Box Office Flashback: 1980

[claws]

1980 DOMESTIC GROSSES #1–20

01. $209,398,025 - The Empire Strikes Back
02. $103,290,500 - 9 to 5
03. $101,300,000 - Stir Crazy
04. $083,453,539 - Airplane!
05. $070,687,344 - Any Which Way You Can
06. $069,847,348 - Private Benjamin
07. $067,182,787 - Coal Miner's Daughter
08. $066,132,626 - Smokey and the Bandit II
09. $058,853,106 - The Blue Lagoon
10. $057,229,890 - The Blues Brothers

11. $054,766,923 - Ordinary People
12. $049,823,037 - Popeye
13. $046,918,287 - Urban Cowboy
14. $044,017,374 - The Shining
15. $043,995,918 - Seems Like Old Times
16. $041,675,194 - Cheech & Chong's Next Movie
17. $039,846,344 - Caddyshack
18. $039,754,601 - Friday the 13th
19. $037,121,708 - Brubaker
20. $034,326,249 - Little Darlings

Thoughts, opinions, ready to stroll down memory lane?

[The Burgomaster]

The taste of the movie-going public gets BASHED again!  The fact that STIR CRAZY is #3 on this list makes me weep for society in general.  I won't even mention some of the other dreadful movies on this list.

[Flick James]

Sorry, Burgo, I generally agree with the vast majority of your posts, but I actually like a good number of movies on this list, for one reason or another. There are very few on this list I would not watch, but I'll admit a good number are because they are laughably bad. And yes, I actually like Stir Crazy.

01. $209,398,025 - The Empire Strikes Back (my favorite of the entire franchise)
02. $103,290,500 - 9 to 5 (like it on a "ooh-it's-very-bad" level)
03. $101,300,000 - Stir Crazy (like it)
04. $083,453,539 - Airplane! (love it)
05. $070,687,344 - Any Which Way You Can (see 9 to 5 above)
06. $069,847,348 - Private Benjamin (pass on this one)
07. $067,182,787 - Coal Miner's Daughter (good film)
08. $066,132,626 - Smokey and the Bandit II (myeh)
09. $058,853,106 - The Blue Lagoon (somewhat enjoyable as a bad movie)
10. $057,229,890 - The Blues Brothers (love it)

11. $054,766,923 - Ordinary People (nooooooo thank you)
12. $049,823,037 - Popeye (sooooooo bad)
13. $046,918,287 - Urban Cowboy (actually like it as a bad movie)
14. $044,017,374 - The Shining (like it)
15. $043,995,918 - Seems Like Old Times (yes, I like it)
16. $041,675,194 - Cheech & Chong's Next Movie (like it)
17. $039,846,344 - Caddyshack (like it)
18. $039,754,601 - Friday the 13th (never been a fan of the franchise but oh well)
19. $037,121,708 - Brubaker (not a bad film at all)
20. $034,326,249 - Little Darlings (the only one on the list I've never seen)

[The Burgomaster]

Sorry, Burgo, I generally agree with the vast majority of your posts, but I actually like a good number of movies on this list, for one reason or another. There are very few on this list I would not watch, but I'll admit a good number are because they are laughably bad. And yes, I actually like Stir Crazy.

I have seen nearly every movie on this list.  I've seen many of them (including STIR CRAZY) more than once and I would watch them again.  However, the fact that some of the bad ones made so much money is what boggles my mind.  There is no way on earth STIR CRAZY deserves to be the #3 grossing movie in any year.  Stuff like COAL MINER'S DAUGHTER, ORDINARY PEOPLE, CADDYSHACK, and BRUBAKER should be higher on the list, while stuff like ANY WHICH WAY YOU CAN and POPEYE should be much lower.

[Flick James]

Sorry, Burgo, I generally agree with the vast majority of your posts, but I actually like a good number of movies on this list, for one reason or another. There are very few on this list I would not watch, but I'll admit a good number are because they are laughably bad. And yes, I actually like Stir Crazy.

I have seen nearly every movie on this list.  I've seen many of them (including STIR CRAZY) more than once and I would watch them again.  However, the fact that some of the bad ones made so much money is what boggles my mind.  There is no way on earth STIR CRAZY deserves to be the #3 grossing movie in any year.  Stuff like COAL MINER'S DAUGHTER, ORDINARY PEOPLE, CADDYSHACK, and BRUBAKER should be higher on the list, while stuff like ANY WHICH WAY YOU CAN and POPEYE should be much lower.

Ah. I guess I misread the context. Wouldn't be the first time. That's a salient point. There's no understanding the great unwashed, my friend.

[lester1/2jr]

I love cheech and chongs next movie.

[retrorussell]

1980 DOMESTIC GROSSES #1–20

01. $209,398,025 - The Empire Strikes Back
02. $103,290,500 - 9 to 5
03. $101,300,000 - Stir Crazy
04. $083,453,539 - Airplane!
05. $070,687,344 - Any Which Way You Can
06. $069,847,348 - Private Benjamin
07. $067,182,787 - Coal Miner's Daughter
08. $066,132,626 - Smokey and the Bandit II
09. $058,853,106 - The Blue Lagoon
10. $057,229,890 - The Blues Brothers

11. $054,766,923 - Ordinary People
12. $049,823,037 - Popeye
13. $046,918,287 - Urban Cowboy
14. $044,017,374 - The Shining
15. $043,995,918 - Seems Like Old Times
16. $041,675,194 - Cheech & Chong's Next Movie
17. $039,846,344 - Caddyshack
18. $039,754,601 - Friday the 13th
19. $037,121,708 - Brubaker
20. $034,326,249 - Little Darlings

Thoughts, opinions, ready to stroll down memory lane?

Yeah, I agree with Burgo.  A lot of these are either the "so bad it's good" category or rank high on the suck-o-meter scale.
I liked many of them as a 9-year old but now.. ugh.  Empire was too open-ended but still very good, 9 to 5 way overrated.  Airplane was worlds better than any of the other comedies on the list, and even it had its flaws.

[hudders]

I'm not convinced by these numbers. Is this just domestic gross for 1980, or total domestic gross to date?

If it's total, Empire's been re-released three times which hardly seems fair.

[The Burgomaster]

I'm not convinced by these numbers. Is this just domestic gross for 1980, or total domestic gross to date?

If it's total, Empire's been re-released three times which hardly seems fair.

But if Empire keeps getting released and making money, why is it unfair?  Doesn't it deserve to get credit for its ability to keep making money?  They could re-release Little Darlings three times, but not many people would go to see it.  But Empire keeps proving that it's a crowd pleaser.  [Believe me, I am NOT a Star Wars franchise geek, so I have no real motivation to defend Empire.  Just trying to state my opinion!]

[hudders]

What I mean is, it looks like there's no like-for-like comparison. Fair enough if they're all 1980's figures or all total figures but it looks like they're mainly 1980 figures except Empire.

[claws]

That's what Empire Strikes Back made in 1980, not counting the 1982 re-issue ($13,276,241) or the 1997 Special Edition ($67,597,694).

[hudders]

WOW. OK then, it really blew everything else out of the water!

[JaseSF]

01. $209,398,025 - The Empire Strikes Back (The best Star Wars film IMO)
02. $103,290,500 - 9 to 5 (This was really hugely popular. I liked it but thought it was very overrated at the time)
03. $101,300,000 - Stir Crazy (I enjoyed this but don't recall a lot about it now)
04. $083,453,539 - Airplane! (a classic!)
05. $070,687,344 - Any Which Way You Can (Haven't seen it)
06. $069,847,348 - Private Benjamin (Haven't seen it)
07. $067,182,787 - Coal Miner's Daughter (Highly regarded. Recall it being good but not so much the kind of movie I usually like)
08. $066,132,626 - Smokey and the Bandit II (I really liked it back in the day but not as much as the first one)
09. $058,853,106 - The Blue Lagoon (Haven't seen it)
10. $057,229,890 - The Blues Brothers (Haven't seen it)

11. $054,766,923 - Ordinary People (Not half bad at all)
12. $049,823,037 - Popeye (I liked it when I was a kid but don't recall much about it now)
13. $046,918,287 - Urban Cowboy (Haven't seen it)
14. $044,017,374 - The Shining (frightened the crap out of me when I was a teen. Deserves points for that.)
15. $043,995,918 - Seems Like Old Times (Haven't seen it)
16. $041,675,194 - Cheech & Chong's Next Movie (I've seen some of these films but they all blend together in my memory. Recall some being fun and more being dumb.)
17. $039,846,344 - Caddyshack (Recall liking it)
18. $039,754,601 - Friday the 13th (I liked it but not as well as a couple of its sequels)
19. $037,121,708 - Brubaker (Haven't seen it)
20. $034,326,249 - Little Darlings (Haven't seen it)
 

[major jay]

What's suprising to me about this list is that I saw 14 of them at a theater that year. Things sure have changed.

[ChaosTheory]

Kind of surprised to see Popeye in the top 20; I thought that movie was pretty much universally reviled.