Top Grossing Movies 1980
The top grossing movies 1980 are comprised of zany comedies, epic science fiction, and even a tale featuring a topless Brooke Shields. Below, I’ve listed the ten biggest draws based on U.S. box office receipts, so anyone looking to enjoy a few older films will have a place to start.
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The Empire Strikes Back ($209,398,025) – While it’s the most somber film of the Star Wars franchise, many fans also regard it as the best. Cute puppets take a backseat to human emotion for once, as Han Solo (Harrison Ford) is hauled away to Jabba the Hut, Luke discovers a shocking revelation about his father, and Billy Dee Williams has to go two hours without a can of Colt 45. Not surprisingly, George Lucas offered little in the way of artistic contribution.
9 to 5 ($103,290,500) – Three secretaries (Lilly Tomlin, Jane Fonda and Dolly Parton) get sick and tired of their scheming, chauvinist boss (Dabney Coleman) and decide to teach him a lesson. Parton makes her film debut, and the popularity of the movie later inspired a TV show and Broadway musical.
Stir Crazy ($101,300,000) – Gene Wilder and Richard Pryor play two men wrongly convicted of a bank robbery and sentenced to 125 years each. But as the yearly prison rodeo approaches, the reluctant cons hatch a plan to gain their freedom. Directed by acting legend Sidney Poitier, the film marks the second hilarious team-up between Wilder and Pryor.
Airplane! ($83,453,539) – Helping to pave the way for decades of spoofs, Airplane! pokes fun at disaster movies and features such cast members as Robert Stack, Leslie Nielsen, Lloyd Bridges, Peter Graves and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (not to mention stars Robert Hays and Julie Hagerty). Fans of rapid-fire comedic moments will be rolling in the floor, and Leslie Nielsen deadpanned his way to a major career boost. If you enjoy this film, be sure to catch The Kentucky Fried Movie, which was also created by the team of Jim Abrahams, David Zucker, and Jerry Zucker.
Any Which Way You Can ($70,687,344) – Clint Eastwood once again plays bare-knuckled everyman Philo Beddoe and teams up with an orangutan named Clyde. When the mob looks to set up a brawl between Beddoe and lethal East Coast fighter Jack Wilson (William Smith), they abduct Philo’s old flame (Sandra Locke) to ensure his participation. Filled with simian comedy, fistfights, and ruminations on friendship and love, Any Which Way You Can is just another colorful chapter in the career of Clint.
Private Benjamin ($69,847,348) – Goldie Hawn plays a pampered young woman who joins the Army after her husband dies during wedding night sex. Receiving a rude awakening about military life, she must choose whether to quit or make the best of it. Eileen Brennan co-stars as a commanding officer who constantly pushes the reluctant soldier to do her best, and both Hawn and Brennan received Oscar nominations for their performances.
Coal Miner’s Daughter ($67,182,787) – Sissy Spacek won an Academy Award for her portrayal of country music legend Loretta Lynn. The film details her early life in Butcher Hollow, Kentucky; her rise in the music industry; and her often difficult marriage with Doolittle “Mooney” Lynn (Tommy Lee Jones). Beverly D’Angelo co-stars as Lynn’s friend and mentor, Patsy Cline.
Smokey and the Bandit II ($66,132,626) – The Bandit (Burt Reynolds) and Snowman (Jerry Reed) are back, and this time they’re trying to transport an elephant across the country in time for the GOP National Convention. But Sheriff Buford T. Justice (Jackie Gleason) and his dimwitted son Junior are still around, which means a madcap chase is bound to occur. Sally Field returns in the role of “Frog.”
The Blue Lagoon ($58,853,106) – Two children (Brooke Shields and Christopher Atkins) are stranded on a tropical island and slowly grow to maturity. With no adults to guide them, they must learn to understand their bodies and the feelings of love that begin to blossom. Considered controversial at the time for its themes of teenage sexuality.
The Blues Brothers ($57,229,890) – John Belushi and Dan Akroyd play a couple of blues-loving brothers who set out on a quest to save the orphanage where they grew up. Filled with musical performances from Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles and James Brown, the film also features non-singing roles from Carrie Fisher, John Candy, Henry Gibson and Charles Napier.
All of the top grossing movies 1980 can be rented from Netflix, and doing so will send a small commission our way. If you’d like to read more on the subject, give the following articles a try:
This entry was posted on Monday, April 5th, 2010 at 11:11 am and is filed under Good Movies. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.