The Top 100 Biggest Movies of the '80s - Part 3

The Top 100 Biggest Movies of the ’80s – Part 3

49 – The Karate Kid (1984)

TICKETS SOLD:

27,028,439

SYNOPSIS:

After some violent confrontations with his new classmates, Daniel LaRusso learns karate from Japanese handyman Mr. Miyagi, in order to defend himself.

48 – Twins (1988)

TICKETS SOLD:

27,519,324

SYNOPSIS:

Julius and Vincent Benedict are the results of an experiment that would allow for the perfect child. Julius was planned and grows to athletic proportions. Vincent is an accident and is somewhat smaller in stature. Vincent is placed in an orphanage while Julius is taken to a south seas island and raised by philosophers. Vincent becomes the ultimate low life and is about to be killed by loan sharks.

47 – Big (1988)

TICKETS SOLD:

27,990,599

SYNOPSIS:

When a young boy makes a wish at a carnival machine to be big—he wakes up the following morning to find that it has been granted and his body has grown older overnight. But he is still the same 13-year-old boy inside. Now he must learn how to cope with the unfamiliar world of grown-ups including getting a job and having his first romantic encounter with a woman.

46 – Ghostbusters II (1989)

TICKETS SOLD:

28,194,169

SYNOPSIS:

Five years after they defeated Gozer, the Ghostbusters are out of business. When Dana begins to have ghost problems again, the boys come out of retirement to aid her and hopefully save New York City from a new paranormal threat.

45 – Trading Places (1983)

TICKETS SOLD:

28,698,412

SYNOPSIS:

A snobbish investor and a wily street con-artist find their positions reversed as part of a bet by two callous millionaires.

44 – Flashdance (1983)

TICKETS SOLD:

28,718,594

SYNOPSIS:

Alex Owens, a teen juggling between two odd jobs, aspires to become a successful ballet dancer. Nick, who is her boss and lover, supports and encourages her to fulfil her dream.

43 – Arthur (1981)

TICKETS SOLD:

29,183,334

SYNOPSIS:

Arthur is a 30-year-old child who will inherit $750 million if he complies with his family’s demands and marries the woman of their choosing.

42 – Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986)

TICKETS SOLD:

29,215,933

SYNOPSIS:

It’s the 23rd century, and a mysterious alien power is threatening Earth by evaporating the oceans and destroying the atmosphere. In a frantic attempt to save mankind, Kirk and his crew must time travel back to 1986 San Francisco where they find a world of punk, pizza and exact-change buses that are as alien as anything they’ve ever encountered in the far reaches of the galaxy. A thrilling, action-packed Star Trek adventure!

41 – Back to the Future Part II (1989)

TICKETS SOLD:

29,486,968

SYNOPSIS:

Marty and Doc are at it again in this wacky sequel to the 1985 blockbuster as the time-traveling duo head to 2015 to nip some McFly family woes in the bud. But things go awry thanks to bully Biff Tannen and a pesky sports almanac. In a last-ditch attempt to set things straight, Marty finds himself bound for 1955 and face to face with his teenage parents — again.

40 – Star Wars: A New Hope (1977) (1982 re-release)

TICKETS SOLD:

29,507,879

SYNOPSIS:

Princess Leia is captured and held hostage by the evil Imperial forces in their effort to take over the galactic Empire. Venturesome Luke Skywalker and dashing captain Han Solo team together with the loveable robot duo R2-D2 and C-3PO to rescue the beautiful princess and restore peace and justice in the Empire.

39 – Good Morning Vietnam (1987)

TICKETS SOLD:

30,179,696

SYNOPSIS:

A disk jockey goes to Vietnam to work for the Armed Forces Radio Service. While he becomes popular among the troops, his superiors disapprove of his humour.

38 – Stripes (1981)

TICKETS SOLD:

30,683,453

SYNOPSIS:

John Winger is a cab driver who, in the span of a few hours, loses his job, his apartment, his car, and his girlfriend. Realizing that he is a loser with no prospects, he decides to join the US Army. Talking his best friend Russell Ziskey, a teacher of English as a second language, into joining with him, they go to a recruiting office and are soon sent off to basic training.

37 – Airplane! (1980)

TICKETS SOLD:

31,023,620

SYNOPSIS:

Alcoholic pilot, Ted Striker has developed a fear of flying due to wartime trauma, but nevertheless boards a passenger jet in an attempt to woo back his stewardess girlfriend. Food poisoning decimates the passengers and crew, leaving it up to Striker to land the plane with the help of a glue-sniffing air traffic controller and Striker’s vengeful former Air Force captain, who must both talk him down.

36 – The Karate Kid, Part II (1986)

TICKETS SOLD:

31,025,331

SYNOPSIS:

After discovering that his father is at death’s door, Mr. Miyagi sets out to Japan, to see him with Daniel. Upon arriving, Miyagi must confront an old rival. Meanwhile, Daniel encounters a new love, and some new enemies.

35 – Coming to America (1988)

TICKETS SOLD:

31,180,608

SYNOPSIS:

Prince Akeem, heir to the throne of Zamunda, leaves the tropical paradise kingdom in search of his queen. What better place than Queens, New York, to find his bride? Joined by his loyal servant and friend, Semmi, Akeem attempts to blend in as an ordinary American and begin his search.

34 – Honey, I Shrunk the Kids (1989)

TICKETS SOLD:

32,762,950

SYNOPSIS:

The scientist father of a teenage girl and boy accidentally shrinks his and two other neighborhood teens to the size of insects. Now the teens must fight diminutive dangers as the father searches for them.

33 – Terms of Endearment (1983)

TICKETS SOLD:

33,121,454

SYNOPSIS:

Aurora, a finicky woman, is in search of true love while her daughter faces marital issues. Together, they help each other deal with problems and find reasons to live a joyful life.

32 – Look Who’s Talking (1989)

TICKETS SOLD:

34,841,163

SYNOPSIS:

Mollie is a single working mother who’s out to find the perfect father for her child. Her baby, Mikey, prefers James, a cab driver turned babysitter who has what it takes to make them both happy. But Mollie won’t even consider James. It’s going to take all the tricks a baby can think of to bring them together before it’s too late.

31 – Platoon (1986)

TICKETS SOLD:

35,406,375

SYNOPSIS:

As a young and naive recruit in Vietnam, Chris Taylor faces a moral crisis when confronted with the horrors of war and the duality of man.

30 – Rocky IV (1985)

TICKETS SOLD:

35,749,263

SYNOPSIS:

After iron man Drago, a highly intimidating 6-foot-5, 261-pound Soviet athlete, kills Apollo Creed in an exhibition match, Rocky comes to the heart of Russia for 15 pile-driving boxing rounds of revenge.

29 – Lethal Weapon 2 (1989)

TICKETS SOLD:

36,905,760

SYNOPSIS:

In the opening chase, Martin Riggs and Roger Murtaugh stumble across a trunk full of Krugerrands. They follow the trail to a South African diplomat who’s using his immunity to conceal a smuggling operation. When he plants a bomb under Murtaugh’s toilet, the action explodes!

28 – Nine to Five (1980)

TICKETS SOLD:

37,237,266

SYNOPSIS:

Frank Hart is a pig. He takes advantage in the grossest manner of the women who work with him. When his three assistants manage to trap him in his own house they assume control of his department and productivity leaps, but just how long can they keep Hart tied up?

27 – Porky’s (1982)

TICKETS SOLD:

37,242,341

SYNOPSIS:

Set in 1954, a group of Florida high schoolers seek out to lose their virginity which leads them to seek revenge on a sleazy nightclub owner and his redneck sheriff brother for harassing them.

26 – Who Framed Roger Rabbit? (1988)

TICKETS SOLD:

37,514,838

SYNOPSIS:

’Toon star Roger is worried that his wife Jessica is playing pattycake with someone else, so the studio hires detective Eddie Valiant to snoop on her. But the stakes are quickly raised when Marvin Acme is found dead and Roger is the prime suspect.

25 – Stir Crazy (1980)

TICKETS SOLD:

37,657,992

SYNOPSIS:

New Yorkers Skip Donahue and Harry Monroe have no jobs and no prospects, so they decide to flee the city and find work elsewhere, landing jobs wearing woodpecker costumes to promote the opening of a bank. When their feathery costumes are stolen and used in a bank robbery, they no longer have to worry about employment — they’re sent to prison.

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