Absence of Malice (1981)
| Theatrical Performance | ||
| Domestic Box Office | $33,312,129 | Details |
| OpusData ID: 16990100 More info... | ||
| Further financial details... | ||
Metrics
| Opening Weekend: | $64,775 (0.2% of total gross) |
| Legs: | 7.92 (domestic box office/biggest weekend) |
| Domestic Share: | 100.0% (domestic box office/worldwide) |
| Theater counts: | 2 opening theaters/994 max. theaters, 10.2 weeks average run per theater |
| Infl. Adj. Dom. BO | $132,357,605 |
Movie Details
| Domestic Releases: | November 19th, 1981 (Wide) by Columbia |
| MPA Rating: | PG |
| Running Time: | 116 minutes |
| Plot point: | Abortion, Catholic, Government Corruption, Investigative Journalist, Mafia, Political, Romance, Suicide, Unions |
| Social setting: | Film Noir, Political Campaign |
| Subgenre: | Political Thriller |
| Source: | Original Screenplay |
| Genre: | Thriller/Suspense |
| Production Method: | Live Action |
| Creative Type: | Contemporary Fiction |
| Production Countries: | United States |
| Languages: | English |
Weekend Box Office Performance
| Date | Rank | Gross | % Change | Theaters | Per Theater | Total Gross | Week |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 20, 1981 | 12 | $64,775 | 2 | $32,388 | $73,553 | 1 | |
| Nov 27, 1981 | 10 | $68,758 | +6% | 2 | $34,379 | $199,532 | 2 |
| Dec 4, 1981 | 15 | $57,055 | -17% | 2 | $28,528 | $388,536 | 3 |
| Dec 18, 1981 | 3 | $2,427,365 | 816 | $2,975 | $2,590,144 | 5 | |
| Jan 1, 1982 | 5 | $4,205,160 | 849 | $4,953 | $16,024,787 | 7 | |
| Jan 8, 1982 | 1 | $2,940,996 | -30% | 866 | $3,396 | $20,331,514 | 8 |
| Jan 15, 1982 | 1 | $3,290,111 | +12% | 994 | $3,310 | $10,942,677 | 9 |
| Jan 22, 1982 | 4 | $2,097,018 | -36% | 965 | $2,173 | $27,469,767 | 10 |
| Jan 29, 1982 | 2 | $2,166,098 | +3% | 938 | $2,309 | $30,331,624 | 11 |
| Feb 5, 1982 | 2 | $1,837,530 | -15% | 932 | $1,972 | $20,340,662 | 12 |
| Feb 12, 1982 | 7 | $1,526,550 | -17% | 660 | $2,313 | $22,439,840 | 13 |
| Feb 19, 1982 | 10 | $893,845 | -41% | 646 | $1,384 | $23,739,906 | 14 |
| Feb 26, 1982 | 7 | $927,000 | +4% | 600 | $1,545 | $25,006,455 | 15 |
| Mar 5, 1982 | 9 | $726,000 | -22% | 550 | $1,320 | $25,965,689 | 16 |
| Mar 12, 1982 | 11 | $652,467 | -10% | 480 | $1,359 | $26,864,246 | 17 |
| Mar 19, 1982 | 10 | $541,247 | -17% | 443 | $1,222 | $27,608,254 | 18 |
| Mar 26, 1982 | 9 | $514,406 | -5% | 435 | $1,183 | $28,318,124 | 19 |
Daily Box Office Performance
| Date | Rank | Gross | %YD | %LW | Theaters | Per Theater | Total Gross | Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 19, 1981 | - | $8,778 | 1 | $8,778 | $8,778 | 1 | ||
| Nov 20, 1981 | - | $19,156 | +118% | 2 | $9,578 | $27,934 | 2 | |
| Nov 21, 1981 | - | $23,403 | +22% | 2 | $11,702 | $51,337 | 3 | |
| Nov 22, 1981 | - | $22,216 | -5% | 2 | $11,108 | $73,553 | 4 | |
| Jan 22, 1982 | - | $659,023 | 965 | $683 | $26,031,772 | 65 | ||
| Jan 23, 1982 | - | $1,092,684 | +66% | 965 | $1,132 | $27,124,456 | 66 | |
| Jan 24, 1982 | - | $345,311 | -68% | 965 | $358 | $27,469,767 | 67 |
Weekly Box Office Performance
| Date | Rank | Gross | % Change | Theaters | Per Theater | Total Gross | Week |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 20, 1981 | 11 | $121,996 | 2 | $60,998 | $130,774 | 2 | |
| Nov 27, 1981 | 9 | $200,707 | +65% | 2 | $100,354 | $331,481 | 3 |
| Jan 1, 1982 | 6 | $5,570,891 | 849 | $6,562 | $17,390,518 | 8 | |
| Jan 8, 1982 | 1 | $3,755,379 | -33% | 886 | $4,239 | $7,652,566 | 9 |
| Jan 15, 1982 | 1 | $5,321,343 | +42% | 994 | $5,353 | $12,973,909 | 10 |
| Jan 22, 1982 | 2 | $2,792,778 | -48% | 965 | $2,894 | $15,766,687 | 11 |
| Jan 29, 1982 | 3 | $2,736,445 | -2% | 938 | $2,917 | $18,503,132 | 12 |
| Feb 5, 1982 | 2 | $2,410,158 | -12% | 932 | $2,586 | $20,913,290 | 13 |
| Feb 12, 1982 | 7 | $1,932,771 | -20% | 660 | $2,928 | $22,846,061 | 14 |
| Feb 19, 1982 | 8 | $1,233,394 | -36% | 646 | $1,909 | $24,079,455 | 15 |
| Feb 26, 1982 | 7 | $1,160,234 | -6% | 600 | $1,934 | $25,239,689 | 16 |
| Mar 5, 1982 | 8 | $972,090 | -16% | 550 | $1,767 | $26,211,779 | 17 |
| Mar 12, 1982 | 11 | $855,228 | -12% | 480 | $1,782 | $27,067,007 | 18 |
| Mar 19, 1982 | 7 | $736,711 | -14% | 443 | $1,663 | $27,803,718 | 19 |
Leading
| Paul Newman | Michael Colin Gallagher | |
| Sally Field | Megan Carter (staff reporter, 'Miami Standard') |
| Wilford Brimley | Asst. U.S. Atty. Gen. James A. Wells | |
| Bob Balaban | Elliott Rosen (leader, Justice Dept. Strike Force) | |
| Josef Sommer | McAdam | |
| Melinda Dillon | Teresa Perrone |
Production and Technical Credits
| Sydney Pollack | Director |
Cast and crew with above-the-line roles are marked in bold. The line marks the division between above-the-line and below-the-line roles.
Metrics
| Opening Weekend: | $64,775 (0.2% of total gross) |
| Legs: | 7.92 (domestic box office/biggest weekend) |
| Domestic Share: | 100.0% (domestic box office/worldwide) |
| Theater counts: | 2 opening theaters/994 max. theaters, 10.2 weeks average run per theater |
| Infl. Adj. Dom. BO | $132,357,605 |
Movie Details
| Domestic Releases: | November 19th, 1981 (Wide) by Columbia |
| MPA Rating: | PG |
| Running Time: | 116 minutes |
| Plot point: | Abortion, Catholic, Government Corruption, Investigative Journalist, Mafia, Political, Romance, Suicide, Unions |
| Social setting: | Film Noir, Political Campaign |
| Subgenre: | Political Thriller |
| Source: | Original Screenplay |
| Genre: | Thriller/Suspense |
| Production Method: | Live Action |
| Creative Type: | Contemporary Fiction |
| Production Countries: | United States |
| Languages: | English |
Weekend Box Office Performance
| Date | Rank | Gross | % Change | Theaters | Per Theater | Total Gross | Week |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 20, 1981 | 12 | $64,775 | 2 | $32,388 | $73,553 | 1 | |
| Nov 27, 1981 | 10 | $68,758 | +6% | 2 | $34,379 | $199,532 | 2 |
| Dec 4, 1981 | 15 | $57,055 | -17% | 2 | $28,528 | $388,536 | 3 |
| Dec 18, 1981 | 3 | $2,427,365 | 816 | $2,975 | $2,590,144 | 5 | |
| Jan 1, 1982 | 5 | $4,205,160 | 849 | $4,953 | $16,024,787 | 7 | |
| Jan 8, 1982 | 1 | $2,940,996 | -30% | 866 | $3,396 | $20,331,514 | 8 |
| Jan 15, 1982 | 1 | $3,290,111 | +12% | 994 | $3,310 | $10,942,677 | 9 |
| Jan 22, 1982 | 4 | $2,097,018 | -36% | 965 | $2,173 | $27,469,767 | 10 |
| Jan 29, 1982 | 2 | $2,166,098 | +3% | 938 | $2,309 | $30,331,624 | 11 |
| Feb 5, 1982 | 2 | $1,837,530 | -15% | 932 | $1,972 | $20,340,662 | 12 |
| Feb 12, 1982 | 7 | $1,526,550 | -17% | 660 | $2,313 | $22,439,840 | 13 |
| Feb 19, 1982 | 10 | $893,845 | -41% | 646 | $1,384 | $23,739,906 | 14 |
| Feb 26, 1982 | 7 | $927,000 | +4% | 600 | $1,545 | $25,006,455 | 15 |
| Mar 5, 1982 | 9 | $726,000 | -22% | 550 | $1,320 | $25,965,689 | 16 |
| Mar 12, 1982 | 11 | $652,467 | -10% | 480 | $1,359 | $26,864,246 | 17 |
| Mar 19, 1982 | 10 | $541,247 | -17% | 443 | $1,222 | $27,608,254 | 18 |
| Mar 26, 1982 | 9 | $514,406 | -5% | 435 | $1,183 | $28,318,124 | 19 |
Daily Box Office Performance
| Date | Rank | Gross | %YD | %LW | Theaters | Per Theater | Total Gross | Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 19, 1981 | - | $8,778 | 1 | $8,778 | $8,778 | 1 | ||
| Nov 20, 1981 | - | $19,156 | +118% | 2 | $9,578 | $27,934 | 2 | |
| Nov 21, 1981 | - | $23,403 | +22% | 2 | $11,702 | $51,337 | 3 | |
| Nov 22, 1981 | - | $22,216 | -5% | 2 | $11,108 | $73,553 | 4 | |
| Jan 22, 1982 | - | $659,023 | 965 | $683 | $26,031,772 | 65 | ||
| Jan 23, 1982 | - | $1,092,684 | +66% | 965 | $1,132 | $27,124,456 | 66 | |
| Jan 24, 1982 | - | $345,311 | -68% | 965 | $358 | $27,469,767 | 67 |
Weekly Box Office Performance
| Date | Rank | Gross | % Change | Theaters | Per Theater | Total Gross | Week |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 20, 1981 | 11 | $121,996 | 2 | $60,998 | $130,774 | 2 | |
| Nov 27, 1981 | 9 | $200,707 | +65% | 2 | $100,354 | $331,481 | 3 |
| Jan 1, 1982 | 6 | $5,570,891 | 849 | $6,562 | $17,390,518 | 8 | |
| Jan 8, 1982 | 1 | $3,755,379 | -33% | 886 | $4,239 | $7,652,566 | 9 |
| Jan 15, 1982 | 1 | $5,321,343 | +42% | 994 | $5,353 | $12,973,909 | 10 |
| Jan 22, 1982 | 2 | $2,792,778 | -48% | 965 | $2,894 | $15,766,687 | 11 |
| Jan 29, 1982 | 3 | $2,736,445 | -2% | 938 | $2,917 | $18,503,132 | 12 |
| Feb 5, 1982 | 2 | $2,410,158 | -12% | 932 | $2,586 | $20,913,290 | 13 |
| Feb 12, 1982 | 7 | $1,932,771 | -20% | 660 | $2,928 | $22,846,061 | 14 |
| Feb 19, 1982 | 8 | $1,233,394 | -36% | 646 | $1,909 | $24,079,455 | 15 |
| Feb 26, 1982 | 7 | $1,160,234 | -6% | 600 | $1,934 | $25,239,689 | 16 |
| Mar 5, 1982 | 8 | $972,090 | -16% | 550 | $1,767 | $26,211,779 | 17 |
| Mar 12, 1982 | 11 | $855,228 | -12% | 480 | $1,782 | $27,067,007 | 18 |
| Mar 19, 1982 | 7 | $736,711 | -14% | 443 | $1,663 | $27,803,718 | 19 |
Leading
| Paul Newman | Michael Colin Gallagher | |
| Sally Field | Megan Carter (staff reporter, 'Miami Standard') |
| Wilford Brimley | Asst. U.S. Atty. Gen. James A. Wells | |
| Bob Balaban | Elliott Rosen (leader, Justice Dept. Strike Force) | |
| Josef Sommer | McAdam | |
| Melinda Dillon | Teresa Perrone |
Production and Technical Credits
| Sydney Pollack | Director |
Cast and crew with above-the-line roles are marked in bold. The line marks the division between above-the-line and below-the-line roles.