,400,000 | 17.5% |
| 68 | Raggedy Man | $11,000,000 | $11,000,000 | $0 | 100.0% |
| 69 | Wolfen | $11,000,000 | $11,000,000 | $0 | 100.0% |
| 70 | Happy Birthday To Me | $10,609,514 | $10,609,514 | $0 | 100.0% |
| 71 | Rollover | $10,217,873 | $10,217,873 | $0 | 100.0% |
| 72 | Atlantic City | $10,000,000 | $10,000,000 | $0 | 100.0% |
| 73 | So Fine | $10,000,000 | $10,000,000 | $0 | 100.0% |
| 74 | Zorro, The Gay Blade | $10,000,000 | $10,000,000 | $0 | 100.0% |
| 75 | Prince of the City | $9,000,000 | $9,000,000 | $0 | 100.0% |
| 76 | Carbon Copy | $8,400,000 | $8,400,000 | $0 | 100.0% |
| 77 | Force: Five | $8,000,000 | $8,000,000 | $0 | 100.0% |
| 78 | All Night Long | $7,800,000 | $7,800,000 | $0 | 100.0% |
| 79 | An Eye for an Eye | $7,496,681 | $7,496,681 | $0 | 100.0% |
| 80 | The Funhouse | $7,000,141 | $7,000,000 | $141 | 100.0% |
| 81 | Comin' at Ya! | $6,704,127 | $6,704,127 | $0 | 100.0% |
| 82 | Eyewitness | $6,400,000 | $6,400,000 | $0 | 100.0% |
| 83 | Pennies from Heaven | $6,200,000 | $6,200,000 | $0 | 100.0% |
| 84 | Whose Life is it Anyway? | $6,100,000 | $6,100,000 | $0 | 100.0% |
| 85 | American Pop | $6,000,000 | $6,000,000 | $0 | 100.0% |
| 86 | Dragonslayer | $6,000,000 | $6,000,000 | $0 | 100.0% |
| 87 | Heartbeeps | $6,000,000 | $6,000,000 | $0 | 100.0% |
| 88 | Gallipoli | $5,732,587 | $5,732,587 | $0 | 100.0% |
| 89 | Buddy Buddy | $5,299,037 | $5,299,037 | $0 | 100.0% |
| 90 | Death Hunt | $5,000,000 | $5,000,000 | $0 | 100.0% |
| 91 | Thief | $4,301,338 | $4,300,000 | $1,338 | 100.0% |
| 92 | All the Marbles | $4,300,000 | $4,300,000 | $0 | 100.0% |
| 93 | Looker | $3,281,232 | $3,281,232 | $0 | 100.0% |
| 94 | Le dernier métro | $3,001,544 | $3,000,000 | $1,544 | 99.9% |
| 95 | Southern Comfort | $2,939,174 | $2,939,174 | $0 | 100.0% |
| 96 | Deadly Blessing | $2,800,000 | $2,800,000 | $0 | 100.0% |
| 97 | Hell Night | $2,300,000 | $2,300,000 | $0 | 100.0% |
| 98 | Roar | $2,110,453 | $2,110,050 | $403 | 100.0% |
| 99 | The Pursuit of D.B. Cooper | $2,104,164 | $2,104,164 | $0 | 100.0% |
| 100 | The Hand | $2,000,000 | $2,000,000 | $0 | 100.0% |