The Abyss (1989)
| Theatrical Performance | ||
| Domestic Box Office | $54,763,229 | Details |
| International Box Office | $30,768 | Details |
| Worldwide Box Office | $54,793,997 | |
| Domestic Physical Disc Sales | ||
| Blu-ray Sales (estimated) | $2,121,349 | |
| Total | $2,121,349 | |
| OpusData ID: 9840100 More info... | ||
| Further financial details... | ||
Metrics
| Opening Weekend: | $9,319,797 (17.0% of total gross) |
| Legs: | 5.88 (domestic box office/biggest weekend) |
| Domestic Share: | 99.9% (domestic box office/worldwide) |
| Production Budget: | $70,000,000 (worldwide box office is 0.8 times production budget) |
| Theater counts: | 1,533 opening theaters/1,538 max. theaters, 6.6 weeks average run per theater |
| Infl. Adj. Dom. BO | $154,294,515 |
Movie Details
| Domestic Releases: | August 9th, 1989 (Wide) by 20th Century Fox |
| International Releases: | December 14th, 1989 (Wide) (Australia)
December 10th, 2020 (Limited) (Australia) December 7th, 2023 (Limited) (Special Edition) (Australia) January 25th, 2024 (Limited) (Special Edition 4K Remaster) (New Zealand) ... Show all releases |
| Video Release: | May 14th, 1996 by Fox Home Entertainment |
| MPA Rating: | PG-13 for language and some scenes of action (Special Edition) |
| Running Time: | 140 minutes |
| Plot point: | Alien Encounters, Exes in Love, First Contact, Friendly Alien on Earth, Relationships Gone Wrong, Underwater |
| Social setting: | Cold War |
| Subgenre: | Chase Adventure |
| Source: | Original Screenplay |
| Genre: | Adventure |
| Production Method: | Live Action |
| Creative Type: | Science Fiction |
| Production/Financing Companies: | 20th Century Fox |
| Production Countries: | United States |
| Languages: | English |
Weekend Box Office Performance
| Date | Rank | Gross | % Change | Theaters | Per Theater | Total Gross | Week |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 11, 1989 | 2 | $9,319,797 | 1,533 | $6,079 | $13,027,411 | 1 | |
| Aug 18, 1989 | 3 | $7,213,102 | -23% | 1,538 | $4,690 | $24,745,404 | 2 |
| Aug 25, 1989 | 3 | $4,734,287 | -34% | 1,525 | $3,104 | $32,963,185 | 3 |
| Sep 1, 1989 | 3 | $5,532,135 | +17% | 1,532 | $3,611 | $40,726,991 | 4 |
| Sep 8, 1989 | 5 | $2,865,779 | -48% | 1,498 | $1,913 | $44,540,211 | 5 |
| Sep 15, 1989 | 7 | $2,150,879 | -25% | 1,361 | $1,580 | $47,594,385 | 6 |
| Sep 22, 1989 | 8 | $1,512,309 | -30% | 1,176 | $1,286 | $49,710,458 | 7 |
Daily Box Office Performance
| Date | Rank | Gross | %YD | %LW | Theaters | Per Theater | Total Gross | Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 6, 2023 | 5 | $520,104 | 570 | $912 | $54,763,229 | 12,538 |
Weekly Box Office Performance
| Date | Rank | Gross | % Change | Theaters | Per Theater | Total Gross | Week |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 11, 1989 | 2 | $13,824,688 | 1,533 | $9,018 | $17,532,302 | 2 | |
| Aug 18, 1989 | 3 | $10,696,596 | -23% | 1,538 | $6,955 | $28,228,898 | 3 |
| Aug 25, 1989 | 3 | $6,965,958 | -35% | 1,525 | $4,568 | $35,194,856 | 4 |
| Sep 1, 1989 | 3 | $6,479,576 | -7% | 1,532 | $4,229 | $41,674,432 | 5 |
| Sep 8, 1989 | 5 | $3,769,074 | -42% | 1,498 | $2,516 | $45,443,506 | 6 |
| Sep 15, 1989 | 7 | $2,754,643 | -27% | 1,361 | $2,024 | $48,198,149 | 7 |
Top International Territories
Box Office Summary Per Territory
| Territory | Release Date |
Opening Weekend |
Opening Weekend Screens/Theaters |
Maximum Screens/Theaters |
Theatrical Engagements |
Total Box Office |
Report Date |
|||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | 12/14/1989 | $0 | 0 | 36 | 37 | $23,706 | 12/11/2023 | |||
| New Zealand | 1/25/2024 | $4,892 | 13 | 2 | 16 | $7,062 | 4/4/2026 | |||
| International Total | $30,768 | 4/4/2026 | ||||||||
Note: Territories vary in whether they report screens or theaters. Full details on international box office data are available via our OpusData service.
Supporting
| Ed Harris | Virgil "Bud" Brigman | |
| Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio | Lindsey Brigman | |
| Michael Biehn | Lt. Hiram Coffey | |
| Leo Burmester | Catfish De Vries | |
| Todd Graff | Alan 'Hippy' Carnes | |
| John Bedford Lloyd | Jammer Willis | |
| J.C. Quinn | Arliss 'Sonny' Dawson | |
| Kimberly A. Scott | Lisa 'One Night' Standing | |
| Captain Kidd Brewer, Jr. | Lew Finler | |
| George Robert Klek | Wilhite | |
| Christopher Murphy | Schoenick | |
| Adam Nelson | Ensign Monk | |
| Richard Warlock | Dwight Perry | |
| Jimmie Ray Weeks | Leland McBride | |
| J. Kenneth Campbell | DeMarco | |
| Ken Jenkins | Gerard Kirkhill | |
| Chris Elliott | Bendix | |
| Peter Ratray | Captain | |
| Michael Beach | Barnes | |
| Brad Sullivan | Executive | |
| Frank Lloyd | Navigator | |
| Phillip Darlington | Crew Member | |
| Joseph Nemec III | Crew Member | |
| Joe Farago | Anchorman | |
| William Wisher | Bill Tyler |
Production and Technical Credits
| James Cameron | Director | |
| James Cameron | Screenwriter | |
| Gale Anne Hurd | Producer | |
| Mikael Salomon | Director of Photography | |
| Leslie Dilley | Production Designer | |
| Alan Silvestri | Composer | |
| Robin Oliver | Assistant Director | |
| Stephen J. Fisher | Assistant Director | |
| Newt Arnold | Assistant Director | |
| Charles Skouras III | Production Manager | |
| Peter Childs | Supervising Art Director | |
| Russell Christian | Art Director | |
| Joseph Nemec III | Art Director | |
| Anne Kuljian | Set Decorator | |
| Al Giddings | Underwater Photography | |
| John Bruno | Visual Effects Supervisor | |
| Dennis Muren | Visual Effects Supervisor | |
| Hoyt Yeatman | Visual Effects Supervisor | |
| Dennis Skotak | Visual Effects Designer | |
| Deborah Everton | Costume Designer | |
| Deena Appel | Costume Supervisor | |
| Joel Goodman | Editor | |
| Howard Smith | Co-Editor | |
| Conrad Buff | Co-Editor | |
| Lee Orloff | Sound Mixer | |
| Don Bassman | Re-recording Mixer | |
| Kevin F. Cleary | Re-recording Mixer | |
| Richard Overton | Re-recording Mixer | |
| Kevin E. Carpenter | Re-recording Mixer | |
| Dody Dorn | Supervising Sound Editor | |
| John Hoeren | Sound Editor | |
| Peter Michael Sullivan | Sound Editor | |
| Michael Dressel | Sound Editor | |
| Stuart Copley | Sound Editor | |
| Sarah Rothenberg | Sound Editor | |
| Blake Leyh | Sound Designer | |
| Kenneth Karman | Music Editor | |
| Emanuel Millar | Hairstylist | |
| Howard Feuer | Casting Director | |
| Richard Warlock | Stunt Coordinator |
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: | $9,319,797 (17.0% of total gross) |
| Legs: | 5.88 (domestic box office/biggest weekend) |
| Domestic Share: | 99.9% (domestic box office/worldwide) |
| Production Budget: | $70,000,000 (worldwide box office is 0.8 times production budget) |
| Theater counts: | 1,533 opening theaters/1,538 max. theaters, 6.6 weeks average run per theater |
| Infl. Adj. Dom. BO | $154,294,515 |
Movie Details
| Domestic Releases: | August 9th, 1989 (Wide) by 20th Century Fox |
| International Releases: | December 14th, 1989 (Wide) (Australia)
December 10th, 2020 (Limited) (Australia) December 7th, 2023 (Limited) (Special Edition) (Australia) January 25th, 2024 (Limited) (Special Edition 4K Remaster) (New Zealand) ... Show all releases |
| Video Release: | May 14th, 1996 by Fox Home Entertainment |
| MPA Rating: | PG-13 for language and some scenes of action (Special Edition) |
| Running Time: | 140 minutes |
| Plot point: | Alien Encounters, Exes in Love, First Contact, Friendly Alien on Earth, Relationships Gone Wrong, Underwater |
| Social setting: | Cold War |
| Subgenre: | Chase Adventure |
| Source: | Original Screenplay |
| Genre: | Adventure |
| Production Method: | Live Action |
| Creative Type: | Science Fiction |
| Production/Financing Companies: | 20th Century Fox |
| Production Countries: | United States |
| Languages: | English |
Weekend Box Office Performance
| Date | Rank | Gross | % Change | Theaters | Per Theater | Total Gross | Week |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 11, 1989 | 2 | $9,319,797 | 1,533 | $6,079 | $13,027,411 | 1 | |
| Aug 18, 1989 | 3 | $7,213,102 | -23% | 1,538 | $4,690 | $24,745,404 | 2 |
| Aug 25, 1989 | 3 | $4,734,287 | -34% | 1,525 | $3,104 | $32,963,185 | 3 |
| Sep 1, 1989 | 3 | $5,532,135 | +17% | 1,532 | $3,611 | $40,726,991 | 4 |
| Sep 8, 1989 | 5 | $2,865,779 | -48% | 1,498 | $1,913 | $44,540,211 | 5 |
| Sep 15, 1989 | 7 | $2,150,879 | -25% | 1,361 | $1,580 | $47,594,385 | 6 |
| Sep 22, 1989 | 8 | $1,512,309 | -30% | 1,176 | $1,286 | $49,710,458 | 7 |
Daily Box Office Performance
| Date | Rank | Gross | %YD | %LW | Theaters | Per Theater | Total Gross | Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 6, 2023 | 5 | $520,104 | 570 | $912 | $54,763,229 | 12,538 |
Weekly Box Office Performance
| Date | Rank | Gross | % Change | Theaters | Per Theater | Total Gross | Week |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 11, 1989 | 2 | $13,824,688 | 1,533 | $9,018 | $17,532,302 | 2 | |
| Aug 18, 1989 | 3 | $10,696,596 | -23% | 1,538 | $6,955 | $28,228,898 | 3 |
| Aug 25, 1989 | 3 | $6,965,958 | -35% | 1,525 | $4,568 | $35,194,856 | 4 |
| Sep 1, 1989 | 3 | $6,479,576 | -7% | 1,532 | $4,229 | $41,674,432 | 5 |
| Sep 8, 1989 | 5 | $3,769,074 | -42% | 1,498 | $2,516 | $45,443,506 | 6 |
| Sep 15, 1989 | 7 | $2,754,643 | -27% | 1,361 | $2,024 | $48,198,149 | 7 |
Top International Territories
Box Office Summary Per Territory
| Territory | Release Date |
Opening Weekend |
Opening Weekend Screens/Theaters |
Maximum Screens/Theaters |
Theatrical Engagements |
Total Box Office |
Report Date |
|||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | 12/14/1989 | $0 | 0 | 36 | 37 | $23,706 | 12/11/2023 | |||
| New Zealand | 1/25/2024 | $4,892 | 13 | 2 | 16 | $7,062 | 4/4/2026 | |||
| International Total | $30,768 | 4/4/2026 | ||||||||
Note: Territories vary in whether they report screens or theaters. Full details on international box office data are available via our OpusData service.
Supporting
| Ed Harris | Virgil "Bud" Brigman | |
| Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio | Lindsey Brigman | |
| Michael Biehn | Lt. Hiram Coffey | |
| Leo Burmester | Catfish De Vries | |
| Todd Graff | Alan 'Hippy' Carnes | |
| John Bedford Lloyd | Jammer Willis | |
| J.C. Quinn | Arliss 'Sonny' Dawson | |
| Kimberly A. Scott | Lisa 'One Night' Standing | |
| Captain Kidd Brewer, Jr. | Lew Finler | |
| George Robert Klek | Wilhite | |
| Christopher Murphy | Schoenick | |
| Adam Nelson | Ensign Monk | |
| Richard Warlock | Dwight Perry | |
| Jimmie Ray Weeks | Leland McBride | |
| J. Kenneth Campbell | DeMarco | |
| Ken Jenkins | Gerard Kirkhill | |
| Chris Elliott | Bendix | |
| Peter Ratray | Captain | |
| Michael Beach | Barnes | |
| Brad Sullivan | Executive | |
| Frank Lloyd | Navigator | |
| Phillip Darlington | Crew Member | |
| Joseph Nemec III | Crew Member | |
| Joe Farago | Anchorman | |
| William Wisher | Bill Tyler |
Production and Technical Credits
| James Cameron | Director | |
| James Cameron | Screenwriter | |
| Gale Anne Hurd | Producer | |
| Mikael Salomon | Director of Photography | |
| Leslie Dilley | Production Designer | |
| Alan Silvestri | Composer | |
| Robin Oliver | Assistant Director | |
| Stephen J. Fisher | Assistant Director | |
| Newt Arnold | Assistant Director | |
| Charles Skouras III | Production Manager | |
| Peter Childs | Supervising Art Director | |
| Russell Christian | Art Director | |
| Joseph Nemec III | Art Director | |
| Anne Kuljian | Set Decorator | |
| Al Giddings | Underwater Photography | |
| John Bruno | Visual Effects Supervisor | |
| Dennis Muren | Visual Effects Supervisor | |
| Hoyt Yeatman | Visual Effects Supervisor | |
| Dennis Skotak | Visual Effects Designer | |
| Deborah Everton | Costume Designer | |
| Deena Appel | Costume Supervisor | |
| Joel Goodman | Editor | |
| Howard Smith | Co-Editor | |
| Conrad Buff | Co-Editor | |
| Lee Orloff | Sound Mixer | |
| Don Bassman | Re-recording Mixer | |
| Kevin F. Cleary | Re-recording Mixer | |
| Richard Overton | Re-recording Mixer | |
| Kevin E. Carpenter | Re-recording Mixer | |
| Dody Dorn | Supervising Sound Editor | |
| John Hoeren | Sound Editor | |
| Peter Michael Sullivan | Sound Editor | |
| Michael Dressel | Sound Editor | |
| Stuart Copley | Sound Editor | |
| Sarah Rothenberg | Sound Editor | |
| Blake Leyh | Sound Designer | |
| Kenneth Karman | Music Editor | |
| Emanuel Millar | Hairstylist | |
| Howard Feuer | Casting Director | |
| Richard Warlock | Stunt Coordinator |
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.