The Top 50 Biggest Movies of the '70s

The Top 50 Biggest Movies of the ’70s

The 1970’s in Hollywood was a period known as ‘New Hollywood’ or the ‘American New Wave’, where a new generation of Young filmmakers like George Lucas, Steven Spielberg and Francis Ford Coppola. The influence of this decade of movies is still felt today, so we tallied up all the ticket sales from the biggest movies of 1970 to 1979, based on the North American market… Here are the results.

50 – Airport 1975 (1974)

TICKETS SOLD:

25,286,177

SYNOPSIS:

When an in-flight collision incapacitates the pilots of an airplane bound for Los Angeles, stewardess Nancy Pryor is forced to take over the controls. From the ground, her boyfriend Alan Murdock, a retired test pilot, tries to talk her through piloting and landing the 747 aircraft. Worse yet, the anxious passengers — among which are a noisy nun and a cranky man — are aggravating the already tense atmosphere.

49 – Jeremiah Johnson (1972)

TICKETS SOLD:

25,286,177

SYNOPSIS:

A mountain man (Robert Redford) who wishes to live the life of a hermit becomes the unwilling object of a long vendetta by Indians when he proves to be the match of their warriors in one-to-one combat on the early frontier.

48 – Deep Throat (1972)

TICKETS SOLD:

26,470,588

SYNOPSIS:

Deep Throat is a 1972 American pornographic film that was at the forefront of the Golden Age of Porn (1969–1984). A woman with an unusual birth defect comes to a doctor who has an unorthodox solution to make the best of her situation.

47 – Diamonds Are Forever (1971)

TICKETS SOLD:

26,545,454

SYNOPSIS:

James Bond, equipped with an armoury of hi-tech gadgets, infiltrates a Las Vegas diamond-smuggling ring in a bid to foil a plot to target Washington with a laser in space. However, as 007 prepares to tackle the evil Blofeld, the mastermind who threatens to destabilise the world, he is captivated by the delicious Tiffany Case – but is she really a double agent?

46 – The Aristocats (1970)

TICKETS SOLD:

26,556,641

SYNOPSIS:

When Madame Adelaide Bonfamille leaves her fortune to Duchess and her children—Bonfamille’s beloved family of cats—the butler plots to steal the money and kidnaps the legatees, leaving them out on a country road. All seems lost until the wily Thomas O’Malley Cat and his jazz-playing alley cats come to the aristocats’ rescue.

45 – Deliverance (1972)

TICKETS SOLD:

27,130,797

SYNOPSIS:

Four city-dwelling friends (Jon Voight, Burt Reynolds, Ned Beatty, Ronny Cox) decide to get away from their jobs, wives and kids for a week of canoeing in rural Georgia. When the men arrive, they are not welcomed by the backwoods locals, who stalk the vacationers and savagely attack them in the woods. Reeling from the ambush, the friends attempt to return home but are surrounded by dangerous rapids and pursued by a madman. Soon, their canoe trip turns into a fight for survival.

44 – Moonraker (1979)

TICKETS SOLD:

28,007,968

SYNOPSIS:

Agent 007 (Roger Moore) blasts into orbit in this action-packed adventure that takes him to Venice, Rio De Janeiro and outer space. When Bond investigates the hijacking of an American space shuttle, he and beautiful CIA agent Holly Goodhead (Lois Chiles) are soon locked in a life-or-death struggle against Hugo Drax (Michael Lonsdale), a power-mad industrialist whose horrific scheme may destroy all human life on earth!

43 – The Way We Were (1973)

TICKETS SOLD:

28,007,968

SYNOPSIS:

Opposites attract when, during their college days, Katie Morosky (Barbra Streisand), a politically active Jew, meets Hubbell Gardiner (Robert Redford), a feckless WASP. Years later, in the wake of World War II, they meet again and, despite their obvious differences, marry. Hubbell wants to be a screenwriter, so the two move to California despite Katie’s objections. They prosper there, but as the Hollywood blacklist looms, Katie’s activism threatens her husband’s reputation.

42 – The Jerk (1979)

TICKETS SOLD:

29,359,131

SYNOPSIS:

Navin (Steve Martin) believes he was born a poor black child in Mississippi. He is, however, actually white. Upon figuring this out, he heads north to St. Louis to find himself. After landing a job at a gas station, Navin is excited to discover his name printed in the new phone book. This ratification of his existence leads him from one misadventure to another — as he invents gadgets, dodges bullets, joins the carnival and seeks love in the arms of beautiful Marie (Bernadette Peters).

41 – A Star Is Born (1976)

TICKETS SOLD:

29,638,449

SYNOPSIS:

A rock star on the decline, John Norman Howard has given in to drugs and excessive drinking, and his music has suffered as a result. Wandering into a club one night, John watches singer Esther Hoffman perform and is smitten. The two begin dating, and soon John lets Esther take the spotlight during his concerts. However, even as Esther finds fame and success with her singing, John continues his downward spiral.

40 – Papillon (1973)

TICKETS SOLD:

30,094,350

SYNOPSIS:

Convicted murderer Henri Charriere (Steve McQueen), known as “Papillon” for his butterfly chest tattoo, is transported to French Guiana to serve his sentence in a work camp. Determined to escape, Papillon forms an unlikely relationship with the frail but notorious forger Louis Dega (Dustin Hoffman), who reluctantly joins in the attempt. Despite the harshness of solitary confinement, brutal conditions and constant threats of betrayal, Papillon leads a desperate escape off the island.

39 – The Muppet Movie (1979)

TICKETS SOLD:

30,540,637

SYNOPSIS:

A Hollywood agent persuades Kermit the Frog to pursue a career in Hollywood. On his way there he meets his future muppet crew while being chased by the desperate owner of a frog-leg restaurant!

38 – The Godfather Part II (1974)

TICKETS SOLD:

30,641,711

SYNOPSIS:

The compelling sequel to “The Godfather,” contrasting the life of Corleone father and son. Traces the problems of Michael Corleone (Al Pacino) in 1958 and that of a young immigrant Vito Corleone (Robert De Niro) in 1917’s Hell’s Kitchen. Michael survives many misfortunes and Vito is introduced to a life of crime.

37 – Apocalypse Now (1979)

TICKETS SOLD:

31,388,051

SYNOPSIS:

In Vietnam in 1970, Captain Willard (Martin Sheen) takes a perilous and increasingly hallucinatory journey upriver to find and terminate Colonel Kurtz (Marlon Brando), a once-promising officer who has reportedly gone completely mad. In the company of a Navy patrol boat filled with street-smart kids, a surfing-obsessed Air Cavalry officer (Robert Duvall), and a crazed freelance photographer (Dennis Hopper), Willard travels further and further into the heart of darkness.

36 – Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979)

TICKETS SOLD:

32,772,293

SYNOPSIS:

The Federation calls on Adm. James T. Kirk (William Shatner) and the crew of the Starship Enterprise to contain an immense nimbused object that’s on a crash course with Earth. After investigating, the crew discovers that the alien cloud harbors artificial intelligence with an ominous primary directive. Crisis strikes when a probe dispatched by the energy cloud attacks the crew, abducting navigator Lt. Ilia (Persis Khambatta). An android look-alike containing her memories shows up soon after.

35 – What’s Up, Doc? (1972)

TICKETS SOLD:

33,613,376

SYNOPSIS:

Two researchers have come to San Francisco to compete for a research grant in music. The man seems a bit distracted, and that was before he met a strange woman who has devoted her life to confusing and embarrassing him. At the same time a woman has her jewels stolen and a government whistle blower arrives with his stolen top secret papers.

34 – Rocky II (1979)

TICKETS SOLD:

33,937,115

SYNOPSIS:

Although working-class Philadelphia boxer Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) lost his high-profile bout with the cocky world champion Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers), his Cinderella story has caught the national sports media’s attention, and he now has the opportunity to capitalize on his sudden fame. Meanwhile, Creed is still smarting from nearly losing to some palooka no one has ever heard of, and arrogantly prods his newfound nemesis into getting back into the ring.

33 – The Amityville Horror (1979)

TICKETS SOLD:

34,435,266

SYNOPSIS:

Chiller about a family who are terrorised by supernatural forces when they move into a new house in New York State which was the scene of a recent mass killing and the home of an 18th-century satanist. When swarms of flies appear from nowhere and the pipes and walls begin to ooze slime and blood, they call on a local priest to exorcise the evil spirits.

32 – The Goodbye Girl (1977)

TICKETS SOLD:

37,517,182

SYNOPSIS:

Former Broadway hoofer Paula McFadden (Marsha Mason) and her young daughter, Lucy (Quinn Cummings), are outraged to find that Paula’s former lover has fled to Europe and subleased their apartment to hyper Chicago actor Elliot Garfield (Richard Dreyfuss). Neither Marsha nor Elliot is prepared to acknowledge the other’s right to the apartment, but they reluctantly agree to share it. Despite their opposite natures and constant bickering, when Elliot’s play fails, Marsha is surprisingly affected.

31 – Kramer vs. Kramer (1979)

TICKETS SOLD:

39,695,863

SYNOPSIS:

On the same day Manhattan advertising executive Ted Kramer (Dustin Hoffman) lands the biggest account of his career, he learns that his wife, Joanna (Meryl Streep), is leaving him and their young son, Billy (Justin Henry). Forced to raise his son alone, Ted loses his job but gains a stronger relationship with the child with the help of another single parent, Margaret (Jane Alexander). When Joanna returns to claim custody of Billy, the ensuing court battle takes a toll on everyone concerned.

30 – Patton (1970)

TICKETS SOLD:

40,322,580

SYNOPSIS:

Biography of controversial World War II hero General George S. Patton. The film covers his wartime activities and accomplishments, beginning with his entry into the North African campaign and ending with his removal from command after his outspoken criticism of US post-war military strategy.

29 – To Fly! (1976)

TICKETS SOLD:

40,657,276

SYNOPSIS:

Early IMAX documentary about the development of human flight.

28 – Heaven Can Wait (1978)

TICKETS SOLD:

42,222,222

SYNOPSIS:

Joe Pendleton (Warren Beatty), quarterback for the Los Angeles Rams, is killed in an auto accident. In the afterlife, Joe discovers that his guardian angel (Buck Henry) has taken him from his body prematurely, and he is due many more years on earth. Unable to return to his body, Joe assumes the form of greedy multimillionaire industrialist Leo Farnsworth. As Farnsworth, Joe attempts a return to football and falls in love with environmental activist Betty Logan (Julie Christie).

27 – Earthquake (1974)

TICKETS SOLD:

42,620,320

SYNOPSIS:

When a major earthquake hits Los Angeles, the various residents of the city cope with the chaos and destruction. Successful architect Stewart Graff (Charlton Heston) argues with his demanding wife, Remy Royce-Graff (Ava Gardner), as the disaster hits. Later, when he checks in on his flirtatious friend Denise Marshall (Geneviève Bujold), they begin an affair. As the personal dramas continue, the city is threatened by aftershocks and possibly even greater quakes.

26 – Every Which Way but Loose (1978)

TICKETS SOLD:

42,620,320

SYNOPSIS:

A tough trucker with a cheeky pet orangutan, Philo Beddoe (Clint Eastwood) moonlights as a fighter, with his close friend Orville Boggs (Geoffrey Lewis) setting up matches for him. When Philo begins dating country singer Lynn Halsey-Taylor (Sondra Locke), and she abruptly disappears, he goes off in search of her, his simian companion and Orville in tow. On their cross-country trek, Philo and friends repeatedly clash with bikers, leading up to a violent showdown.

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