The Top 100 Biggest Movies of the '80s - Part 2

The Top 100 Biggest Movies of the ’80s – Part 2

74 – The Blues Brothers (1980)

TICKETS SOLD:

21,275,052

SYNOPSIS:

Jake Blues is just out of jail, and teams up with his brother, Elwood on a ‘mission from God’ to raise funds for the orphanage in which they grew up. The only thing they can do is do what they do best: play music. So they get their old band together, and set out on their way—while getting in a bit of trouble here and there.

73 – Cocoon (1985)

TICKETS SOLD:

21,480,943

SYNOPSIS:

When a group of trespassing seniors swim in a pool containing alien cocoons, they find themselves energized with youthful vigor.

72 – Octopussy (1983)

TICKETS SOLD:

21,555,555

SYNOPSIS:

James Bond is sent to investigate after a fellow “00” agent is found dead with a priceless Fabergé egg. Bond follows the mystery and uncovers a smuggling scandal and a Russian General who wants to provoke a new World War.

71 – Out of Africa (1985)

TICKETS SOLD:

21,644,091

SYNOPSIS:

Out of Africa tells the story of the life of Danish author Karen Blixen, who at the beginning of the 20th century moved to Africa to build a new life for herself. The film is based on the autobiographical novel by Karen Blixen from 1937.

70 – Romancing the Stone (1984)

TICKETS SOLD:

22,344,720

SYNOPSIS:

Though she can spin wild tales of passionate romance, novelist Joan Wilder has no life of her own. Then one day adventure comes her way in the form of a mysterious package. It turns out that the parcel is the ransom she’ll need to free her abducted sister, so Joan flies to South America to hand it over. But she gets on the wrong bus and winds up hopelessly stranded in the jungle.

69 – Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984)

TICKETS SOLD:

22,759,239

SYNOPSIS:

Admiral Kirk and his bridge crew risk their careers stealing the decommissioned Enterprise to return to the restricted Genesis planet to recover Spock’s body.

68 – Aliens (1986)

TICKETS SOLD:

22,954,244

SYNOPSIS:

When Ripley’s lifepod is found by a salvage crew over 50 years later, she finds that terra-formers are on the very planet they found the alien species. When the company sends a family of colonists out to investigate her story—all contact is lost with the planet and colonists. They enlist Ripley and the colonial marines to return and search for answers.

67 – When Harry Met Sally… (1989)

TICKETS SOLD:

23,261,480

SYNOPSIS:

During their travel from Chicago to New York, Harry and Sally debate whether or not sex ruins a friendship between a man and a woman. Eleven years later, and they’re still no closer to finding the answer.

66 – WarGames (1983)

TICKETS SOLD:

23,629,789

SYNOPSIS:

High School student David Lightman (Matthew Broderick) has a talent for hacking. But while trying to hack into a computer system to play unreleased video games, he unwittingly taps into the Defense Department’s war computer and initiates a confrontation of global proportions! Together with his girlfriend (Ally Sheedy) and a wizardly computer genius (John Wood), David must race against time to outwit his opponent…and prevent a nuclear Armageddon.

65 – The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (1982)

TICKETS SOLD:

23,708,039

SYNOPSIS:

The town sheriff and a madame team up to stop a television evangelist from shutting down the local whorehouse, the famed “Chicken Ranch.”

64 – Footloose (1984)

TICKETS SOLD:

23,809,523

SYNOPSIS:

When teenager Ren and his family move from big-city Chicago to a small town in the West, he’s in for a real case of culture shock after discovering he’s living in a place where music and dancing are illegal.

63 – Dead Poets Society (1989)

TICKETS SOLD:

24,025,091

SYNOPSIS:

At an elite, old-fashioned boarding school in New England, a passionate English teacher inspires his students to rebel against convention and seize the potential of every day, courting the disdain of the stern headmaster.

62 – Police Academy (1984)

TICKETS SOLD:

24,166,337

SYNOPSIS:

New rules enforced by the Lady Mayoress mean that sex, weight, height and intelligence need no longer be a factor for joining the Police Force. This opens the floodgates for all and sundry to enter the Police Academy, much to the chagrin of the instructors. Not everyone is there through choice, though. Social misfit Mahoney has been forced to sign up as the only alternative to a jail sentence and it doesn’t take long before he falls foul of the boorish Lieutenant Harris. But before long, Mahoney realises that he is enjoying being a police cadet and decides he wants to stay… while Harris decides he wants Mahoney out!

61 – Smokey and the Bandit II (1980)

TICKETS SOLD:

24,584,619

SYNOPSIS:

THE BANDIT IS BACK AND BETTER THAN EVER! The Bandit goes on another cross-country run, transporting an elephant from Florida to Texas. And, once again, Sheriff Buford T. Justice is on his tail.

60 – Back to School (1986)

TICKETS SOLD:

24,597,843

SYNOPSIS:

Self-made millionaire Thornton Melon decides to get a better education and enrolls at his son Jason’s college. While Jason tries to fit in with his fellow students, Thornton struggles to gain his son’s respect, giving way to hilarious antics.

59 – 48 Hrs. (1982)

TICKETS SOLD:

24,665,488

SYNOPSIS:

A hard-nosed cop reluctantly teams up with a wise-cracking criminal temporarily paroled to him, in order to track down a killer.

58 – Coal Miner’s Daughter (1980)

TICKETS SOLD:

24,975,013

SYNOPSIS:

Biography of Loretta Lynn, a country and western singer that came from poverty to fame.

57 – Parenthood (1989)

TICKETS SOLD:

25,074,644

SYNOPSIS:

The story of the Buckman family and friends, attempting to bring up their children. They suffer/enjoy all the events that occur: estranged relatives, the ‘black sheep’ of the family, the eccentrics, the skeletons in the closet, and the rebellious teenagers.

56 – Driving Miss Daisy (1989)

TICKETS SOLD:

25,321,713

SYNOPSIS:

The story of an old Jewish widow named Daisy Werthan and her relationship with her black chauffeur, Hoke. From an initial mere work relationship grew in 25 years a strong friendship between the two very different characters in a time when those types of relationships where shunned.

55 – Poltergeist (1982)

TICKETS SOLD:

25,410,210

SYNOPSIS:

Steve Freeling lives with his wife, Diane, and their three children, Dana, Robbie, and Carol Anne, in Southern California where he sells houses for the company that built the neighborhood. It starts with just a few odd occurrences, such as broken dishes and furniture moving around by itself. However, when he realizes that something truly evil haunts his home, Steve calls in a team of parapsychologists led by Dr. Lesh to help before it’s too late.

54 – The Color Purple (1985)

TICKETS SOLD:

25,513,943

SYNOPSIS:

An epic tale spanning forty years in the life of Celie, an African-American woman living in the South who survives incredible abuse and bigotry. After Celie’s abusive father marries her off to the equally debasing “Mister” Albert Johnson, things go from bad to worse, leaving Celie to find companionship anywhere she can. She perseveres, holding on to her dream of one day being reunited with her sister in Africa. Based on the novel by Alice Walker.

53 – Private Benjamin (1980)

TICKETS SOLD:

25,965,556

SYNOPSIS:

A sheltered young high society woman joins the army on a whim and finds herself in a more difficult situation than she ever expected.

52 – Any Which Way You Can (1980)

TICKETS SOLD:

26,277,823

SYNOPSIS:

Philo takes part in a bare knuckle fight – as he does – to make some more money than he can earn from his car repair business. He decides to retire from fighting, but when the Mafia come along and arrange another fight, he is pushed into it. A motorcycle gang and an orangutan called Clyde all add to the ‘fun’.

51 – Crocodile Dundee 2 (1988)

TICKETS SOLD:

26,595,184

SYNOPSIS:

Australian outback expert protects his New York love from gangsters who’ve followed her down under.

50 – Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982)

TICKETS SOLD:

26,841,143

SYNOPSIS:

Admiral James T. Kirk is feeling old; the prospect of accompanying his old ship the Enterprise on a two week cadet cruise is not making him feel any younger. But the training cruise becomes a life or death struggle when Khan escapes from years of exile and captures the power of creation itself.

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