The Return of the Living Dead (1985)
| Theatrical Performance | ||
| Domestic Box Office | $14,237,880 | Details |
| International Box Office | $948 | Details |
| Worldwide Box Office | $14,238,828 | |
| Domestic Physical Disc Sales | ||
| DVD Sales (estimated) | $939 | |
| Blu-ray Sales (estimated) | $668,166 | |
| Total | $669,105 | |
| OpusData ID: 31260100 More info... | ||
| Further financial details... | ||
Metrics
| Opening Weekend: | $4,403,169 (30.9% of total gross) |
| Legs: | 3.23 (domestic box office/biggest weekend) |
| Domestic Share: | 100.0% (domestic box office/worldwide) |
| Production Budget: | $4,000,000 (worldwide box office is 3.6 times production budget) |
| Theater counts: | 1,506 opening theaters/1,506 max. theaters, 3.5 weeks average run per theater |
| Infl. Adj. Dom. BO | $45,360,678 |
Movie Details
| Domestic Releases: | August 16th, 1985 (Wide) by Orion Pictures |
| International Releases: | September 1st, 2022 (Limited) (New Zealand)
October 24th, 2024 (Limited) (New Zealand) |
| Video Release: | December 31st, 1986 by Thorn EMI |
| MPA Rating: | R |
| Running Time: | 91 minutes |
| Franchise: | Return of the Living Dead |
| Plot point: | Zombies |
| Subgenre: | Horror Comedy |
| Source: | Based on Fiction Book/Short Story |
| Genre: | Horror |
| Production Method: | Live Action |
| Creative Type: | Science Fiction |
| Production Countries: | United States |
| Languages: | English |
Weekend Box Office Performance
| Date | Rank | Gross | % Change | Theaters | Per Theater | Total Gross | Week |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 16, 1985 | 4 | $4,403,169 | 1,506 | $2,924 | $4,403,169 | 1 | |
| Aug 23, 1985 | 6 | $2,780,425 | -37% | 1,500 | $1,854 | $9,282,027 | 2 |
| Aug 30, 1985 | 13 | $1,755,421 | -37% | 945 | $1,858 | $12,176,721 | 3 |
| Sep 6, 1985 | 15 | $849,238 | -52% | 690 | $1,231 | $13,323,406 | 4 |
| Sep 13, 1985 | 15 | $628,423 | -26% | 608 | $1,034 | $14,237,880 | 5 |
Weekly Box Office Performance
| Date | Rank | Gross | % Change | Theaters | Per Theater | Total Gross | Week |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 16, 1985 | 4 | $6,501,602 | 1,506 | $4,317 | $6,501,602 | 1 | |
| Aug 23, 1985 | 6 | $3,919,698 | -40% | 1,500 | $2,613 | $10,421,300 | 2 |
| Aug 30, 1985 | 13 | $2,052,868 | -48% | 945 | $2,172 | $12,474,168 | 3 |
| Sep 6, 1985 | 13 | $1,135,289 | -45% | 690 | $1,645 | $13,609,457 | 4 |
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 |
|||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Zealand | 9/1/2022 | $0 | 0 | 1 | 7 | $12 | 4/4/2026 | |||
| Rest of World | $936 | |||||||||
| International Total | $948 | 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.
| Miguel A. Núñez, Jr. | Spider | |
| Clu Gulager | Burt Wilson | |
| James Karen | Frank |
Production and Technical Credits
| Dan O’Bannon | Director | |
| John A. Russo | Story by |
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: | $4,403,169 (30.9% of total gross) |
| Legs: | 3.23 (domestic box office/biggest weekend) |
| Domestic Share: | 100.0% (domestic box office/worldwide) |
| Production Budget: | $4,000,000 (worldwide box office is 3.6 times production budget) |
| Theater counts: | 1,506 opening theaters/1,506 max. theaters, 3.5 weeks average run per theater |
| Infl. Adj. Dom. BO | $45,360,678 |
Movie Details
| Domestic Releases: | August 16th, 1985 (Wide) by Orion Pictures |
| International Releases: | September 1st, 2022 (Limited) (New Zealand)
October 24th, 2024 (Limited) (New Zealand) |
| Video Release: | December 31st, 1986 by Thorn EMI |
| MPA Rating: | R |
| Running Time: | 91 minutes |
| Franchise: | Return of the Living Dead |
| Plot point: | Zombies |
| Subgenre: | Horror Comedy |
| Source: | Based on Fiction Book/Short Story |
| Genre: | Horror |
| Production Method: | Live Action |
| Creative Type: | Science Fiction |
| Production Countries: | United States |
| Languages: | English |
Weekend Box Office Performance
| Date | Rank | Gross | % Change | Theaters | Per Theater | Total Gross | Week |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 16, 1985 | 4 | $4,403,169 | 1,506 | $2,924 | $4,403,169 | 1 | |
| Aug 23, 1985 | 6 | $2,780,425 | -37% | 1,500 | $1,854 | $9,282,027 | 2 |
| Aug 30, 1985 | 13 | $1,755,421 | -37% | 945 | $1,858 | $12,176,721 | 3 |
| Sep 6, 1985 | 15 | $849,238 | -52% | 690 | $1,231 | $13,323,406 | 4 |
| Sep 13, 1985 | 15 | $628,423 | -26% | 608 | $1,034 | $14,237,880 | 5 |
Weekly Box Office Performance
| Date | Rank | Gross | % Change | Theaters | Per Theater | Total Gross | Week |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 16, 1985 | 4 | $6,501,602 | 1,506 | $4,317 | $6,501,602 | 1 | |
| Aug 23, 1985 | 6 | $3,919,698 | -40% | 1,500 | $2,613 | $10,421,300 | 2 |
| Aug 30, 1985 | 13 | $2,052,868 | -48% | 945 | $2,172 | $12,474,168 | 3 |
| Sep 6, 1985 | 13 | $1,135,289 | -45% | 690 | $1,645 | $13,609,457 | 4 |
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 |
|||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Zealand | 9/1/2022 | $0 | 0 | 1 | 7 | $12 | 4/4/2026 | |||
| Rest of World | $936 | |||||||||
| International Total | $948 | 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.
| Miguel A. Núñez, Jr. | Spider | |
| Clu Gulager | Burt Wilson | |
| James Karen | Frank |
Production and Technical Credits
| Dan O’Bannon | Director | |
| John A. Russo | Story by |
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.