Dead Poets Society (1989)
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| Theatrical Performance | ||
| Domestic Box Office | $95,860,116 | Details |
| International Box Office | $143,639,884 | Details |
| Worldwide Box Office | $239,500,000 | |
| OpusData ID: 4500100 More info... | ||
| Further financial details... | ||
Metrics
| Legs: | 10.53 (domestic box office/biggest weekend) |
| Domestic Share: | 40.0% (domestic box office/worldwide) |
| Production Budget: | $16,400,000 (worldwide box office is 14.6 times production budget) |
| Infl. Adj. Dom. BO | $271,723,779 |
Movie Details
| Domestic Releases: | June 2nd, 1989 (Wide) by Walt Disney |
| International Releases: | May 19th, 1990 (Wide) (South Korea) |
| Video Release: | November 10th, 1998 |
| MPA Rating: | PG |
| Running Time: | 128 minutes |
| Award nomination: | 1990 Oscars Best Picture Nominee |
| Filming location (city or town): | Middletown, DE, New Castle, DE, Wilmington, DE |
| Filming location (country): | United States |
| Filming location (locale): | Beaver Valley Rock Shelter/Indian Cave, Wilmington, DE, Everett Theatre, Middletown, DE, St. Andrew’s School, Middletown, DE |
| Filming location (state or county): | Delaware, United States, New Castle County, DE |
| Plot point: | Coming of Age, Dysfunctional Family, First Love, Inspirational Teacher, New Guy/Girl in School, Performing Arts, Suicide, Writing and Writers |
| Social setting: | Boarding School |
| Source material: | Inspired by a True Story |
| Subgenre: | Coming-of-Age Drama |
| Source: | Original Screenplay |
| Genre: | Drama |
| Production Method: | Live Action |
| Creative Type: | Contemporary Fiction |
| Production/Financing Companies: | Touchstone Pictures, Silver Screen Partners IV |
| Production Countries: | United States |
| Languages: | English |
Weekend Box Office Performance
| Date | Rank | Gross | % Change | Theaters | Per Theater | Total Gross | Week |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 9, 1989 | 3 | $7,540,464 | 687 | $10,976 | $8,147,863 | 2 | |
| Jun 16, 1989 | 3 | $9,102,459 | +21% | 1,091 | $8,343 | $22,464,763 | 3 |
| Jun 23, 1989 | 5 | $7,344,976 | -19% | 1,091 | $6,732 | $35,586,555 | 4 |
| Jun 30, 1989 | 6 | $6,708,768 | -9% | 1,109 | $6,049 | $46,347,382 | 5 |
| Jul 7, 1989 | 6 | $5,186,264 | -23% | 1,109 | $4,677 | $56,765,388 | 6 |
| Jul 14, 1989 | 8 | $4,258,839 | -18% | 1,047 | $4,068 | $63,871,066 | 7 |
| Jul 21, 1989 | 7 | $3,547,080 | -17% | 1,062 | $3,340 | $70,020,395 | 8 |
| Jul 28, 1989 | 9 | $2,609,319 | -26% | 993 | $2,628 | $74,665,205 | 9 |
| Aug 4, 1989 | 10 | $2,110,905 | -19% | 902 | $2,340 | $78,307,755 | 10 |
| Sep 1, 1989 | 14 | $1,370,827 | 721 | $1,901 | $86,402,887 | 14 | |
| Dec 22, 1989 | 39 | $54,516 | 115 | $474 | $94,326,915 | 30 |
Weekly Box Office Performance
| Date | Rank | Gross | % Change | Theaters | Per Theater | Total Gross | Week |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 9, 1989 | 3 | $12,754,905 | 687 | $18,566 | $13,362,304 | 2 | |
| Jun 16, 1989 | 3 | $14,879,275 | +17% | 1,091 | $13,638 | $28,241,579 | 3 |
| Jun 23, 1989 | 5 | $11,397,035 | -23% | 1,091 | $10,446 | $39,638,614 | 4 |
| Jun 30, 1989 | 6 | $11,940,510 | +5% | 1,109 | $10,767 | $51,579,124 | 5 |
| Jul 7, 1989 | 6 | $8,033,103 | -33% | 1,109 | $7,244 | $59,612,227 | 6 |
| Jul 14, 1989 | 7 | $6,861,088 | -15% | 1,047 | $6,553 | $66,473,315 | 7 |
| Jul 21, 1989 | 7 | $5,582,571 | -19% | 1,062 | $5,257 | $72,055,886 | 8 |
| Jul 28, 1989 | 7 | $4,140,964 | -26% | 993 | $4,170 | $76,196,850 | 9 |
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 |
|||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Korea | 5/19/1990 | $0 | 0 | 54 | 356 | $478,917 | 4/4/2026 | |||
| Rest of World | $143,160,967 | |||||||||
| International Total | $143,639,884 | 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.
Leading
| Robin Williams | John Keating |
| Ethan Hawke | Todd Anderson | |
| Robert Sean Leonard | Neil Perry | |
| Josh Charles | Knox Overstreet | |
| Kurtwood Smith | Mr. Perry | |
| Jamie Kennedy | Extra (uncredited) | |
| Lara Flynn Boyle | Ginny Danburry | |
| Melora Walters | Gloria |
Production and Technical Credits
| Peter Weir | 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
| Legs: | 10.53 (domestic box office/biggest weekend) |
| Domestic Share: | 40.0% (domestic box office/worldwide) |
| Production Budget: | $16,400,000 (worldwide box office is 14.6 times production budget) |
| Infl. Adj. Dom. BO | $271,723,779 |
Movie Details
| Domestic Releases: | June 2nd, 1989 (Wide) by Walt Disney |
| International Releases: | May 19th, 1990 (Wide) (South Korea) |
| Video Release: | November 10th, 1998 |
| MPA Rating: | PG |
| Running Time: | 128 minutes |
| Award nomination: | 1990 Oscars Best Picture Nominee |
| Filming location (city or town): | Middletown, DE, New Castle, DE, Wilmington, DE |
| Filming location (country): | United States |
| Filming location (locale): | Beaver Valley Rock Shelter/Indian Cave, Wilmington, DE, Everett Theatre, Middletown, DE, St. Andrew’s School, Middletown, DE |
| Filming location (state or county): | Delaware, United States, New Castle County, DE |
| Plot point: | Coming of Age, Dysfunctional Family, First Love, Inspirational Teacher, New Guy/Girl in School, Performing Arts, Suicide, Writing and Writers |
| Social setting: | Boarding School |
| Source material: | Inspired by a True Story |
| Subgenre: | Coming-of-Age Drama |
| Source: | Original Screenplay |
| Genre: | Drama |
| Production Method: | Live Action |
| Creative Type: | Contemporary Fiction |
| Production/Financing Companies: | Touchstone Pictures, Silver Screen Partners IV |
| Production Countries: | United States |
| Languages: | English |
Weekend Box Office Performance
| Date | Rank | Gross | % Change | Theaters | Per Theater | Total Gross | Week |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 9, 1989 | 3 | $7,540,464 | 687 | $10,976 | $8,147,863 | 2 | |
| Jun 16, 1989 | 3 | $9,102,459 | +21% | 1,091 | $8,343 | $22,464,763 | 3 |
| Jun 23, 1989 | 5 | $7,344,976 | -19% | 1,091 | $6,732 | $35,586,555 | 4 |
| Jun 30, 1989 | 6 | $6,708,768 | -9% | 1,109 | $6,049 | $46,347,382 | 5 |
| Jul 7, 1989 | 6 | $5,186,264 | -23% | 1,109 | $4,677 | $56,765,388 | 6 |
| Jul 14, 1989 | 8 | $4,258,839 | -18% | 1,047 | $4,068 | $63,871,066 | 7 |
| Jul 21, 1989 | 7 | $3,547,080 | -17% | 1,062 | $3,340 | $70,020,395 | 8 |
| Jul 28, 1989 | 9 | $2,609,319 | -26% | 993 | $2,628 | $74,665,205 | 9 |
| Aug 4, 1989 | 10 | $2,110,905 | -19% | 902 | $2,340 | $78,307,755 | 10 |
| Sep 1, 1989 | 14 | $1,370,827 | 721 | $1,901 | $86,402,887 | 14 | |
| Dec 22, 1989 | 39 | $54,516 | 115 | $474 | $94,326,915 | 30 |
Weekly Box Office Performance
| Date | Rank | Gross | % Change | Theaters | Per Theater | Total Gross | Week |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 9, 1989 | 3 | $12,754,905 | 687 | $18,566 | $13,362,304 | 2 | |
| Jun 16, 1989 | 3 | $14,879,275 | +17% | 1,091 | $13,638 | $28,241,579 | 3 |
| Jun 23, 1989 | 5 | $11,397,035 | -23% | 1,091 | $10,446 | $39,638,614 | 4 |
| Jun 30, 1989 | 6 | $11,940,510 | +5% | 1,109 | $10,767 | $51,579,124 | 5 |
| Jul 7, 1989 | 6 | $8,033,103 | -33% | 1,109 | $7,244 | $59,612,227 | 6 |
| Jul 14, 1989 | 7 | $6,861,088 | -15% | 1,047 | $6,553 | $66,473,315 | 7 |
| Jul 21, 1989 | 7 | $5,582,571 | -19% | 1,062 | $5,257 | $72,055,886 | 8 |
| Jul 28, 1989 | 7 | $4,140,964 | -26% | 993 | $4,170 | $76,196,850 | 9 |
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 |
|||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Korea | 5/19/1990 | $0 | 0 | 54 | 356 | $478,917 | 4/4/2026 | |||
| Rest of World | $143,160,967 | |||||||||
| International Total | $143,639,884 | 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.
Leading
| Robin Williams | John Keating |
| Ethan Hawke | Todd Anderson | |
| Robert Sean Leonard | Neil Perry | |
| Josh Charles | Knox Overstreet | |
| Kurtwood Smith | Mr. Perry | |
| Jamie Kennedy | Extra (uncredited) | |
| Lara Flynn Boyle | Ginny Danburry | |
| Melora Walters | Gloria |
Production and Technical Credits
| Peter Weir | 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.