Better Off Dead... (1985)
| Theatrical Performance | ||
| Domestic Box Office | $10,297,601 | Details |
| OpusData ID: 36770100 More info... | ||
| Further financial details... | ||
Metrics
| Opening Weekend: | $56,371 (0.5% of total gross) |
| Legs: | 4.00 (domestic box office/biggest weekend) |
| Domestic Share: | 100.0% (domestic box office/worldwide) |
| Theater counts: | 13 opening theaters/650 max. theaters, 6.1 weeks average run per theater |
| Infl. Adj. Dom. BO | $32,807,279 |
Movie Details
| Domestic Releases: | August 23rd, 1985 (Wide) by Warner Bros. |
| Video Release: | July 16th, 2002 by Paramount Home Video |
| MPA Rating: | PG |
| Running Time: | 97 minutes |
| Cast, crew, or production detail: | Foreign Language |
| Plot point: | Narcotics, Non-Chronological, Relationships Gone Wrong, Skiing, Suicide, Winter Sports |
| Social setting: | Slobs vs. Snobs |
| Subgenre: | Black Comedy |
| Target audience: | Cult Movie |
| Source: | Original Screenplay |
| Genre: | Black Comedy |
| Production Method: | Live Action |
| Creative Type: | Contemporary Fiction |
| Production/Financing Companies: | CBS Films, A&M Films |
| Production Countries: | United States |
| Languages: | English |
Weekend Box Office Performance
| Date | Rank | Gross | % Change | Theaters | Per Theater | Total Gross | Week |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 23, 1985 | 31 | $56,371 | 13 | $4,336 | $56,371 | 1 | |
| Aug 30, 1985 | 35 | $62,880 | +12% | 13 | $4,837 | $139,078 | 2 |
| Sep 6, 1985 | 34 | $28,590 | -55% | 11 | $2,599 | $174,803 | 3 |
| Sep 13, 1985 | 32 | $20,622 | -28% | 9 | $2,291 | $200,463 | 4 |
| Sep 20, 1985 | 33 | $14,696 | -29% | 8 | $1,837 | $219,394 | 5 |
| Sep 27, 1985 | 32 | $9,172 | -38% | 7 | $1,310 | $231,730 | 6 |
| Oct 4, 1985 | 32 | $9,763 | +6% | 4 | $2,441 | $244,265 | 7 |
| Oct 11, 1985 | 7 | $2,573,297 | +26,258% | 650 | $3,959 | $2,819,675 | 8 |
| Oct 18, 1985 | 7 | $1,817,612 | -29% | 638 | $2,849 | $5,003,517 | 9 |
| Oct 25, 1985 | 8 | $1,228,281 | -32% | 616 | $1,994 | $6,615,557 | 10 |
| Nov 1, 1985 | 10 | $1,137,240 | -7% | 622 | $1,828 | $8,039,089 | 11 |
| Nov 8, 1985 | 14 | $749,254 | -34% | 511 | $1,466 | $9,066,803 | 12 |
| Nov 15, 1985 | 15 | $554,066 | -26% | 495 | $1,119 | $9,841,887 | 13 |
| Nov 22, 1985 | 22 | $317,922 | -43% | 372 | $855 | $10,297,601 | 14 |
Weekly Box Office Performance
| Date | Rank | Gross | % Change | Theaters | Per Theater | Total Gross | Week |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 23, 1985 | 29 | $76,198 | 13 | $5,861 | $76,198 | 1 | |
| Aug 30, 1985 | 32 | $70,015 | -8% | 13 | $5,386 | $146,213 | 2 |
| Sep 6, 1985 | 30 | $33,628 | -52% | 11 | $3,057 | $179,841 | 3 |
| Sep 13, 1985 | 30 | $24,857 | -26% | 9 | $2,762 | $204,698 | 4 |
| Sep 20, 1985 | 28 | $17,860 | -28% | 8 | $2,233 | $222,558 | 5 |
| Sep 27, 1985 | 27 | $11,944 | -33% | 7 | $1,706 | $234,502 | 6 |
| Oct 4, 1985 | 27 | $11,876 | -1% | 4 | $2,969 | $246,378 | 7 |
| Oct 11, 1985 | 7 | $2,939,527 | +24,652% | 650 | $4,522 | $3,185,905 | 8 |
| Oct 18, 1985 | 7 | $2,201,371 | -25% | 638 | $3,450 | $5,387,276 | 9 |
| Oct 25, 1985 | 9 | $1,514,573 | -31% | 616 | $2,459 | $6,901,849 | 10 |
| Nov 1, 1985 | 10 | $1,415,700 | -7% | 622 | $2,276 | $8,317,549 | 11 |
| Nov 8, 1985 | 13 | $970,272 | -31% | 511 | $1,899 | $9,287,821 | 12 |
| Nov 15, 1985 | 15 | $691,858 | -29% | 495 | $1,398 | $9,979,679 | 13 |
Leading
| John Cusack | Lane Myer |
Supporting
| David Ogden Stiers | Al Myer | |
| Diane Franklin | Monique | |
| Kim Darby | Jenny Meyer | |
| Curtis Armstrong | Charles De Mar, Lane’s best friend | |
| Rick Rosenthal | Smitty | |
| Elizabeth Daily | Herself | |
| Steven Williams | Tree Trimmer | |
| Vincent Schiavelli | Mr. Kerber | |
| Amanda Wyss | Beth |
Production and Technical Credits
| Savage Steve Holland | Director | |
| Savage Steve Holland | Screenwriter | |
| Michael Jaffe | Producer | |
| Gil Friesen | Executive Producer | |
| Andrew Meyer | Executive Producer | |
| Rupert Hine | Composer |
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: | $56,371 (0.5% of total gross) |
| Legs: | 4.00 (domestic box office/biggest weekend) |
| Domestic Share: | 100.0% (domestic box office/worldwide) |
| Theater counts: | 13 opening theaters/650 max. theaters, 6.1 weeks average run per theater |
| Infl. Adj. Dom. BO | $32,807,279 |
Movie Details
| Domestic Releases: | August 23rd, 1985 (Wide) by Warner Bros. |
| Video Release: | July 16th, 2002 by Paramount Home Video |
| MPA Rating: | PG |
| Running Time: | 97 minutes |
| Cast, crew, or production detail: | Foreign Language |
| Plot point: | Narcotics, Non-Chronological, Relationships Gone Wrong, Skiing, Suicide, Winter Sports |
| Social setting: | Slobs vs. Snobs |
| Subgenre: | Black Comedy |
| Target audience: | Cult Movie |
| Source: | Original Screenplay |
| Genre: | Black Comedy |
| Production Method: | Live Action |
| Creative Type: | Contemporary Fiction |
| Production/Financing Companies: | CBS Films, A&M Films |
| Production Countries: | United States |
| Languages: | English |
Weekend Box Office Performance
| Date | Rank | Gross | % Change | Theaters | Per Theater | Total Gross | Week |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 23, 1985 | 31 | $56,371 | 13 | $4,336 | $56,371 | 1 | |
| Aug 30, 1985 | 35 | $62,880 | +12% | 13 | $4,837 | $139,078 | 2 |
| Sep 6, 1985 | 34 | $28,590 | -55% | 11 | $2,599 | $174,803 | 3 |
| Sep 13, 1985 | 32 | $20,622 | -28% | 9 | $2,291 | $200,463 | 4 |
| Sep 20, 1985 | 33 | $14,696 | -29% | 8 | $1,837 | $219,394 | 5 |
| Sep 27, 1985 | 32 | $9,172 | -38% | 7 | $1,310 | $231,730 | 6 |
| Oct 4, 1985 | 32 | $9,763 | +6% | 4 | $2,441 | $244,265 | 7 |
| Oct 11, 1985 | 7 | $2,573,297 | +26,258% | 650 | $3,959 | $2,819,675 | 8 |
| Oct 18, 1985 | 7 | $1,817,612 | -29% | 638 | $2,849 | $5,003,517 | 9 |
| Oct 25, 1985 | 8 | $1,228,281 | -32% | 616 | $1,994 | $6,615,557 | 10 |
| Nov 1, 1985 | 10 | $1,137,240 | -7% | 622 | $1,828 | $8,039,089 | 11 |
| Nov 8, 1985 | 14 | $749,254 | -34% | 511 | $1,466 | $9,066,803 | 12 |
| Nov 15, 1985 | 15 | $554,066 | -26% | 495 | $1,119 | $9,841,887 | 13 |
| Nov 22, 1985 | 22 | $317,922 | -43% | 372 | $855 | $10,297,601 | 14 |
Weekly Box Office Performance
| Date | Rank | Gross | % Change | Theaters | Per Theater | Total Gross | Week |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 23, 1985 | 29 | $76,198 | 13 | $5,861 | $76,198 | 1 | |
| Aug 30, 1985 | 32 | $70,015 | -8% | 13 | $5,386 | $146,213 | 2 |
| Sep 6, 1985 | 30 | $33,628 | -52% | 11 | $3,057 | $179,841 | 3 |
| Sep 13, 1985 | 30 | $24,857 | -26% | 9 | $2,762 | $204,698 | 4 |
| Sep 20, 1985 | 28 | $17,860 | -28% | 8 | $2,233 | $222,558 | 5 |
| Sep 27, 1985 | 27 | $11,944 | -33% | 7 | $1,706 | $234,502 | 6 |
| Oct 4, 1985 | 27 | $11,876 | -1% | 4 | $2,969 | $246,378 | 7 |
| Oct 11, 1985 | 7 | $2,939,527 | +24,652% | 650 | $4,522 | $3,185,905 | 8 |
| Oct 18, 1985 | 7 | $2,201,371 | -25% | 638 | $3,450 | $5,387,276 | 9 |
| Oct 25, 1985 | 9 | $1,514,573 | -31% | 616 | $2,459 | $6,901,849 | 10 |
| Nov 1, 1985 | 10 | $1,415,700 | -7% | 622 | $2,276 | $8,317,549 | 11 |
| Nov 8, 1985 | 13 | $970,272 | -31% | 511 | $1,899 | $9,287,821 | 12 |
| Nov 15, 1985 | 15 | $691,858 | -29% | 495 | $1,398 | $9,979,679 | 13 |
Leading
| John Cusack | Lane Myer |
Supporting
| David Ogden Stiers | Al Myer | |
| Diane Franklin | Monique | |
| Kim Darby | Jenny Meyer | |
| Curtis Armstrong | Charles De Mar, Lane’s best friend | |
| Rick Rosenthal | Smitty | |
| Elizabeth Daily | Herself | |
| Steven Williams | Tree Trimmer | |
| Vincent Schiavelli | Mr. Kerber | |
| Amanda Wyss | Beth |
Production and Technical Credits
| Savage Steve Holland | Director | |
| Savage Steve Holland | Screenwriter | |
| Michael Jaffe | Producer | |
| Gil Friesen | Executive Producer | |
| Andrew Meyer | Executive Producer | |
| Rupert Hine | Composer |
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.