1980s in film  

From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia

Revision as of 11:12, 13 January 2009

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The decade of the 1980s in film involved many significant films.

Contents
1 Events
2 Top Grossing Films
3 Trends
4 List of films: # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z.

Events

The 1980s saw the continued rise of the blockbuster, an increased amount of nudity in film and the increasing emphasis in the American industry on film franchises, especially in the science fiction, horror, and action genres. Much of the reliance on these effect-driven blockbusters was due in part to the Star Wars films at the advent of this decade and the new cinematic effects it helped to pioneer.

The teen comedy sub-genre saw its popularity rise during this decade.

The PG-13 rating was introduced in 1984, to accommodate movies that straddled the line between PG and R.

Top grossing films

The following are the 50 top-grossing films of the decade:

1. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982), $435 million
2. Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (1983), $309 million
3. Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980), $290 million
4. Beverly Hills Cop (1984), $234 million
5. Batman (1989), $150 million
6. Ghostbusters (1984), $130 million
7. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), $115 million
8. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989), $115 million
9. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984), $109 million
10. Back to the Future (1985), $104 million

    ---

11. Tootsie (1982), $92 million
12. Rain Man (1988), $86 million
13. Three Men and a Baby (1987), $81 million
14. Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988), $81 million
15. Beverly Hills Cop II (1987), $80 million
16. Gremlins (1984), $79 million
17. Top Gun (1986), $79 million
18. Lethal Weapon 2 (1989), $79 million
19. Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985), $78 million
20. Rocky IV (1985), $76 million

    ---

21. Back to the Future Part II (1989), $72 million
22. Honey, I Shrunk the Kids (1989), $72 million
23. Crocodile Dundee (1986), $70 million
24. Fatal Attraction (1987), $70 million
25. Platoon (1986), $69 million
26. Rocky III (1982), $66 million
27. Superman II (1981), $65 million
28. Coming to America (1988), $65 million
29. Working Girl (1988), $64 million
30. On Golden Pond (1981), $61 million
31. 9 to 5 (1980), $59 million

    ---

32. Stir Crazy (1980), $58 million
33. The Karate Kid, Part II (1986), $58 million
34. Good Morning, Vietnam (1987), $58 million
35. "Crocodile" Dundee II (1988), $57 million
36. Twins (1988), $57 million
37. Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986), $56 million
38. An Officer and a Gentleman (1982), $55 million
39. Porky's (1982), $54 million
40. Terms of Endearment (1983), $50 million
41. The Color Purple (1985), $47 million

    ---

42. The Karate Kid (1984), $43 million
43. Out of Africa (1985), $43 million
44. Arthur (1981), $42 million
45. Airplane! (1980), $40 million
46. Any Which Way You Can (1980), $40 million
47. Stripes (1981), $40 million
48. WarGames (1983), $38 million
49. Superman III (1983), $37 million
50. The Untouchables (1987), $36 million

In the list, where revenues are equal numbers, the newer films are listed lower, due to inflation making the dollar-amount lower compared to earlier years.

Trends

The films of the 1980s covered many genres, with hybrids crossing between multiple genres. The trend strengthened towards creating ever-larger blockbuster films, which earned more in their opening weeks than any previous film, due in part to staging releases when audiences had little else to choose.

• blockbusters - The decade started by continuing the blockbuster boom of the mid-'70s. The sequel to 1977's Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back opened in May of 1980 becoming the highest-grossing film of the year. The film is considered among the best of films of the decade (it being the highest rated '80s film on IMDb). It was followed by Return of the Jedi (1983) finishing the trio. It perfectly set the euphoric fanastical tone of many of the similar films to come. Superman II was released in Europe and Australia in late 1980 but not distributed in the United States until June 1981. It was directed by two directors creating a long controversy over the film that caused a second version to be released in 2006. Though now seen as campier over the original 1978 Superman, Superman II was received with a positive reaction. From the success of The Empire Strikes Back, creator George Lucas teamed up with director Steven Spielberg to create one of the most iconic characters in the 1981 film Raiders of the Lost Ark starring Harrison Ford, who had also co-starred in The Empire Strikes Back. The story about an archaeologist and adventurer, Indiana Jones (Ford), hired by the U.S. government to go on a quest for the mystical lost Ark of the Covenant, created waves of interest in old 1930s style cliffhanger serials. It became the highest grossing film of 1981, leading to sequels all in the top-10 films of the decade. In 1982, Spielberg directed his family, fairy-tale science-fiction blockbuster E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, which shattered all records, earning 40% more than any Star-Wars film, and double or triple the renevue of 46 of the top 50 films.

• science-fiction - Continuing the eighties' science-fiction boom was Australian post-apocalyptic science fiction Mad Max 2, with a leather-clad outlaw fighting road barbarians in the futuristic desert wasteland. Another futuristic adventure released the same year, Escape from New York, also saw an anti-hero set in a dystopian future. In 1982, yet another film set in a dystopian feature, the Tech-noirish Blade Runner starred Harrison Ford as a detective searching for renegade androids. Science fiction films aimed at younger audiences included the two Star Wars movies, The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, as well as the Back to the Future trilogy and Steven Spielberg's E.T..

• thriller - The eighties saw an immense amount of thriller films, many being of an erotic nature, including 9 1/2 Weeks (1986), Fatal Attraction (1987) and Body Heat (1981). Perhaps one of the most influential examples of 80s thriller films was David Lynch's bizarre cult classic Blue Velvet (1986), which dealt with the underworld of a seemingly idealic American suburbia, a subject which has spawned many inferior imitations well into the 2000s and Stanley Kubrick's horror/thriller The Shining (1980).

• fantasy - Fantasy film saw a resurgence particularly in sword and sorcery films. In 1981, Dragonslayer, Excalibur and Raiders of the Lost Ark started it off, but it was 1982's Conan the Barbarian which caused the fantasy explosion. The epic starred Arnold Schwarzenegger in his acting breakthrough as he began his ascent to stardom. Loosely based on the original tales by Robert E. Howard, the film was written by the unlikely pairing of Oliver Stone and John Milius. Its sequel followed in 1984 with the light-weight Conan the Destroyer. Schwarzenegger returned again to a similar sword-wielding role in 1985's Red Sonja. The same year similar films followed such as The Sword and the Sorcerer, The Beastmaster and the Ator films. Fairy-tale fantasy was also popular such as The Neverending Story (1984), Legend (1985), and The Princess Bride (1987). Disney's Return to Oz a big-budget sequel to 1939's classic The Wizard of Oz, became a major flop, yet became a major success on home video.

• drama - Among the historical, romantic, and dramatic films, several were well-received at the box office, including Rain Man (1988), Fatal Attraction (1987), On Golden Pond (1981), Terms of Endearment (1983), The Color Purple (1985) and Out of Africa (1985). Also notable in critical success were Sophie's Choice (1982), A Passage to India (1984) and Gandhi (1982).

• westerns - A stylish form of western was evolving, with films such as Silverado (1985).

• horror - Creativity from 1970s horror films extended toward the early part of the '80s, except having more gore, with many successful '80s horror films having numerous sequels. Stanley Kubrick directed his horror film The Shining (1980). The creative and gory The Evil Dead (1981) with its secluded atmosphere is seen by many as one of the best in its genre leading to its inevitable sequel Evil Dead II in 1987. Halloween director John Carpenter's The Thing (1982) shocked audiences in its effects. Sequels to Halloween (1978), Friday the 13th (1980), and A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) were the popular face of horror films in the 1980s, a trend reviled by most critics. David Cronenberg's graphic and gory Scanners (1982) and the remake of The Fly were both released in 1986, about a few weeks from the James Cameron film Aliens. Stuart Gordon's Re-Animator (1985), Dan O'Bannon's The Return of the Living Dead, and Lloyd Kaufman's The Toxic Avenger (all 1985), soon followed. And films such as Ghostbusters, Joe Dante's Gremlins, (both 1984,) and Tim Burton's Beetlejuice (1988) started a trend for horror comedies.

• comedies - The #5, #11 and #13 top films of the 1980s were comedy films: Ghostbusters (1984), which out-sold all the Indiana Jones films, Tootsie (1982) and Three Men and a Baby (1987). The disaster films of the previous decade were spoofed in the gag comedy Airplane!, paving the way for more of the same including its 1982 sequel Airplane II: The Sequel, Top Secret! (1984) and the Naked Gun films. Popular comedy stars in the '80s included Leslie Nielsen, John Candy, Steve Martin, Eddie Murphy, Bill Murray, Chevy Chase and Dan Aykroyd. Many had come to prominence on the American TV series Saturday Night Live, including Bill Murray, Steve Martin and Chevy Chase. Eddie Murphy made a success of comedy-action films including 48 Hrs. (1982) and the Beverly Hills Cop series (1984–1993). Also in the top-50 films were the romantic comedies Crocodile Dundee (1986), Crocodile Dundee II (1988) and Arthur (1981).

• teen comedies - Influenced largely by 1978's Animal House, the decade also saw the continued rise of teen comedies like Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Porky's and Revenge of the Nerds. Also popular were the films of John Hughes such as Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986). He would later create the Home Alone series of the early 1990s. The latter film helped a revival in comedies aimed at a family audience, along with Honey, I Shrunk the Kids and its sequels. Heathers (1989) provided a tongue-in-cheek approach to the teenage comedy genre; showcasing the murder (disguised as suicide) of several popular students at an American high school. Other notable comedies of the decade include the gender-swap film Tootsie (1982), Broadcast News (1987), and a brief spate of age-reversal films including Big, 18 Again!, Vice Versa and Like Father, Like Son.

• sequels - Also notable were the Police Academy series of broad comedies, produced between 1984 and 1993. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, a trend emerged toward the release of sequels based on previously successful productions. Among the sequels were Trail of the Pink Panther, The Great Muppet Caper, and Porky's II: The Next Day.

• rite-of-passage - Beyond just the teenagers "coming-of-age" stories, more complex "rite-of-passage" movies had older actors changing or transforming through the rituals. So although teenagers were the focus of 1983's Risky Business, 1984's The Karate Kid and 1985's The Breakfast Club or St. Elmo's Fire brat-pack genre, older people with troubled lives were the subjects of Top Gun (1986) or An Officer and a Gentleman in trying to become a fighter pilot, Flashdance 's female welder transforming into a ballet dancer, and Cocoon 's (1985) elderly set overcoming old age. Even the Big Chill (1983) reunion was a rite-of-passage which challenged old classmates to redirect their lives after the suicide of a friend.

• action-films - In the seventies, action films usually focused on maverick police officers, however, the action film did not become a dominant form in Hollywood until the '80s, when it was popularized by actors such as Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone, and Bruce Willis. Stallone continued the Rocky series and starred in 82's First Blood about a returning Vietnam War veteran fighting a small town sheriff and its sequel Rambo II. Vietnam War films grew in popularity in the '80s, from being a film subject which was still seen as a taboo in the '70s. Movies like Platoon and Stanley Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket made the war a subject. Chuck Norris starred in the Missing in Action trilogy (1984, 1985, 1988) about a Vietnam veteran going back to rescue POWs. Schwarzenegger starred in The Terminator (1984), Commando (1986), and Predator (1987). The 1988 film Die Hard was particularly influential on the development of the genre in the subsequent decade. In the movie, Bruce Willis plays a New York City police detective who inadvertently becomes embroiled in a terrorist take-over of a Los Angeles office block.

• James Bond - The James Bond film series entered its third decade in 1981 with Roger Moore starring in the more realistic For Your Eyes Only after the outlandish excess of Moonraker in 1979. The decade saw the beginning of a new era for Bond since the previous decade's directors originally directed a 1960s Bond, the new director brought to the series, John Glen, criticized for a less stylistic and more "workman" style of direction, directed all the EON Bond films from 1981 to 1989. Moonraker was the last for regular Bernard Lee who portrayed Bond's boss M. For the eighties Bonds, a collection of numerous MI6 superiors would brief Bond on his missions. 1983 was a significant year for the series as a non-EON Bond was released, Never Say Never Again, directed by The Empire Strikes Back director Irvin Kershner with Sean Connery returning to the role for the last time since 1971's Diamonds are Forever; it was competing with the next EON film Octopussy at the box-office with media dubbing the situation 'The Battle of the Bonds'. Even lesser known in the same year was one-time Bond George Lazenby appearing in the TV-reunion movie The Return of the Man from U.N.C.L.E. as a Bond-like character "JB". A View to a Kill (1985) was the last for Roger Moore before Timothy Dalton was chosen as the new Bond in 1987's The Living Daylights and lastly in 1989's Licence to Kill.

List of films

Template:CompactTOC

#

• 1969 (1988)
• 24 Hours of Explicit Sex (1985)
• 36 Fillette (1988)
• '68 (1988)
• 9½ Weeks (1986)

A

• Above the Law (* The Accidental Tourist (1988)
• The Accused (1988)
• The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1989)
• The Adventures of Milo and Otis (1986)
• Action Jackson (1988)
• After Death (1988)
• After Hours (1985)
• After the Rehearsal (1984) (TV)
• Against All Odds (1984)
• Airplane! (1980)
• Airplane II: The Sequel (1982)
• Alice (1988)
• Alien Nation (1988)
• Aliens (1986)
• All Dogs Go to Heaven (1989)
• Amadeus (1984)
• Amazon Women on the Moon (1987)
• An American Tail (1986)
• An American Werewolf in London (1981)
• A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
• Annie (1982)
• As Tears Go By (1988)
• Atlantic City (1981)
• Au revoir, les enfants (1988)

B

• Baby It's You (1983)
• Back to School (1986)
• Back to the Future (1985)
• Back to the Future Part II (1989)
• Bad Boys (1983)
• Bad Taste (1987)
• La Bamba (1987)
• Batman (1989)
• *batteries not included (1987)
• The Battle for Endor (1985) (TV)
• Beaches (1988)
• The Beast (1988)
• Beat Street (1984)
• Le Beau Mariage (A Good Marriage) (1982)
• Beetlejuice (1988)
• Below the Belt (1985)
• The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (1982)
• Better Off Dead (1985)
• Beverly Hills Cop (1984)
• Big (1988)
• Big Business (1988)
• The Big Chill (1983)
• The Big Red One (1980)
• Big Top Pee-wee (1988)
• The Bigger the Better (1984)
• Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989)
• Black Throat (1985)
• Blade Runner (1982)
• The Blue Lagoon (1980)
• The Brave Little Toaster (1987)
• Blue Velvet (1986)
• The Blues Brothers (1980)
• Body Heat (1981)
• Das Boot (1982)
• Born on the Fourth of July (1989)
• Boyfriends and Girlfriends (L'Ami de mon amie) (1987)
• Braddock: Missing in Action III (1988)
• Brazil (1985)
• Breaker Morant (1980)
• The Breakfast Club (1985)
• Breakin' (1984)
• Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo (1984)
• Breaking All The Rules (1985)
• Brewster's Millions (1985)
• Bridge to Terabithia (1985) (TV)
• Broadcast News (1987)
• The Brother from Another Planet (1984)
• Bull Durham (1988)

C

• Caddyshack (1980)
• Caddyshack II (1988)
• Café Flesh (1982)
• Cannibal Holocaust (1980)
• The Cannonball Run (1981)
• Can't Buy Me Love (1987)
• Caravan of Courage: An Ewok Adventure (1984) (TV)
• Cat's Eye (1985)
• Cat People (1982)
• The Cat Who Walked by Herself (1988)
• Caveman (1981)
• Celia (1988)
• Centurians of Rome (1981)
• Chained Heat (1983)
• Chariots of Fire (1981)
• Cheech & Chong's The Corsican Brothers (1984)
• Cheech & Chong's Next Movie (1980)
• Children of a Lesser God (1986)
• A Chorus Line (1985)
• A Christmas Story (1983)
• City Heat (1985)
• Clash of the Titans (1981)
• Class of Nuke 'Em High (1986)
• Classmates (1986)
• Clue (1985)
• Club Paradise (1986)
• Coal Miner's Daughter (1980)
• Coast to Coast (1980)
• Cobra (1986)
• Cocoon (1985)
• Cocoon: The Return (1988)
• The Color of Money (1986)
• The Color Purple (1985)
• Colors (1988)
• Coming to America (1988)
• Commando (1985)
• The Company of Wolves (1984)
• Conan the Barbarian (1981)
• Conan the Destroyer (1984)
• The Cotton Club (1984)
• Crocodile Dundee (1986)
• Curse of the Pink Panther (1983)

D

• Dangerous Curves (1988)
• Dangerous Liaisons (1988)
• The Dark Crystal (1982)
• Dark Eyes (1987)
• Daydream (1981)
• The Devil and Max Devlin (1981)
• Do the Right Thing (1989)
• D.C. Cab (1983)
• Dead Ringers (1988)
• The Dead Zone (1983)
• Deathtrap (1982)
• Delta Force, The (1985)
• Desperately Seeking Susan (1985)
• Die Hard (1988)
• Dirty Dancing (1987)
• Dragonslayer (1981)
• Driving Miss Daisy (1989)
• Dogs in Space (1986)
• Down and Out in Beverly Hills (1986)

E

• E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1983)
• Eating Raoul (1982)
• Eight Men Out (1988)
• Electric Blue 28 (1985)
• Electric Dreams (1984)
• The Elephant Man (1980)
• The Emerald Forest (1985)
• Emmanuelle 5 (1986)
• Empire of the Sun (1987)
• Escape from New York (1981)
• Excalibur (1981)
• Eye of the Needle (1981)
• Eye of the Tiger (1986)

F

• The Fabulous Baker Boys (1989)
• Faces of Death II (1981)
• Faces of Death III (1985)
• Fame (1980)
• Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982)
• La femme de l'aviateur (The Aviator's Wife) (1981)
• Fatal Attraction (1987)
• Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986)
• Field of Dreams (1989)
• Firestarter (1984)
• First Blood (1982)
• Flashdance (1983)
• The Flight of Dragons (1982)
• Flight of the Navigator (1986)
• The Fly (1986)
• The Fly II (1989)
• Footloose (1984)
• For Your Eyes Only (1981)
• The Fox and The Hound (1981)
• Friday the 13th Part 2 (1981)
• Friday the 13th Part 3 (1983)
• Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter (1984)
• Friday the 13th: A New Beginning (1985)
• Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives (1986)
• Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood (1988)
• Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan (1989)
• Fright Night (1985)
• Full Metal Jacket (1987)

G

• Gandhi (1982)
• 'Gator Bait II: Cajun Justice (1988)
• Get Out of My Room (1985)
• Germany Pale Mother (1980)
• Ghostbusters (1984)
• Ghostbusters II (1989)
• Gloria (1980)
• Glory (1989)
• The Gods Must Be Crazy (1980)
• The Gods Must Be Crazy II (1988)
• The Goonies (1985)
• Gorillas in the Mist (1988)
• Grease 2 (1982)
• The Great Mouse Detective (1986)
• The Great Muppet Caper (1981)
• The Green Ray (Le Rayon vert) (1986)
• Gregory's Girl (1980)
• Gremlins (1984)

H

• Halloween series:
  • Halloween II (1981)
  • Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982)
  • Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (1988)
  • Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers (1989)
• Hamburger Hill (1987)
• Hannah and Her Sisters (1986)
• Hanky Panky (1982)
• Hardbodies (1984)
• Harry and the Hendersons (1987)
• Heat and Dust (1982)
• Heathers (1989)
• The Heavenly Kid (1985)
• Heimat (1984)
• Hellraiser (1987)
• Highlander (1986)
• High School U.S.A. (1983) (TV)
• The Hills Have Eyes Part II (1985)
• History of the World Part I (1981)
• The Hitcher (1986)
• Hitler's SS: Portrait in Evil (1985) (TV)
• Hollywood Heartbreakers (1985)
• Hollywood Shuffle (1986)
• Honey, I Shrunk the Kids (1989)
• Hoosiers (1986)
• Hope and Glory (1987)
• Hot Dog... The Movie (1984)
• Howard the Duck (1986)
• The Howling (1981)
• Humongous (1982)
• The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1982)

I

• Indiana Jones series:
  • Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
  • Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)
  • Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)
• I'm Gonna Git You Sucka (1988)
• Inferno (1980)
• The Island (1980)
• It Came From Hollywood (1982)
• It's Impossible to Learn to Plow by Reading Books (1989)

J

• The Jet Benny Show (1986)
• Jinxed! (1982)
• Jumpin' Jack Flash (1986)
• Just One of the Guys (1985)

K

• The Karate Kid (1984)
• Killer Klowns From Outer Space (1988)
• Kill and Kill Again (1981)
• Kill or Be Killed (1980)
• The Killing Fields (1984)
• The King of Comedy (1983)
• Kinky Business (1985)
• Kiss of the Spider Woman (1985)
• Knick Knack (1989)
• Krush Groove (1985)

L

• Labyrinth (film) (1986)
• The Land Before Time (1988)
• The Last Dragon (1985)
• The Last Emperor (1987)
• The Last Place on Earth (1985) (TV)
• The Last Starfighter (1984)
• The Last Temptation of Christ (1988)
• The Legend of Billie Jean (1985)
• Lethal Weapon (1987)
• Lethal Weapon 2 (1989)
• Lianna (1983)
• Licence to drive(1988)
• Licence to Kill (1989)
• Little Darlings(1980)
• The Little Mermaid (1989)
• Little Monsters (1989)
• Little Shop of Horrors (1986)
• The Living Daylights (1987)
• Local Hero (1983)
• The Lonely Lady (1983)
• The Long Good Friday (1980)
• The Lost Boys (1987)
• Lo que le Pasó a Santiago (1989)

M

• Mad Max 2 (1981)
• Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985)
• Masters of the Universe (1987)
• Maximum Overdrive (1986)
• Missing (1982)
• Missing in Action (1984)
• Missing in Action 2: The Beginning (1985)
• Mississippi Burning (1988)
• Monty Python's The Meaning of Life (1983)
• Modern Girls (1986)
• Modern Problems (1981)
• Moonstruck (1987)
• Mr. Mom (1983)
• The Money Pit (1986)
• The Muppets Take Manhattan (1984)
• Murphy's Romance (1985)

N

• Naked Gun, The: From the Files of Police Squad! (1988)
• Nate and Hayes (1983)
• Never Cry Wolf (1983)
• Never Say Never Again (1983)
• The Neverending Story (1984)
• Nice Dreams (1981)
• A Nightmare On Elm Street (1984)
• Nine to Five (1980)
• Nineteen Eighty-Four (1984)
• Les Nuits de la pleine lune (Full Moon In Paris) (1984)

O

• Octopussy (1983)
• An Officer and a Gentleman (1982)
• Oh, God! Book II (1980)
• Oh, God! You Devil (1985)
• On Golden Pond (1981)
• Once Upon a Time in America (1984)
• One Crazy Summer (1986)
• One More Saturday Night (1986)
• Ordinary People (1980)
• The Osterman Weekend (1983)
• Out of Africa (1985)
• The Outsiders (1983)

P

• Pale Rider (1985)
• A Passage to India (1984)
• Pauline at the Beach (Pauline à la plage) (1983)
• Pee-wee's Big Adventure (1985)
• Pennies from Heaven (1981)
• The Phantom of the Opera: The Motion Picture (1989)
• Pink Floyd The Wall (1982)
• Piranha II: The Spawning (1981)
• Places in the Heart (1984)
• Platoon (1986)
• Pod People (1983)
• Poltergeist series:
  • Poltergeist (1982)
  • Poltergeist II: The Other Side (1986)
  • Poltergeist III (1988)
• Porky's series:
  • Porky's (1982)
  • Porky's II: The Next Day (1983)
  • Porky's Revenge (1985)
• The Postman Always Rings Twice (1981)
• Predator (1987)
• Pretty in Pink (1986)
• The Princess Bride (1987)
• Prince of Darkness (1987)
• Private Lessons' (1981)
• Private School (1983)
• Project A (1983)
• Private Resort (1985)
• Prizzi's Honor (1985)
• The Punisher (1989)
• Purple Rain (1984)

R

• Radio Days (1987)
• Raging Bull (1980)
• Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
• Rain Man (1988)
• Ran (1985)
• Rappin' (1985)
• The Ratings Game (1984)
• Rawhide (1981)
• Re-Animator (1985)
• Real Genius (1985)

Reckless (1984)

• Red Dawn (1984)
• Red Sonja (1985)
• Redneck Zombies (1986)
• Reds (1981)
• The Return of Godzilla (1984)
• The Return of the Musketeers (1989)
• Return of the Killer Tomatoes (1988)
• The Return of the Living Dead (1985)
• Return of the Living Dead Part II (1988)
• Return of the Secaucus 7 (1980)
• Revenge of the Nerds (1984)
• Risky Business (1983)
• The River (1984)
• River's Edge (1986)
• RoboCop (1987)
• A Room with a View (1986)
• Rocky III (1982)
• Rocky IV (1985)
• Roxanne (1987)
• Runaway (1984)

S

• Savage Dawn (1985)
• Savage Streets (1984)
• Say Anything (1989)
• Scanners (1981)
• Scarface (1983)
• Scarred (1984)
• Scrooged (1988)
• The Secret of NIMH (1982)
• Sex, Lies and Videotape (1989)
• She-Devil (1989)
• The Shining (1980)
• Shock Treatment (1981)
• Short Circuit (1986)
• Short Circuit 2 (1988)
• Silent Night, Deadly Night (1984)
• Silent Night, Deadly Night Part 2 (1987)
• Silent Night, Deadly Night 3: Better Watch Out! (1989)
• Silent Rage (1982)
• Silverado (1985)
• Sister Dearest (1985)
• Sixteen Candles (1984)
• Smokey and the Bandit II (1980)
• Smokey and the Bandit Part 3 (1983)
• A Soldier's Story (1984)
• Some Kind of Wonderful (1987)
• Somewhere in Time (1980)
• Sophie's Choice (1982)
• Soul Man (1986)
• Spaceballs (1987)
• Space Camp (1987)
• Splash (1984)
• St. Elmo's Fire (1985)
• Stand and Deliver (1988)
• Stand By Me (1986)
• Starman (1984)
• Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
• Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (1983)
• Steel Magnolias (1989)
• Still Smokin' (1983)
• Stir Crazy (1980)
• Streets of Fire (1984)
• Stripes (1981)
• Student Bodies (1981)
• Supergirl (1984)
• Superman II (1980)
• Superman III (1983)
• Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987)
• Surf Nazis Must Die (1987)

T

• Talk Dirty To Me Part III (1984)
• Teachers (1984)
• Teen Wolf (1985)
• Teen Wolf Too (1987)
• Telefono rosso (1986)
• Ten Zan: The Ultimate Mission (1988)
• Tender Mercies (1983)
• The Terminator (1984)
• Terms of Endearment (1983)
• Tex(1982)
• They Live (1988)
• The Thing (1982)
• Things Are Tough All Over (1982)
• This Is Spinal Tap (1984)
• Those Young Girls (1984)
• Three O'clock High (1987)
• Time Bandits (1981)
• To Be or Not to Be (1983)
• Tootsie (1982)
• Top Gun (1986)
• Top Secret! (1984)
• The Toxic Avenger (1985)
• The Toxic Avenger Part II (1989)
• The Toxic Avenger Part III: The Last Temptation of Toxie (1989)
• The Toy (1982)
• Traci, I Love You (1987)
• Traci Takes Tokyo (1986)
• Trading Places (1983)
• Trancers (1985)
• Troll (1986)
• Tron (1982)
• Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983)
• Twins (1988)

U

• UHF (1989)
• Under Fire (1983)
• The Untouchables (1987)

V

• The Verdict (1982)
• Vice Versa (1988)
• Videodrome (1983)
• A View to a Kill (1985)
• Vacation (1983)
• Vincent (1982)

W

• Wall Street (1987)
• WarGames (1983)
• The Watcher in the Woods (1980)
• Weekend at Bernie's (1989)
• Weird Science (1985)
• What Gets Me Hot! (1984)
• Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988)
• Who's That Girl (1987)
• Wildcats (1986)
• Willy the Sparrow (1988)
• Wish You Were Here (1987)
• The Witches of Eastwick (1987)
• Withnail and I (1987)
• Without a Trace (1983)
• Witness (1985)
• The Wizard (1989)
• The Woman in Red (1984)
• Working Girl (1988)
• Working Girls (1986)
• The Worst of Faces of Death (1987)

X

• Xanadu (1980)

Y

• Year of the Dragon (1985)
• Yellowbeard (1983)

Z

• Zelig (1983)
• Zigeunerweisen (1980)
• Zombi 3 (1988)

See also

• Film, History of cinema, List of movies.
• Years in film 1980-1989:
  • 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989

• Decades in film:
  • 1870s 1880s 1890s 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s -- 1990s 2000s.