FUN & GAMES ENTERTAINMENT RESOURCES COMMUNITY 80's GEAR



Hooray for Hollywood, right? Right! While many people talk for hours on how this or that movie was made to show the compelling side of an issue, to promote peace and harmony in a troublesome time, or even to merely entertain... don't believe 'em. They are all merely trying to do what every movie has set out to do... make money! The 1980s, sometimes referred to as "The Decade of Greed," were no exception. Below are the movies that did just what they set out to do.

1980
  1. The Empire Strikes Back ($290.2m*) - The saga continues as Luke discovers the most shocking revelation of all! (#12 all-time)
  2. Superman II ($108.2m) - Three villains from the Phantom Zone escape to wreak havoc on Metropolis. "Kneel before Zod!"
  3. 9 to 5 ($103.3m) - Dolly Parton, Lily Tomlin and Jane Fonda stick it to boss Dabney Coleman.
  4. Stir Crazy ($101.3m) - Richard Pryor and Gene Wilder find themselves in prison. "We bad!"
  5. Airplane! ($83.4m) - Robert Hayes tries to land a distaster stricken jet in this Zucker Brothers screwball classic.
  6. Coal Miner's Daughter ($79.9m) - The rags-to-riches tale of country star Loretta Lynn.
  7. Private Benjamin ($69.8m) - Sheltered Goldie Hawn joins the army when her husband dies.
  8. Smokey and the Bandit II ($66.1m) - Cledus and Bandit return for another 24-hour run.
  9. Ordinary People ($54.8m) - A family struggles under the shadow of tragedy.
  10. The Blues Brothers ($54.2m) - Dan Akyroyd and John Belushi put their blues band back together to save the orphanage they were raised in. "We're on a mission from God."


1981
  1. Raiders of the Lost Ark ($242.4m*) - Indiana Jones races Nazis to retrieve the Ark of the Covenant. (#21 all-time)
  2. On Golden Pond ($119.2m) - Henry Fonda and Katharine Hepburn, old and in love.
  3. Porky's ($105.5m) - A teen sex comedy raking in millions? Who woulda thought?!
  4. Arthur ($95.5m) - Dudley Moore boozes and loses and ends up with Liza Minelli.
  5. Stripes ($85.3m) - Bill Murray joins the military. "That's the fact, Jack!"
  6. For Your Eyes Only ($62.3m) - James Bond rushes to retrieve a British encryption device.
  7. The Cannonball Run ($59.9m) - A wild cast including Burt Reynolds, Dom DeLuise, Roger Moore and even a young Jackie Chan race from NY to LA.
  8. Chariots of Fire (1981) ($58.8m) - Two British runners take a physical and spiritual journey on the path to the 1924 Olympics.
  9. Time Bandits ($42.4m) - A young boy joins a group of time-travelling, treasure-hunting dwarves in this surreal Terry Gilliam fantasy.
  10. Absence of Malice ($40.7m) - Hoping to break a case a reporter prints a story about an innocent man, and he vows to get even.


1982
  1. E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial ($399.8m*) - Elliot befriends an adorable alien that just wants to phone home. (#4 all-time)
  2. Tootsie ($177.2m) - An out-of-work actor dresses up as a woman to get a role on a soap... and falls in love.
  3. An Officer and a Gentleman ($129.8m) - Navy brat Richard Gere sweeps Debra Winger off her feet.
  4. Rocky III ($122.8) - Stallone takes on the king of attitude, Mr. T!
  5. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan ($78.9m) - Genetically engineered series villain Khan returns to antagonize the crew of the Enterprise.
  6. Poltergeist ($76.6m) - A family is terrorized in their new home by unfriendly spirits. "They're heeee-re."
  7. 48 Hrs. ($75.9m) - Convict Eddie Murphy and cop Nick Nolte team up to catch a killer in the perfect buddy movie.
  8. The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas ($69.7m) - Dolly Parton and Burt Reynolds fight to keep the 'Chicken Ranch' open.
  9. Annie ($57.1m) - Astoundingly overblown adaptation of the Broadway musical.
  10. The Verdict ($54.0m) - A lawyer skips an easy settlement to redeem himself in court.


1983
  1. Return of the Jedi ($309.1m*) - Luke finally becomes a full-fledged Jedi, but the dark side is stronger than ever. (#8 all-time)
  2. Terms of Endearment ($108.4m) - Shirley MacLaine and Debra Winger live life to its fullest.
  3. Flashdance ($94.9m) - Alex, a welder and exotic dancer, wants to become a ballet dancer.
  4. Trading Places ($90.4m) - Dan Akyroyd and Eddie Murphy find out how the other half lives.
  5. WarGames ($79.6m) - Young Matthew Broderick unwittingly hacks NORAD's computers and poises the world on the brink of WW III.
  6. Octopussy ($67.9m) - Bond tracks a fake Faberge egg and a dead 00 agent to a plot to instigate world war.
  7. Sudden Impact ($67.6m) - Dirty Harry on the trail of a vicious serial killer (is there any other kind?)
  8. Mr. Mom ($64.8m) - Michael Keaton loses his job and becomes an utterly clueless stay-at-home dad.
  9. Staying Alive ($63.8m) - Saturday Night Fever's Tony returns in this sequel directed by Sylvester Stallone!
  10. Risky Business ($63.5m) - Stressed about college and trashing his father's Porsche, Joel does the logical thing... turns his house into a brothel!


1984
  1. Ghostbusters ($238.6m*) - Who ya gonna call? The gang battles ghosts, goblins, and Gozar the Gozarian. (#23 all-time)
  2. Beverly Hills Cop ($234.8m) - Detroit cop Eddie Murphy chases a killer to the very different environment of California. (#24 all-time)
  3. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom ($179.9m) - Indy seeks the Ankara Stone in the film that lead to the creation of the PG-13 rating.
  4. Gremlins ($153.1m) - Adorable creatures become malevolent destructors... don't get 'em wet and never, EVER feed them after midnight!
  5. The Karate Kid ($90.8m) - Pat "Mr. Miyagi" Morita teaches Ralph "Daniel-san" Macchio to wax on and wax off.
  6. Police Academy ($81.2m) - A group of misfits face off against police instructors.
  7. Footloose ($80.0m) - Kevin Bacon cuts loose in a conservative Iowa town.
  8. Romancing the Stone ($76.6m) - A romance writer teams with a low-life adventurer to rescue her kidnapped sister.
  9. Star Trek III: The Search for Spock ($76.4m) - Kirk steals the Enterprise to return to the Genesis planet.
  10. Splash ($69.8m) - Tom Hanks falls in love with the mermaid who saved him from drowning as a child.


1985
  1. Back to the Future ($210.6m) - An '80s Michael J. Fox meets his '50s parents on their turf! (#33 all-time)
  2. Rambo: First Blood Part II ($150.4m) - Stallone single-handedly saves a dozen POWs! "YO!"
  3. Rocky IV ($127.9m) - Rocky takes on the Russians for the pride of the whole country. "ADRIAN!"
  4. The Color Purple ($94.2m) - Whoopi Goldberg discovers who she is in the 1920s.
  5. Out of Africa ($88.1m) - Meryl Streep falls in love with Robert Redford on a plantation in Africa.
  6. Cocoon ($76.1m) - Old folks discover the fountain of youth in a swimming pool filled with alien pods.
  7. Witness ($68.7m) - A cop must adjust to Amish life to protect a boy who was the sole witness to a murder.
  8. The Jewel of the Nile ($65.6m) - Jack and Joan tire of their easy life in this sequel to Romancing the Stone.
  9. The Goonies ($61.4m) - A group of misfits go on a treasure hunt to save their homes. "Goonies never say die!"
  10. Spies Like Us ($60.1m) - Two CIA desk-jockeys are sent to Soviet Union to prevent nuclear disaster... or so they think.


1986
  1. Top Gun ($176.8m) - Tom Cruise flies into the danger zone and takes Kelly McGillis' breath away.
  2. 'Crocodile' Dundee ($174.6m) - Paul Hogan introduces America to the land down under. "Now that's a knife."
  3. Platoon ($138.0m) - Oliver Stone gives us his take on what Vietnam was all about.
  4. The Karate Kid Part II ($115.1m) - Daniel and Mr. Miyagi travel to Okinawa for a tournament.
  5. Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home ($109.7m) - Kirk and Spock time-travel to Earth circa 1986.
  6. Back to School ($91.3m) - Millionaire Rodney Dangerfield returns to college to help his son get through.
  7. Aliens ($85.2m) - Ripley returns to face not just one Alien, but hordes of them.
  8. The Golden Child ($79.8m) - A detective specializing in missing children tracks down a very special boy.
  9. Ruthless People ($71.6m) - Danny DeVito is delighted when wife Bette Midler is kidnapped!
  10. Ferris Bueller's Day Off ($70.1m) - Ferris is determined to have a good time, school day or not. Leisure rules!


1987
  1. Three Men and a Baby ($167.8m) - Selleck, Guttenberg, and Danson get a crash course in fatherhood.
  2. Fatal Attraction ($156.6m) - Michael Douglas learns to keep his fly zipped when dealing with Glenn Close.
  3. Beverly Hills Cop II ($153.7m) - Detroit cop Axel Foley returns to Beverly Hills to solve another crime.
  4. Good Morning, Vietnam ($123.9m) - Robin Williams heats up Armed Forces Radio during the Vietnam War.
  5. Moonstruck ($80.6m) - An Italian widow becomes interested in her safe fiancee's angry brother.
  6. The Untouchables ($76.3m) - Federal Agent Eliot Ness hunts down Al Capone and his gang.
  7. The Secret of My Success ($67.0m) - Michael J. Fox takes a shortcut up the corporate ladder.
  8. Stakeout ($65.7m) - A cop has to watch his partner fall for the woman they've been assigned to watch.
  9. Lethal Weapon ($65.2m) - Danny Glover and Mel Gibson team up to get bad boy Gary Busey.
  10. Dirty Dancing ($63.9m) - A good girl falls for her bad boy dance instructor.
    The Witches of Eastwick ($63.8m) - Three bored women summon Jack Nicholson to their town.


1988
  1. Rain Man ($172.8m) - Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman determine that K-Mart sucks. Definitely sucks.
  2. Who Framed Roger Rabbit? ($154.2m) - Bob Hoskins meets cartoon characters in this zany classic.
  3. Coming to America ($128.2m) - Prince Eddie Murphy comes to Queens, NY to find a queen.
  4. Big ($115.0m) - A young boy undergoes the ultimate growth spurt when he wishes to be big.
  5. Twins ($111.9m) - Arnold Schwarznegger and Danny Devito are twins?!?
  6. 'Crocodile' Dundee II ($109.3m) - Mick Dundee is back, this time taking on some poaching bad guys.
  7. Die Hard ($81.4m) - Funnyman Bruce Willis packing heat? "Yippee-ki-yay, *&^#@ %^*&!"
  8. Cocktail ($78.2m) - Tom Cruise tends bar.
  9. The Naked Gun ($78.0m) - World's goofiest cop Leslie Nielsen has to foil an assasination plot in this Zucker comedy.
  10. Oliver & Company ($73.9m) - Homeless kitten Oliver falls in with a pack of thieving dogs.


1989
  1. Batman ($251.2m) - Michael Keaton's Dark Knight takes on Jack Nicholson's Joker. (#17 all-time)
  2. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade ($197.2m) - Father and son Sean Connery and Harrison Ford seek the Holy Grail. (#42 all-time)
  3. Lethal Weapon 2 ($147.3m) - Glover and Gibson go after a corrupt official with diplomatic immunity.
  4. Look Who's Talking ($140.1m) - Baby Mikey thinks with Bruce Willis's voice.
  5. Honey, I Shrunk The Kids ($130.7m) - Rick Moranis accidentally makes his children microscopic!
  6. Back to the Future Part II ($118.5m) - Marty has to return to 1955 to fix events - without running into himself!
  7. Ghostbusters 2 ($112.5m) - The gang is back to deal with a powerful demigod wreaking havoc.
  8. The Little Mermaid ($109.9m) - A mermaid princess makes a deal to gain legs.
  9. Driving Miss Daisy ($106.6m) - Morgan Freeman carts around Jessica Tandy in the 1950s.
  10. Parenthood ($100.0m) - The trials and mishaps of Steve Martin's family and friends.

* includes pre-2002 rereleases
news american idol
info



Home   |   Help   |   Account Info   |   Privacy Policy   |   Site Map

Bookmark and Share
Powered by MacroMusic ™
Copyright © 2023 The '80s Server, a division of MacroMusic, Inc.
All Rights Reserved.
music movies
80s