A Look at The Biggest Box Office Stories from 1972-present (THABOS: The History of Amazing Box Office Stories) | IT'S FINALLY COMPLETE!!!!!!!

[baumer]

I will try to get to the rest of 82 tonight.

[Plain Old Tele]

3 minutes ago, baumer said:

 

Sure.  I get that.  But you and I have talked about this before and I know others have as well.  Just because you make a film that makes 100's of millions of dollars that people love and it's not about war or famine or prejudice or disease or growing old or have one left foot or what not, doesn't mean your films are silly or not worthy of recognition.  Jaws and Raiders and ET were all terrific films that although were monsters at the box office still dealt with a lot of human emotions, especially ET.  I've never understood or accepted that a film has to be about a certain subject or subjects in order for it to be recognized.  

 

Yes, but we also recognize that people have different tastes, and some people (in particular the demographics who made up the Academy back then) were more likely to like other kinds of movies than what Spielberg was making. I know people who literally don't get *any* kind of science fiction because "the creatures look ugly". So that's a hit against movies like E.T.

[baumer]

3 hours ago, Tele Came Back said:

 

Yes, but we also recognize that people have different tastes, and some people (in particular the demographics who made up the Academy back then) were more likely to like other kinds of movies than what Spielberg was making. I know people who literally don't get *any* kind of science fiction because "the creatures look ugly". So that's a hit against movies like E.T.

 

Sure the academy members in 82 would have been born in 1882, I'm sure some of your ancestors were in the Academy at this time.

[baumer]

Some films we will hit upon:

 

The highest grossing Canadian film ever made

A cross dressing smash

I'd pity the fool who doesn't mention the film at number 4

Eddie Murphy's debut

Sean Penn and Nic Cage and Eric Stoltz and Forrest Whitaker and Jennifer Jason Leigh and Cameron Crowe.. (and Phoebes stupendous) .oh my.

[baumer]

Well tonight wont work now. But tomorrow will be fun.

[baumer]

The rest of 1982

 

 

Tootsie finished number two at the box office in 1982.  Directed by Sydney Pollack and starring Dustin Hoffman, with a supporting cast that includes Bill Murray, Jessica Lange, Teri Garr, Dabney Coleman, Charles Durning and Geena Davis (in her acting debut). The film tells the story of a talented but volatile actor whose reputation for being difficult forces him to adopt a new identity as a woman in order to land a job. Barry Levinson adapted it (among others) but was his involvement was uncredited.  

 

 

In 1998, the Library of Congress deemed the film "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" and selected it for preservation in the National Film Registry. 

 

On a budget of 21 million, Tootsie took in 177 million at the domestic box office.  This is just one more example of a film that could never be made today but was exactly the kind of film audiences seemed to love in the 80's.  Comedies with big names were a big seller.  Tootsie was also nominated for 10 Oscars, with Lange the only winner (for best supporting actress).  Tootsie also became Hoffman's highest grossing film.   Although he already had two 100 million dollar grossing films on his resume, this one was the first one that seemed to appeal to everyone in some way.  Kramer vs. Kramer was a intestine squeezing drama that left you kind of drained at the end as you watched two former lovers fight over custody of their child.  And The Graduate was his first film so it was kind of hard to say that he was responsible for the gross of that film.  Tootsie was all Hoffman.  He had a terrific supporting cast, no doubt, but he was the one dressed as a woman.  He was the one who developed it and he was the one who lobbied for Pollack as director and as his agent (in the film).  Hoffman was largely responsible for the success of the film.  It's strange that he wouldn't make another film for 5 years after Tootsie.

 

Coming in at number 3 for the year was An Officer and a Gentleman.  It stars Richard Gere, Debra Winger and Louis Gossett, Jr., who won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for the film.  This was Gosset Jr.s only nomination and of course his only win.  It tells the story of Zack (Gere), a U.S. Navy Aviation Officer Candidate who is beginning his training at Aviation Officer Candidate School. While Zack meets his first true girlfriend during his training, a local young woman named Paula (Winger), he also comes into conflict with the hard-driving Marine Corps Gunnery Sergeant (Gossett, Jr.), the drill instructor training his class.

 

The film was written by Douglas Day Stewart and directed by Taylor Hackford. Its title is an old expression from the British Royal Navy and later from the U.S. Uniform Code of Military Justice's charge of "conduct unbecoming an Officer and a Gentleman" (from 1860).

 

 

This is the film that made Richard Gere a star.  

 

For those of you who have seen it, you will find this piece of trivia interesting....for those of you who haven't, you should.

 

The ending of the movie works well.  It's very sweet and very Hollywood.  Some might say it's too sentimental and too sappy.  But audiences want happy endings.  The ending to this one almost didn't happen.

 

Richard Gere balked at shooting the ending of the film, in which Zack arrives at Paula's factory wearing his naval dress whites and carries her off the factory floor. Gere thought the ending would not work because it was too sentimental. Director Taylor Hackford agreed with Gere until, during a rehearsal, the extras playing the workers began to cheer and cry. When Gere saw the scene later, with the music underneath it ("Up Where We Belong") at the right tempo, he said it gave him chills. Gere is now convinced Hackford made the right decision. Screenwriter Michael Hauge, in his book Writing Screenplays That Sell, echoed this opinion: "I don't believe that those who criticized this Cinderella-style ending were paying very close attention to who exactly is rescuing whom."

 

Coming in at number four was the third Rocky, called Rocky III.  Rocky III was an enormous success as it made more than the first.  The box office was 124 million and the opening weekend was 12.5 million.  It also took in 270 million WW.  

 

 

Rocky III is the first installment in the series to be distributed by MGM/UA rather than United Artists alone. In 1980, United Artists, who owned the rights to the Rocky films, made Heaven's Gate, a film which cost $44 million and made only $3 million. In response, United Artists' owner, Transamerica, sold United Artists to MGM, forming MGM/UA in 1981.

 

If there was ever a doubt that Stallone was a star, this film and another that he did (which will be touched on briefly) in 1982, put those questions to rest.  

 

This was also the acting debut of Mr. T, who played Clubber Lang.  

 

Comign in at number 5 is one of my favourite comedies of all time, Porky's.  

 

Porky's was written and directed by Bob Clark, who was born in The US and later became a Canadian citizen.  It was also produced by Astral Media, which is a Canadian Company (which was later bought by BCE, which is the parent company of Bell Communications, the largest communications company in Canada) so Porky's is considered the highest grossing Canadian film of all time.  

 

A group of Florida high school students plan on losing their virginity. They go to Porky's, a nightclub out in the Everglades, believing that they can hire a prostitute to satisfy their sexual desires. Porky takes their money but humiliates the kids by dumping them in the swamp. When the group demands their money back, the sheriff, who turns out to be Porky's brother, arrives to drive them away, but not before his minions extort the rest of their money and cause them more embarrassment. After Mickey (who returned to Porky's for revenge) is beaten so badly he has to be hospitalized, the gang becomes hellbent on exacting revenge on Porky and his brother, eventually succeeding in sinking his establishment in the swamp. Porky and his men, joined by the sheriff, chase after the group, but they make it across the county line (out of Porky's brother's jurisdiction), where they are met by a group of the local police officers, one of whom is Mickey's older brother Ted, and the high school band. After Ted repeatedly damages Porky's car, he says that all charges against Porky for driving an unsafe vehicle will be dropped if the night's events are forgiven. Because the boys were too young to be legally allowed in Porky's in the first place, Porky and his brother have no choice but to agree. The film ends with the group getting their revenge and Pee Wee finally losing his virginity.

 

 

The plot might sound kind of basic but it definitely struck a chord with audiences in 1982.  

 

Two Paramount Pictures came in at 6 and 7.  Star Trek the Wrath of Khan amassed a gross of 78.9 million and also took the opening weekend record with 14.3 million.  Audiences liked the film but not quite as much as the original as the legs were nearly as good.

 

48 Hours was Saturday Night Live wunderkid Eddie Murphy's debut and it didn't disappoint.  This film made a star of Murphy and it also got Nick Nolte noticed as well.  It's also Joel Silver's (Commando, The Matrix) first film as sole producer.  Walter Hill was the director and you can thank him for the premise of the buddy cop movie, especially one where one is black and the other is white.  This film was originally pitched as a Clint Eastwood film, but more more serious.  There wasn't going to be any comedy in it.  Then Hill and the talking heads at Paramount decided that Richard Pryor should be in it and they should turn it into a comedy, with a serious white actor to play the cop.  Richard Pryor was an enormous star at this point and his schedule was too tight so they could not get him.  Their second choice was Gregory Hines.  He too was unavailable.  Murphy was recommended by Hill's girlfriend (at the time) who represented Murphy.  The rest is history.

 

Some other interesting films of 1982:

 

First Blood, Sylvester Stallone's first really big hit outside of Rocky, was produced by future Carolco founders, Mario Kassar and Andrew Vajna.  The film made 47 million at the box office but more importantly, the two producers made the budget back before the film was even a third finished.  Once they showed pieces of the film to foreign distributors, they jumped on it and bought the rights to the film before it was close to finished.  

 

Directed by Ted Kotcheff and co-written by and starred Sylvester Stallone as John Rambo, a troubled and misunderstood Vietnam veteran who must rely on his combat and survival senses against the abusive law enforcement of a small town. It is based on David Morrell's 1972 novel of the same name and is the first instalment of the Rambo series. Brian Dennehy and Richard Crenna also appear in supporting roles.

 

Coming in at number 21 was the third instalment of the Friday the 13th series...this one improved its gross from the second one by 60%.  It made 34 million dollars while still being produced for next to nothing (2.3 million dollars).  This was the first film in which Jason dons his famous hockey mask.  

 

 

Fast Times at Ridgemont High came in at number 29 with 27 million.  I only mention this film for two reasons.  One, it starred three future Oscar winners in Sean Penn, Nicolas Cage and Forrest Whitaker and it is widely considered one of the genre defining films.  This also predates anything John Hughes did in the genre. 

 

 

Blade Runner disappointed with 27 million and John Carpenter's The Thing, considered one of the best sci-fi horror films of all time, also disappointed with 19.6 million.

 

This was 1982.

 

[baumer]

Coming up tonight

 

1983...where one film dominated the box office perhaps like it did in no other year.....total gross, opening weekend record and more than double the next closest film.  

[rukaio101]

30 minutes ago, baumer said:

Two Paramount Pictures came in at 6 and 7.  Star Trek the Wrath of Khan amassed a gross of 78.9 million and also took the opening weekend record with 14.3 million.  Audiences liked the film but not quite as much as the original as the legs were nearly as good.

 

Considering Wrath of Khan is considered one of the greatest sci-fi movies of all time, while the original is considered 'eh' at best, I'mma disagree on that point.

 

I'd place the shift in legs on both the release date and the fact that WoK opened in more theatres and lost them as time went on (like most wide releases do these days), while the original opened in less but expanded as time went on. Hell, if you compare the second weekend drop (where both films had no changes in number of theatres) WoK actually had a significantly smaller drop (34.4%) than the original did. (39.5%)

[75Live]

mr. @baumer , I think I have a way out of this. We, call the police, and we have them send over one of their sketch artists. And Miss Balbricker can give a description. We can put up "Wanted" posters all over school... "Have you seen this prick? Report immediately to Beulah Balbricker. Do not attempt to apprehend this prick, as it is armed and dangerous. It was last seen hanging out in the girls' locker room at Angel Beach High School."

 

me and my brother were literally on the floor at that scene

 

of course Aloha Mr. Hand  

[baumer]

3 hours ago, rukaio101 said:

Considering Wrath of Khan is considered one of the greatest sci-fi movies of all time, while the original is considered 'eh' at best, I'mma disagree on that point.

 

I'd place the shift in legs on both the release date and the fact that WoK opened in more theatres and lost them as time went on (like most wide releases do these days), while the original opened in less but expanded as time went on. Hell, if you compare the second weekend drop (where both films had no changes in number of theatres) WoK actually had a significantly smaller drop (34.4%) than the original did. (39.5%)

 

Over time, the sequel is definitely considered better than the original no doubt.  But it did finish with a little less than the original, hence my assertion that audiences liked it less but only slightly.

[baumer]

3 hours ago, 75live said:

mr. @baumer , I think I have a way out of this. We, call the police, and we have them send over one of their sketch artists. And Miss Balbricker can give a description. We can put up "Wanted" posters all over school... "Have you seen this prick? Report immediately to Beulah Balbricker. Do not attempt to apprehend this prick, as it is armed and dangerous. It was last seen hanging out in the girls' locker room at Angel Beach High School."

 

me and my brother were literally on the floor at that scene

 

of course Aloha Mr. Hand  

 

It's the single funniest scene in the history of film, IMO.  I truly believe they cracked up doing that scene.  As I've mentioned to you and Tele before, that scene is done in one continuous take.....no cuts.....it just looks organic.  I love Porky's and especially that scene.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmS95hp4uM8

[75Live]

1 minute ago, baumer said:

 

It's the single funniest scene in the history of film, IMO.  I truly believe they cracked up doing that scene.  As I've mentioned to you and Tele before, that scene is done in one continuous take.....no cuts.....it just looks organic.  I love Porky's and especially that scene.

 

https://youtu.be/ZmS95hp4uM8

 

yeah their reactionis as it is happening is definitely part of what makes it even funnier.  I can just laugh at what they are doing on screen and take out the whole talking part

 

Glad someone else shares my love for Porky's.  The sequel, not so much though  

[Plain Old Tele]

33 minutes ago, baumer said:

 

Over time, the sequel is definitely considered better than the original no doubt.  But it did finish with a little less than the original, hence my assertion that audiences liked it less but only slightly.

 

I was a little young at the time so I can't speak from memory, but I've never heard of (or read) anyone who liked TMP over WOK, even back then. The first movie got the nickname "The Motionless Picture" almost immediately. I know Paramount spent a small fortune making and marketing it, and slashed the budget severely for WOK... maybe that had something to do with it. 

[baumer]

Me not being the biggest Trek fan im just going by the gross. 

[junkshop36]

WoK is one of my favorite all time movies! I love it. 

 

KHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN!!!!!!!!

[baumer]

Will get to this today

[baumer]

1983

 

Return of the Jedi dominated 1983.  So much so that it seemed to suck the life out of the box office.  A year earlier, Star Trek The Wrath of Khan set the opening weekend record of 14.3 million.  Return of the Jedi obliterated that. Wrath of Khan opened in 1600 theatres while Jedi started in 1000.  Over Memorial Day weekend, for the three day, Return of the Jedi set a record for average theatre gross of more than $22,000.  In short, Return of the Jedi was the film everyone wanted to see and it created a frenzy and a windfall for Lucas, theatre owners and all the subsidiaries in between.  

 

Part of what made JEDI such a hot commodity is that Empire Strikes Back left off with a cliffhanger.  This was unheard of in the climate of film back then.  With Han Solo being frozen in carbonite, Luke discovering that the serial killer Darth Vader was his father and the appearance of Leia being his sister, this created a demand for film unlike any other up until this point.  

 

 

Lucas of course wrote the story, produced the film and oversaw everything.  A script was written by Lucas and Lawrence Kasdan and this time ILM was given plenty of time to iron out all the special effects.  At one point David Cronenberg and David Lynch were in the running to direct it before Lucas settled on Richard Marquand.

 

Harrison Ford, unlike Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher, only signed on for two films.  Lucas thought it would be impossible to bring him back for Jedi but Kasdan talked him into it.  Ford wanted Solo to die in Jedi but Lucas was adamantly against that and of course Lucas won out.  Kasdan also convinced Lucas to go back to Dagobah and have Yoda confirm that Vader is indeed Luke's father.  

 

Return of the Jedi's theatrical release took place on May 25, 1983. It was originally slated to be May 27, but was subsequently changed to coincide with the date of the 1977 release of the original Star Wars. With a massive worldwide marketing campaign, illustrator Tim Reamer created the image for the movie poster and other advertising. At the time of its release, the film was advertised on posters and merchandise as simply Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, despite its on-screen "Episode VI" distinction. The original film was later re-released to theaters in 1985.

In 1997, for the 20th anniversary of the release of Star Wars (retitled Episode IV: A New Hope), Lucas released The Star Wars Trilogy: Special Edition. Along with the two other films in the original trilogy, Return of the Jedi was re-released on March 14, 1997, with a number of changes and additions, which included the insertion of several alien band members in Jabba's throne room, the modification of the Sarlacc to include a beak, the replacement of music at the closing scene, and a montage of different alien worlds celebrating the fall of the Empire.

 

 

Return of the Jedi earned 252 million in its initial release, which crushed the nearest competitor by almost 150 million.  the 1985 rerelease added another 11.5 million and the 1997 special edition another 45 million.  In total Return of the Jedi has grossed 475 million WW, but that number is incomplete, it is way over the 500 million mark.  The budget for Jedi was 32.5 million, one of the bigger budgets at the time.

 

Return of the Jedi has divided fans over the years due to the inclusion of the Ewoks.  But the majority of fans are happy with the rest of the film, especially the epic last hour where three different story lines are juxtaposed against one another.  It's certainly a triumph of editing.  

 

Return of the Jedi concluded the original trilogy and we wouldn't see another Star Wars chapter on the big screen for 16 years.

 

Terms of Endearment was the only other film to cross 100 million in 1983.   Directed, written, and produced by James L. Brooks and starring Shirley MacLaine, Debra Winger, Jack Nicholson, Danny DeVito, Jeff Daniels, and John Lithgow, it's a film that struck a chord with people.  The film covers 30 years of the relationship between Aurora Greenway (MacLaine) and her daughter Emma (Winger).  The film received eleven Academy Award nominations and won five. Brooks won the Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Writing (Adapted Screenplay) while MacLaine won the Academy Award for Best Actress and Nicholson won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.

 

Terms of Endearment was commercially and critically successful. On its opening weekend, it grossed $3.4 million ranking number two until its second weekend when it grossed $3.1 million ranking #1 at the box office. Three weekends later, it arrived number one again with $9,000,000 having wide release. For four weekends, it remained number one at the box office until slipping to number two on its tenth weekend. On the film's 11th weekend, it arrived number one (for the sixth and final time) grossing $3,000,000. The film grossed $108,423,489 domestically.

 

Coming in at number three, with 92.9 million and a total of more than 200 million WW, was the Adrian Lyne film, Flashdance.  

 

Flashdance was the first collaboration of producers Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer, and the presentation of some sequences in the style of music videos was an influence on other 1980s films including Top Gun (1986), Simpson and Bruckheimer's most famous production. Flashdance opened to negative reviews (what a shock that critics are completely clueless to what a paying audience likes) but was a surprise box office success, becoming the third highest-grossing film of 1983 in the US and Canada. Its soundtrack spawned several hit songs, including "Maniac" (performed by Michael Sembello), and the Academy Award–winning "Flashdance... What a Feeling" (performed by Irene Cara), which was written for the film.

 

 

Adrian Lyne, whose background was primarily in directing television commercials, was not the first choice as director of Flashdance. David Cronenberg turned down an offer to direct the film (this is the second big film of 1983 Cronenberg turned down), as did Brian De Palma, who instead chose to direct Scarface (1983). Executives at Paramount were unsure about the film's potential and sold 25% of the rights prior to its release.

 

Coming in at number four was Eddie Murphy's first film after 48 Hours.  Trading Places was released theatrically in the United States on June 10, 1983. During its opening weekend, the film earned $7.3 million from 1,375 theatres.  The film remained in the top ten grossing films for 17 weeks.  It went on to earn $90.4 million domestically.  This was the beginning of Eddie's run as one of the most bankable box office stars of the 1980's.  Along with Eddie Murphy, it starred fellow Saturday Night Live alum, Dan Aykroyd.  Halloween's Jamie Lee Curtis, baring her breasts for the first time also co-starred.  Denholm Elliot, James Belushi, Don Ameche and Ralph Belamy round out the all star cast.  

 

 

Another year, another Bond film finishes in the top ten, this time Octopussy finishes at number number 6 with 67.8 million and another year another Dirty Harry also finishes in the top ten.  This one is Sudden Impact with 67.6 million.

 

John Travolta starred in Staying Alive and it finished at number 8 with 64.8 million.  This one was directed by Sylvester Stallone.

 

Coming in at number 11 was the film that started a superstar career than has lasted 4 decades.  Tom Cruise danced around in his underwear, causing women to lose their minds.  Risky Business rounded out the top ten with 63.5 million.

 

Two disappointing sequels to once massive films came in at number 12 and 15.  That being Superman III and JAWS 3D.  Both films opened very strongly but didn't connect with audiences.  S3 came in with 59 million while J3D ended with 45 million.

 

Finishing with 21 million and in position 39 was the relatively ignored Christmas film, A Christmas Story.  Bob Clark (Porkys) directed this cute and charming film about a kid growing up in the 50's who just wants a Red Rifle gun for Christmas.  While the film did modest business in 1983, it has since gone on to become one of the Christmas Classics and every year plays non stop on TV around the holidays.  The HV sales have been steady for the last 35 years as well.

 

 

Other notable films to be released in 1983:

 

Scarface

Porky's II

Cujo

Psycho II (22 years after the original)

National Lampoon's Vacation

Blue Thunder

The Outsiders (starring the Brat Pack.....Cruise, Macchio, Swayze, Lowe, Estevez, Dillon, Diane Lane and C. Thomas Howell)

Christine

The Dead Zone

 

This was 1983.

 

[baumer]

Coming up in 1984, Lucas and Spielberg and Ford continue to dominate.

Eddie Murphy's classic comedy tops the year

Who ya gonna call?

Never get them wet, never feed them after midnight

Wax on Wax off

A purple kind of domination 

[Plain Old Tele]

Just now, baumer said:

Coming up in 1984, Lucas and Spielberg and Ford continue to dominate.

Eddie Murphy's classic comedy tops the year

Who ya gonna call?

Never get them wet, never feed them after midnight

Wax on Wax off

A purple kind of domination 

 

And maybe a footnote for someone who'll be back. 

[baumer]

Just now, Tele Came Back said:

 

And maybe a footnote for someone who'll be back. 

 

SHHHHHHHHHHHH