1980 Top-Grossing Movies (Inflation-Adjusted Dollars)

Note: This chart ranks movies by the amount they earned during 1980. It includes movies released in previous years that earned money during 1980. For example, a movie released over Thanksgiving in 1979 will most likely earn money in 1979 and 1980.

To see the top movies released in 1980 (ranked by their total cumulative gross across all years), click the “Released in 1980” button below.

Inflation-adjusted figures are based on ticket sale estimates.

Show Actuals Released in 1980

1981 →

Rank	Movie	Release Date	Distributor	Genre	1980 Gross Infl. adj.	Tickets Sold
1	Star Wars Ep. V: The Empire S…	May 21, 1980	20th Century Fox	Adventure	$806,316,768	67,417,790
2	Stir Crazy	Dec 12, 1980	Columbia	Black Comedy	$450,389,591	37,657,992
3	Kramer vs. Kramer	Dec 19, 1979		Drama	$440,086,931	36,796,566
4	Airplane!	Jul 4, 1980	Paramount Pictures	Comedy	$371,042,501	31,023,620
5	Any Which Way You Can	Dec 17, 1980	Warner Bros.	Comedy	$314,282,764	26,277,823
6	Private Benjamin	Oct 10, 1980	Warner Bros.	Comedy	$310,548,060	25,965,556
7	Coal Miner’s Daughter	Mar 7, 1980	Universal	Drama	$298,701,165	24,975,013
8	Smokey and the Bandit II	Aug 15, 1980	Universal	Comedy	$294,032,047	24,584,619
9	The Blues Brothers	Jun 20, 1980	Universal	Comedy	$254,449,622	21,275,052
10	Ordinary People	Sep 19, 1980	Paramount Pictures	Drama	$232,544,095	19,443,486
11	Popeye	Dec 12, 1980	Paramount Pictures	Musical	$221,518,038	18,521,575
12	The Blue Lagoon	Jun 20, 1980	Columbia	Drama	$213,073,825	17,815,537
13	Urban Cowboy	Jun 6, 1980	Paramount Pictures	Western	$208,603,239	17,441,742
14	The Shining	May 23, 1980	Warner Bros.	Horror	$195,705,499	16,363,336
15	Cheech & Chong’s Next Movie	Jul 18, 1980	Universal	Comedy	$185,291,941	15,492,637
16	Caddyshack	Jul 25, 1980	Warner Bros.	Comedy	$177,160,697	14,812,767
17	Friday the 13th	May 9, 1980	Paramount Pictures	Horror	$176,752,798	14,778,662
18	Brubaker	Jun 20, 1980	20th Century Fox	Drama	$165,046,702	13,799,891
19	Little Darlings	Mar 21, 1980	Paramount Pictures	Comedy	$152,617,821	12,760,687
20	Dressed to Kill	Jan 1, 1980	Filmways Pictures	Thriller/Suspense	$141,826,037	11,858,364
21	Flash Gordon	Dec 5, 1980	Universal	Action	$120,524,610	10,077,308
22	The Elephant Man	Oct 3, 1980	Paramount Pictures	Drama	$115,646,815	9,669,466
23	Bronco Billy	Jun 11, 1980	Warner Bros.	Comedy	$107,887,465	9,020,691
24	Caligula	Feb 1, 1980	Analysis	Drama	$103,491,725	8,653,154
25	Seems Like Old Times	Dec 19, 1980	Columbia	Romantic Comedy	$103,149,442	8,624,535
26	Xanadu	Aug 8, 1980	Universal	Musical	$101,204,591	8,461,922
27	American Gigolo	Feb 1, 1980	Paramount Pictures	Thriller/Suspense	$101,120,573	8,454,897
28	My Bodyguard	Jul 11, 1980	20th Century Fox	Comedy	$99,961,378	8,357,974
29	In Search of Historic Jesus	Jan 1, 1980	Sunn Classics Pic…	Documentary	$97,814,126	8,178,438
30	Fame	May 16, 1980	MGM	Musical	$94,269,827	7,882,092
31	Altered States	Dec 25, 1980	Warner Bros.	Horror	$88,272,323	7,380,628
32	Cruising	Jan 1, 1980	United Artists	Thriller/Suspense	$87,962,568	7,354,729
33	The Octagon	Jan 1, 1980	American Cinema R…	Action	$84,475,836	7,063,197
34	Hardly Working	Jan 1, 1980	20th Century Fox	Comedy	$80,029,740	6,691,449
35	Windwalker	Jan 1, 1980	Pacific Internati…	Western	$80,029,740	6,691,449
36	Honeysuckle Rose	Jul 18, 1980	Warner Bros.	Drama	$79,208,154	6,622,755
37	Herbie Goes Bananas	Jan 1, 1980		Comedy	$75,583,643	6,319,702
38	Rough Cut	Jun 19, 1980	Paramount Pictures	Romantic Comedy	$74,054,742	6,191,868
39	The Final Countdown	Jan 1, 1980	United Artists	Action	$74,017,728	6,188,773
40	The Hunter	Jan 1, 1980	Paramount Pictures	Action	$74,017,728	6,188,773
41	A Change of Seasons	Dec 1, 1980	20th Century Fox	Drama	$72,915,985	6,096,654
42	Hero At Large	Feb 8, 1980	MGM	Comedy	$70,847,381	5,923,694
43	The Island	Jun 13, 1980	Universal	Adventure	$69,878,536	5,842,686
44	First Family	Dec 25, 1980	Warner Bros.	Comedy	$67,575,832	5,650,153
45	The Long Riders	May 16, 1980	United Artists	Western	$67,575,832	5,650,153
46	Prom Night	Aug 15, 1980	Avco Embassy	Horror	$65,785,495	5,500,459
47	The Nude Bomb	May 9, 1980	Universal	Comedy	$65,188,825	5,450,570
48	Oh, God! Book II	Oct 3, 1980	Warner Bros.	Comedy	$64,487,417	5,391,924
49	Wholly Moses!	Jun 13, 1980	Sony Pictures	Comedy	$62,937,241	5,262,311
50	The Competition	Dec 3, 1980	Columbia	Drama	$57,799,257	4,832,713
51	Hopscotch	Jan 1, 1980	Avco Embassy	Comedy	$57,799,257	4,832,713
52	Middle Age Crazy	Jan 1, 1980	20th Century Fox	Comedy	$57,799,257	4,832,713
53	The Last Married Couple in Am…	Feb 8, 1980	Universal	Comedy	$57,068,069	4,771,577
54	The Changeling	Jan 1, 1980	Associated Film D…	Horror	$53,353,160	4,460,966
55	Used Cars	Jul 18, 1980	Columbia	Comedy	$52,087,450	4,355,137
56	Hangar 18	Jan 1, 1980	Sunn Classics Pic…	Thriller/Suspense	$48,907,063	4,089,219
57	It’s My Turn	Jan 1, 1980	Columbia	Romantic Comedy	$48,907,063	4,089,219
58	The Last Flight of Noah’s Ark	Jun 25, 1980	Walt Disney	Adventure	$48,907,063	4,089,219
59	The Mirror Crack’d	Jan 1, 1980	Associated Film D…	Thriller/Suspense	$48,907,063	4,089,219
60	The Fiendish Plot of Dr. Fu M…	Aug 8, 1980	Orion Pictures	Comedy	$47,561,123	3,976,682
61	Stardust Memories	Sep 26, 1980	United Artists	Comedy	$46,190,511	3,862,082
62	The Hollywood Knights	Jan 1, 1980	Columbia	Comedy	$44,460,967	3,717,472
63	Maniac	Jan 1, 1980	Analysis	Horror	$44,460,967	3,717,472
64	Up the Academy	Jun 6, 1980	Warner Bros.	Comedy	$44,460,967	3,717,472
65	Serial	Mar 28, 1980	Paramount Pictures	Comedy	$43,886,206	3,669,415
66	Somewhere in Time	Oct 3, 1980	Universal	Drama	$43,169,807	3,609,515
67	Saturn 3	Jan 1, 1980		Thriller/Suspense	$40,014,870	3,345,724
68	Tom Horn	Jan 1, 1980		Western	$40,014,870	3,345,724
69	Tribute	Dec 19, 1980	20th Century Fox	Comedy	$40,014,870	3,345,724
70	The Formula	Dec 19, 1980	MGM	Thriller/Suspense	$39,544,869	3,306,427
71	Mad Max	Mar 21, 1980	Filmways Pictures	Action	$39,006,482	3,261,411
72	The Big Brawl	Aug 29, 1980	Warner Bros.	Action	$37,915,170	3,170,164
73	The Awakening	Oct 31, 1980	Warner Bros.	Horror	$37,414,401	3,128,294
74	Terror Train	Jan 1, 1980		Horror	$35,568,773	2,973,977
75	How to Beat the High Co$t of …	Jan 1, 1980	Filmways Pictures	Comedy	$33,345,725	2,788,104
76	Foxes	Feb 29, 1980	United Artists	Drama	$33,213,889	2,777,081
77	The Big Red One	Jul 18, 1980	United Artists	Drama	$32,039,551	2,678,892
78	The Stunt Man	Jun 27, 1980	20th Century Fox		$31,406,720	2,625,979
79	Fatso	Feb 1, 1980	20th Century Fox		$31,122,677	2,602,230
80	Raise the Titanic	Aug 1, 1980	Associated Film D…	Adventure	$31,122,677	2,602,230
81	9 to 5	Dec 19, 1980	20th Century Fox	Comedy	$30,445,203	2,545,585
82	Where the Buffalo Roam	Apr 25, 1980	Universal	Comedy	$29,608,234	2,475,604
83	The Gong Show Movie	May 23, 1980	Universal	Comedy	$29,439,918	2,461,531
84	Motel Hell	Oct 24, 1980	United Artists	Horror	$28,200,115	2,357,869
85	Little Miss Marker	Mar 21, 1980	Universal	Comedy	$28,105,520	2,349,959
86	Oh Heavenly Dog	Jul 11, 1980	20th Century Fox	Comedy	$27,637,235	2,310,805
87	The Mountain Men	Jan 1, 1980	Columbia		$26,676,580	2,230,483
88	Simon	Jan 1, 1980			$26,676,580	2,230,483
89	Divine Madness!	Sep 26, 1980	Warner Bros.	Concert/Performance	$23,644,778	1,976,988
90	In God We Tru$t	Sep 26, 1980	Universal	Comedy	$23,186,461	1,938,667
91	The Exterminator	Jan 1, 1980	Avco Embassy		$22,230,483	1,858,736
92	He Knows You're Alone	Aug 29, 1980	MGM	Horror	$21,676,660	1,812,429
93	Coast to Coast	Oct 3, 1980	Paramount Pictures		$19,987,183	1,671,169
94	Willie and Phil	Jan 1, 1980	20th Century Fox		$19,562,825	1,635,687
95	Melvin and Howard	Oct 24, 1980	Universal	Comedy	$19,160,409	1,602,040
96	Roadie	Jun 13, 1980	United Artists	Comedy	$18,790,850	1,571,141
97	Die Laughing	Jan 1, 1980			$17,784,387	1,486,988
98	Kagemusha	Oct 10, 1980	20th Century Fox	Drama	$17,784,387	1,486,988
99	Resurrection	Sep 26, 1980	Universal	Drama	$17,384,322	1,453,538
100	Hide in Plain Sight	Mar 21, 1980	MGM	Drama	$16,925,979	1,415,215
101	Guyana: Crime of the Century	Jan 25, 1980	Universal	Drama	$16,886,729	1,411,933
102	When Time Ran Out...	Mar 28, 1980	Warner Bros.	Adventure	$16,735,054	1,399,252
103	Heaven’s Gate	Nov 19, 1980	United Artists	Western	$15,491,672	1,295,290
104	North Sea Hijack	Apr 18, 1980	Universal	Adventure	$13,310,600	1,112,926
105	Midnight Madness	Feb 8, 1980	Walt Disney		$12,893,680	1,078,066
106	Loving Couples	Oct 24, 1980	20th Century Fox	Romantic Comedy	$12,478,677	1,043,367
107	The Idolmaker	Nov 14, 1980	United Artists	Drama	$11,674,187	976,102
108	The Black Marble	Jan 1, 1980	Avco Embassy	Romantic Comedy	$11,115,242	929,368
109	Gilda Live	Mar 28, 1980	Warner Bros.	Concert/Performance	$10,054,879	840,708
110	Windows	Jan 18, 1980	United Artists	Thriller/Suspense	$9,781,413	817,843
111	Just Tell Me What You Want	Feb 8, 1980	Warner Bros.	Romantic Comedy	$9,278,581	775,801
112	Bon Voyage, Charlie Brown (an…	May 30, 1980	Paramount Pictures	Comedy	$8,950,851	748,398
113	Can't Stop the Music	Jun 20, 1980	Associated Film D…	Musical	$8,892,193	743,494
114	Foolin' Around	Jan 1, 1980	Columbia		$8,892,193	743,494
115	Tess	Dec 12, 1980	Columbia	Drama	$8,402,313	702,534
116	Raging Bull	Nov 14, 1980	United Artists	Drama	$8,283,091	692,566
117	Carny	May 23, 1980	United Artists	Drama	$8,081,759	675,732
118	Lion of the Desert	Jan 1, 1980	United Film Distr…	Drama	$6,669,145	557,620
119	Nijinsky	Mar 20, 1980	Paramount Pictures		$4,657,082	389,388
120	Heart Beat	Jan 18, 1980	Warner Bros.	Drama	$4,241,781	354,663
121	One Trick Pony	Oct 3, 1980	Warner Bros.	Drama	$3,749,015	313,462
122	A Small Circle of Friends	Mar 12, 1980	United Artists	Drama	$3,409,089	285,040
123	Leo and Lorre	Feb 29, 1980	United Artists		$2,303,025	192,560
124	Penitentiary	May 10, 1980	Jerry Gross Organ…	Drama	$1,276,030	106,691
125	Home Movies	May 16, 1980	United Artists		$396,298	33,135
126	Those Lips, Those Eyes	Aug 15, 1980	United Artists	Romantic Comedy	$283,510	23,704
127	Why Would I Lie?	Aug 8, 1980	MGM	Comedy	$233,300	19,506
128	Gloria	Oct 1, 1980	Columbia	Thriller/Suspense	$209,051	17,479