1980s in film
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The decade of the 1980s in Western cinema saw the return of studio-driven pictures, coming from the filmmaker-driven New Hollywood era of the 1970s.[1] The period was when the "high concept" picture was established by producer Don Simpson,[2] where films were expected to be easily marketable and understandable. Therefore, they had short cinematic plots that could be summarized in one or two sentences. Since its implementation, this method has become the most popular formula for modern Hollywood blockbusters. At the same time in Eastern cinema, the Hong Kong film industry entered a boom period that significantly elevated its prominence in the international market.
Trends
The cinema of the 1980s covered many subgenres, with hybrids crossing between multiple genres. The course strengthened towards creating ever-larger megahit films, which earned more in their opening weeks than most previous movies due in part to scheduling releases when there were less competition for audience interest.
- Los Angeles office building. Riding the buddy cop wave that was boosted by the likes of the Lethal Weapon franchise, Stallone and Kurt Russell's Tango & Cash became one of the two last Hollywood films to be released in the 1980s.[3] Meanwhile, Hong Kong action cinema was being revolutionized by filmmakers Jackie Chan, Tsui Hark, and John Woo; garnering increased attention all over the world with the likes of Project A (1983), Police Story (1985), A Better Tomorrow (1986), and The Killer (1989). Which featured increasingly complex martial arts and gunfight choreography with generally unsafe and most often uninsured stunt work. Blazing the trail for newer types of action movies like the heroic bloodshedsubgenre.
- Royal Space Force: The Wings of Honneamise (1987), Akira (1988) and Little Nemo: Adventures in Slumberland (1989). Additionally, the first-ever theatrical animated franchise: the Doraemon film series (based on the anime and manga series of the same name) began in 1980 with the release of Doraemon: Nobita's Dinosaur(1980).
- Blockbusters: The decade started by continuing the blockbuster boom of the mid-1970s. The sequel to 1977's Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back, opened in May 1980 becoming the highest-grossing film of the year. It is considered among the greatest films of all time (being the highest rated 1980s film on IMDb). It was followed by Return of the Jedi (1983) finishing the Star Wars original trilogy. Superman II was released in Europe and Australia in late 1980, but not distributed in the United States until June 1981. 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 as well as treasure hunting adventures like 1984's Romancing the Stone. 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 fairy-tale, sci-fi family blockbuster E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, which shattered all records, earning 40% more than any Star-Wars film, and double or triple the revenue of 46 of the top 50 films.
- Police Academyseries of broad comedies, produced between 1984 and 1993.
- Footloose, and 1987's Dirty Dancingwere all extremely successful as well as their soundtracks.
- Drama: Among the historical, romantic, and dramatic films, several were well received at the box office, including Rain Man (1988), On Golden Pond (1981), Terms of Endearment (1983), The Color Purple (1985) and Out of Africa (1985). Also notable in critical success were Gandhi (1982), Sophie's Choice (also 1982) and A Passage to India (1984). Steven Spielberg's Always was one of the two last Hollywood films to be released in the 1980s.[4]
- The Wizard of Oz, was a major flop, yet became a major success on home video. Jim Henson's Labyrinth (1986) was not an initial success but has since become a major cult classic. Hong Kong's A Chinese Ghost Story(1987) blended fantasy with several other genres such as horror, action, comedy, and romance to great effect, becoming an international favorite all over Asia.
- killer doll franchise starring Brad Dourif as the infamous killer doll Chucky.
- The Return of the Man from U.N.C.L.E. as 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.
- The Seven Little Fortunes troupe as children. Though the likes of Jet Li and Yuen Woo-ping were more known for being in front of or behind the camera respectively. Not to be left out, female action stars such as Michelle Yeoh, Cynthia Rothrock, Yukari Oshima, Moon Lee, and Cynthia Khan established the girls with guns trend during the latter half of the decade, which also heavily showcased hand-to-hand combat sequences. Meanwhile, Hollywood found its footing in the martial arts subgenre with the likes of Chuck Norris, Jean-Claude Van Damme, and Steven Seagal. All across-the-board, notable films include Shaolin Temple, Zu Warriors from the Magic Mountain, Wheels on Meals, Big Trouble in Little China, Dragons Forever, Bloodsport, and Miracles.
- The Karate Kid and its sequels (1986, 1989), and 1985's The Breakfast Club and St. Elmo's Fire featuring the Brat Pack, 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, a female welder in Flashdance 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 that challenged old classmates to redirect their lives after the suicide of a friend. The Goonies in 1985 and Stand by Mein 1986 were both successful at the box office and went on to be considered classics of the decade. They also both featured a number young actors that would see future success both on the big screen and the small screen.
- series became a big screen success with four movies being released during the 1980s.
- Porky's Revenge.
- Sports: Baseball was especially popular on the big screen as evidenced by the releases of The Natural, Bull Durham, Major League, and Field of Dreams. As well as boxing with Raging Bull, Rocky III, and Rocky IV. Though other competitions were represented by the likes of Caddyshack (golf), Chariots of Fire (track), The Color of Money (pool), Hoosiers (basketball), and Over the Top (arm wrestling).
- cult classic Blue Velvet (1986), which dealt with the underworld of a seemingly idyllic U.S. suburbia, a subject which has spawned many imitations well into the first decade of the 21st century and Stanley Kubrick's horror/thriller The Shining(1980).
- Western: A stylish form of western was evolving, with films such as Pale Rider, Silverado (both 1985) and Young Guns (1988).
Content
The decade saw an increased amount of
action genres. Much of the reliance on these effects-driven movies was due in part to the Star Wars
films at the advent of this decade and the new cinematic visuals they helped to pioneer.
With the release of 1984's PG-13 rating was introduced in the U.S. to accommodate films that straddled the line between PG and R. Which was mainly due to the controversies surrounding the violence of the PG films Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and Gremlins from earlier that same year.[5]
Some have considered the 1980s in retrospect as one of the weaker decades for American cinema in terms of the qualities of the films released. Filmmaker
Brian de Palma, John Carpenter, etc.).[8]
Highest-grossing films
| Rank | Title | Studio(s) | Worldwide gross | Year | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial | Universal Pictures | $792,942,069 | 1982 | |
| 2 | Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back
|
20th Century Fox | $538,375,067 | 1980 | |
| 3 | Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade | Paramount Pictures | $474,171,806 | 1989 | |
| 4 | Batman | Warner Bros. | $411,348,924 | 1989 | |
| 5 | Back to the Future | Universal Pictures | $381,109,762 | 1985 | |
| 6 | Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi
|
20th Century Fox
|
$374,593,074 | 1983 | |
| 7 | Top Gun | Paramount Pictures | $357,463,748 | 1986 | |
| 8 | Rain Man | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer | $354,825,435 | 1988 | |
| 9 | Raiders of the Lost Ark | Paramount Pictures | $353,988,025 | 1981 | |
| 10 | Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom | Paramount Pictures | $333,080,271 | 1984 | |
| 11 | Back to the Future Part II | Universal Pictures | $331,950,002 | 1989 | |
| 12 | Who Framed Roger Rabbit | Buena Vista / Touchstone Pictures | $329,803,958 | 1988 | |
| 13 | Crocodile Dundee | Paramount Pictures | $328,203,506 | 1986 | |
| 14 | Fatal Attraction | Paramount Pictures | $320,099,997 | 1987 | |
| 15 | Beverly Hills Cop | Paramount Pictures | $316,300,000 | 1984 | |
| 16 | Rambo: First Blood Part II | Carolco Pictures | $300,400,000 | 1985 | |
| 17 | Rocky IV | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer | $300,373,716 | 1985 | |
| 18 | Look Who's Talking | TriStar | $296,999,813 | 1989 | |
| 19 | Ghostbusters | Columbia Pictures | $296,578,797 | 1984 | |
| 20 | Coming to America | Paramount Pictures | $288,752,301 | 1988 | |
| 21 | Tootsie | Columbia Pictures | $241,000,000 | 1982 | |
| 22 | Crocodile Dundee II | Paramount Pictures | $239,606,210 | 1988 | |
| 23 | Dead Poets Society | Buena Vista / Touchstone Pictures | $235,860,116 | 1989 | |
| 24 | Lethal Weapon 2 | Warner Bros. | $227,853,986 | 1989 | |
| 25 | Honey, I Shrunk the Kids | Buena Vista/Disney | $222,724,172 | 1989 | |
| 26 | Twins | Universal Pictures | $216,614,388 | 1988 | |
| 27 | Ghostbusters II | Columbia Pictures | $215,394,738 | 1989 | |
| 28 | Dirty Dancing | Vestron Pictures | $214,600,000 | 1987 | |
| 29 | The Gods Must Be Crazy | C.A.T. Films | $200,000,000 | 1980 | |
| 30 | Rambo III | Carolco | $189,015,611 | 1988 | |
| 31 | The Little Mermaid | Buena Vista/Disney | $184,155,863 | 1989 | |
| 32 | A Fish Called Wanda | MGM | $177,889,000 | 1988 | |
| 33 | Cocktail | Buena Vista / Touchstone Pictures | $171,504,781 | 1988 | |
| 34 | Three Men and a Baby | Buena Vista / Touchstone Pictures | $167,780,960 | 1987 | |
| 35 | Born on the Fourth of July | Universal Pictures | $161,001,698 | 1989 | |
| 36 | Beverly Hills Cop II | Paramount Pictures | $299,965,036 | 1987 | |
| 37 | Gremlins | Warner Bros. | $153,083,102 | 1984 | |
| 38 | Big | 20th Century Fox | $151,668,774 | 1988 | |
| 39 | Die Hard | 20th Century Fox | $140,767,956 | 1988 | |
| 40 | The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! | Paramount Pictures | $140,000,000 | 1988 | |
| 41 | Platoon | Orion Pictures | $138,530,565 | 1986 | |
| 42 | The Karate Kid | Columbia Pictures | $130,000,000 | 1984 | |
| 43 | The Karate Kid Part II | Columbia Pictures | $130,000,000 | 1986 | |
| 44 | An Officer and a Gentleman | Paramount Pictures | $129,795,554 | 1982 | |
| 45 | Gandhi | Goldcrest Films / NFDC India | $127,767,889 | 1982 | |
| 46 | Rocky III | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer | $124,146,897 | 1982 | |
| 47 | Good Morning, Vietnam | Buena Vista / Touchstone Pictures | $123,922,370 | 1987 | |
| 48 | On Golden Pond | Universal Pictures | $119,285,432 | 1981 | |
| 49 | Shaolin Temple | Chung Yuen Motion Picture Company | $111,851,439 | 1982 | |
| 50 | Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home | Paramount Pictures | $109,713,132 | 1986 |
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.
Lists of films
See also
- Film, History of film, lists of films
- Popular culture: 1980s in television
Notes
References
- ISBN 978-0226182018.
In his pluralism, [Roger] Ebert proved a more authentic cinephile than many of his contemporaries. They tied their fortunes to the Film Brats and then suffered the inevitable disappointments of the 1980s return to studio-driven pictures.
- ISBN 978-0-385-48694-1.
- ^ "Tango & Cash - Box Office Data". The Numbers. Retrieved 2011-07-24.
- ^ "Always (1989) - IMDb". IMDb.
- ^ Breznican, Anthony (August 24, 2004). "PG-13 remade Hollywood ratings system". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Retrieved June 27, 2016.
- ^ Shamsian, Jacob (24 August 2015). "Here's why Quentin Tarantino isn't worried about the influx of franchise films". Business Insider. Retrieved 27 June 2016.
Back in the '80s, when movies sucked—I saw more movies then than I'd ever seen in my life, and the Hollywood bottom-line product was the worst it had been since the '50s—that would have been a great time [for Superhero films].
- .
This was the beginning of the 1980s, the worst decade ever for American movies...
- ^ Bordwell, David (20 November 2008). "Observations on film art : It's the 80s, stupid". David Bordwell's website on cinema. David Bordwell & Kristin Thompson. Retrieved 28 June 2016.
- ^ a b c "1982 Worldwide Gross". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2018-09-05.
- ^ "1980 Worldwide Gross". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2018-09-05.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "1989 Worldwide Gross". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2018-09-05.
- ^ "Back to the Future (1985)". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on 2020-10-01. Retrieved July 14, 2024.
- ^ "Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on February 29, 2020. Retrieved February 29, 2020.
- ^ a b "Top 1986 Movies at the Worldwide Box Office". The Numbers.
- ^ a b c "1986 Worldwide Gross". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2018-09-05.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "1988 Worldwide Gross". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2018-09-05.
- ^ a b "1981 Worldwide Gross". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on 2020-08-23. Retrieved 2020-08-23.
- ^ a b c "1984 Worldwide Gross". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2018-09-05.
- ^ "Top 1987 Movies at the Worldwide Box Office". The Numbers.
- ^ "Beverly Hills Cop (1984)". The Numbers.
- ^ Box Office Information for Rambo: First Blood Part II Box Office Mojo via Internet Archive. Retrieved February 8, 2023.
- ^ a b "1985 Worldwide Gross". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2018-09-05.
- ^ "Ghostbusters (1984)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2024-07-14.
- ^ "Tootsie's Crossdressing Comedy with a Heart of Gold Shouldn't Have Worked, but It Did". Paste Magazine. December 17, 2022.
- ^ Gorelik, Boris (12 July 2014). "Jamie se treffer: Met Uys, ja – die wêreld in". Rapport. Media24. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 14 July 2014.
- ^ a b c "1987 Worldwide Gross". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2018-09-05.
- ^ Sun-Sentinel. Archived from the originalon 2019-03-26. Retrieved 27 January 2021.
The Karate Kid (1984) and the sequel, The Karate Kid Part II, went on to gain critical acclaim and $130 million each at the box office
- ^ "Gandhi (1982) - Box Office Data, DVD and Blu-ray Sales, Movie News, Cast and Crew Information". The Numbers. Archived from the original on 7 April 2015. Retrieved 27 January 2015.