History of the World: Part I (1981)
| Theatrical Performance | ||
| Domestic Box Office | $31,672,000 | Details |
| OpusData ID: 17970100 More info... | ||
| Further financial details... | ||
Metrics
| Opening Weekend: | $4,892,731 (15.4% of total gross) |
| Legs: | 6.47 (domestic box office/biggest weekend) |
| Domestic Share: | 100.0% (domestic box office/worldwide) |
| Production Budget: | $11,000,000 (worldwide box office is 2.9 times production budget) |
| Theater counts: | 484 opening theaters/606 max. theaters, 5.4 weeks average run per theater |
| Infl. Adj. Dom. BO | $128,852,625 |
Movie Details
| Domestic Releases: | June 12th, 1981 (Wide) by 20th Century Fox |
| Video Release: | July 1st, 1997 by Fox Home Entertainment |
| MPA Rating: | R |
| Running Time: | 92 minutes |
| Cast, crew, or production detail: | Same Actor, Multiple Roles, Segments |
| Geographical setting: | France, Outer Space, Spain |
| Plot point: | Cavemen, Jewish, Religious, Religious Extremism, Satire |
| Social setting: | Revolution, Spanish Inquisition |
| Subgenre: | Satirical Comedy |
| Time period setting: | Ancient Rome |
| Source: | Original Screenplay |
| Genre: | Comedy |
| Production Method: | Live Action |
| Creative Type: | Historical Fiction |
| Production Countries: | United States |
| Languages: | English |
Weekend Box Office Performance
| Date | Rank | Gross | % Change | Theaters | Per Theater | Total Gross | Week |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 12, 1981 | 3 | $4,892,731 | 484 | $10,109 | $4,892,731 | 1 | |
| Jun 19, 1981 | 4 | $3,192,557 | -35% | 497 | $6,424 | $0 | 2 |
| Jun 26, 1981 | 9 | $2,279,043 | -29% | 584 | $3,902 | $14,569,007 | 3 |
| Jul 3, 1981 | 9 | $1,726,982 | -24% | 606 | $2,850 | $17,614,213 | 4 |
| Jul 10, 1981 | 12 | $1,100,047 | -36% | 494 | $2,227 | $19,597,566 | 5 |
| Jul 17, 1981 | 14 | $890,975 | -19% | 462 | $1,929 | $21,042,641 | 6 |
| Jul 31, 1981 | 16 | $0 | 0 | $22,736,928 | 8 | ||
| Aug 7, 1981 | 19 | $282,771 | 175 | $1,616 | $23,253,349 | 9 |
Weekly Box Office Performance
| Date | Rank | Gross | % Change | Theaters | Per Theater | Total Gross | Week |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 19, 1981 | 3 | $15,482,521 | 497 | $31,152 | $12,289,964 | 2 | |
| Jun 26, 1981 | 8 | $3,597,267 | -77% | 584 | $6,160 | $15,887,231 | 3 |
| Jul 3, 1981 | 8 | $2,610,288 | -27% | 606 | $4,307 | $18,497,519 | 4 |
| Jul 10, 1981 | 13 | $1,654,147 | -37% | 494 | $3,348 | $20,151,666 | 5 |
| Jul 31, 1981 | 15 | $233,650 | 0 | $22,970,578 | 8 |
| Nigel Hawthorne | Citizen Official | |
| Gregory Hines | Josephus | |
| Sid Caesar | Chief Caveman | |
| Orson Welles | Narrator | |
| Barry Levinson | Column Salesman |
Cameo
| Bea Arthur | Dole office clerk |
| John Hillerman | Rich man | |
| Mel Brooks | Various roles | |
| Dom DeLuise | Emperor Nero | |
| Cloris Leachman | Madame DeFarge | |
| Madeline Kahn | Empress Nympho |
Supporting
| John Hurt | Jezus |
Production and Technical Credits
| Mel Brooks | Director | |
| John Morris | 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: | $4,892,731 (15.4% of total gross) |
| Legs: | 6.47 (domestic box office/biggest weekend) |
| Domestic Share: | 100.0% (domestic box office/worldwide) |
| Production Budget: | $11,000,000 (worldwide box office is 2.9 times production budget) |
| Theater counts: | 484 opening theaters/606 max. theaters, 5.4 weeks average run per theater |
| Infl. Adj. Dom. BO | $128,852,625 |
Movie Details
| Domestic Releases: | June 12th, 1981 (Wide) by 20th Century Fox |
| Video Release: | July 1st, 1997 by Fox Home Entertainment |
| MPA Rating: | R |
| Running Time: | 92 minutes |
| Cast, crew, or production detail: | Same Actor, Multiple Roles, Segments |
| Geographical setting: | France, Outer Space, Spain |
| Plot point: | Cavemen, Jewish, Religious, Religious Extremism, Satire |
| Social setting: | Revolution, Spanish Inquisition |
| Subgenre: | Satirical Comedy |
| Time period setting: | Ancient Rome |
| Source: | Original Screenplay |
| Genre: | Comedy |
| Production Method: | Live Action |
| Creative Type: | Historical Fiction |
| Production Countries: | United States |
| Languages: | English |
Weekend Box Office Performance
| Date | Rank | Gross | % Change | Theaters | Per Theater | Total Gross | Week |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 12, 1981 | 3 | $4,892,731 | 484 | $10,109 | $4,892,731 | 1 | |
| Jun 19, 1981 | 4 | $3,192,557 | -35% | 497 | $6,424 | $0 | 2 |
| Jun 26, 1981 | 9 | $2,279,043 | -29% | 584 | $3,902 | $14,569,007 | 3 |
| Jul 3, 1981 | 9 | $1,726,982 | -24% | 606 | $2,850 | $17,614,213 | 4 |
| Jul 10, 1981 | 12 | $1,100,047 | -36% | 494 | $2,227 | $19,597,566 | 5 |
| Jul 17, 1981 | 14 | $890,975 | -19% | 462 | $1,929 | $21,042,641 | 6 |
| Jul 31, 1981 | 16 | $0 | 0 | $22,736,928 | 8 | ||
| Aug 7, 1981 | 19 | $282,771 | 175 | $1,616 | $23,253,349 | 9 |
Weekly Box Office Performance
| Date | Rank | Gross | % Change | Theaters | Per Theater | Total Gross | Week |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 19, 1981 | 3 | $15,482,521 | 497 | $31,152 | $12,289,964 | 2 | |
| Jun 26, 1981 | 8 | $3,597,267 | -77% | 584 | $6,160 | $15,887,231 | 3 |
| Jul 3, 1981 | 8 | $2,610,288 | -27% | 606 | $4,307 | $18,497,519 | 4 |
| Jul 10, 1981 | 13 | $1,654,147 | -37% | 494 | $3,348 | $20,151,666 | 5 |
| Jul 31, 1981 | 15 | $233,650 | 0 | $22,970,578 | 8 |
| Nigel Hawthorne | Citizen Official | |
| Gregory Hines | Josephus | |
| Sid Caesar | Chief Caveman | |
| Orson Welles | Narrator | |
| Barry Levinson | Column Salesman |
Cameo
| Bea Arthur | Dole office clerk |
| John Hillerman | Rich man | |
| Mel Brooks | Various roles | |
| Dom DeLuise | Emperor Nero | |
| Cloris Leachman | Madame DeFarge | |
| Madeline Kahn | Empress Nympho |
Supporting
| John Hurt | Jezus |
Production and Technical Credits
| Mel Brooks | Director | |
| John Morris | 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.