Market Charts > 1979 > Movie Chart
North America (US and Canada) Domestic Movie Chart for 1979
Note: This chart ranks movies by the amount they earned during 1979.
It includes movies released in previous years that earned money during 1979.
For example, a movie released over Thanksgiving in 1978 will most likely earn money in 1978 and 1979.
Click on the individual movie to see its total gross over all the years in which it played.
Inflation-adjusted figures are based on ticket sale estimates.
See Top 1979 Movies at the Domestic Box Office for the total domestic box office for the top 100 movies released in 1979, and Movie Index 1979 for an overview of all movies released in 1979.
Top Grossing Movies of 1979
Rank | Movie | Release Date | Distributor | Genre | 1979 Gross | Tickets Sold |
1 |
Superman |
Dec 15, 1978 |
Warner Bros. |
Adventure |
$93,292,767 |
37,168,433 |
2 |
The Amityville Horror |
Aug 3, 1979 |
American Internat… |
Horror |
$86,432,520 |
34,435,266 |
3 |
Rocky 2 |
Jun 15, 1979 |
United Artists |
Action |
$85,182,160 |
33,937,115 |
4 |
Star Trek: The Motion Picture |
Dec 7, 1979 |
Paramount Pictures |
Adventure |
$82,258,456 |
32,772,293 |
5 |
Apocalypse Now |
Aug 15, 1979 |
United Artists |
Action |
$78,784,010 |
31,388,051 |
6 |
The Muppet Movie |
Jun 22, 1979 |
Associated Film D… |
Adventure |
$76,657,000 |
30,540,637 |
7 |
The Jerk |
Dec 14, 1979 |
Universal |
Comedy |
$73,691,419 |
29,359,131 |
8 |
Moonraker |
Jun 29, 1979 |
United Artists |
Action |
$70,300,000 |
28,007,968 |
9 |
Alien |
May 25, 1979 |
20th Century Fox |
Horror |
$60,150,933 |
23,964,515 |
10 |
10 |
Oct 5, 1979 |
Warner Bros. |
Romantic Comedy |
$52,134,699 |
20,770,796 |
11 |
Love at First Bite |
Jan 1, 1979 |
American Internat… |
|
$43,900,000 |
17,490,039 |
12 |
Escape from Alcatraz |
Jun 22, 1979 |
Paramount Pictures |
Drama |
$43,000,000 |
17,131,474 |
13 |
Meatballs |
Jun 29, 1979 |
Paramount Pictures |
Comedy |
$43,000,000 |
17,131,474 |
14 |
The Electric Horseman |
Dec 19, 1979 |
Universal |
Romantic Comedy |
$42,670,138 |
17,000,054 |
15 |
Manhattan |
Apr 25, 1979 |
United Artists |
Romantic Comedy |
$39,946,780 |
15,915,051 |
16 |
Starting Over |
Oct 5, 1979 |
Paramount Pictures |
Comedy |
$38,200,000 |
15,219,123 |
17 |
The In-Laws |
Jun 15, 1979 |
Warner Bros. |
Comedy |
$38,200,000 |
15,219,123 |
18 |
All That Jazz |
Dec 20, 1979 |
20th Century Fox |
Drama |
$37,823,676 |
15,069,193 |
19 |
Black Stallion, The |
Oct 17, 1979 |
United Artists |
Adventure |
$37,799,643 |
15,059,618 |
20 |
The Main Event |
Jun 22, 1979 |
Warner Bros. |
|
$37,198,813 |
14,820,244 |
21 |
The Black Hole |
Dec 21, 1979 |
Walt Disney |
|
$35,841,901 |
14,279,641 |
22 |
The China Syndrome |
Mar 16, 1979 |
Columbia |
Thriller/Suspense |
$35,708,042 |
14,226,311 |
23 |
1941 |
Dec 14, 1979 |
Universal |
Comedy |
$34,175,000 |
13,615,537 |
24 |
...And Justice For All |
Oct 19, 1979 |
Columbia |
Drama |
$33,300,000 |
13,266,932 |
25 |
The Champ |
Apr 4, 1979 |
MGM |
Drama |
$30,441,738 |
12,128,182 |
26 |
Being There |
Dec 19, 1979 |
United Artists |
Comedy |
$30,177,511 |
12,022,912 |
27 |
Chapter Two |
Jan 1, 1979 |
Columbia |
Comedy |
$30,000,000 |
11,952,191 |
28 |
Going in Style |
Jan 1, 1979 |
Warner Bros. |
Comedy |
$29,900,000 |
11,912,350 |
29 |
The Rose |
Nov 7, 1979 |
20th Century Fox |
Drama |
$29,200,000 |
11,633,466 |
30 |
Prophecy |
Jun 15, 1979 |
Paramount Pictures |
Horror |
$22,673,340 |
9,033,203 |
31 |
The Warriors |
Feb 9, 1979 |
Paramount Pictures |
Action |
$22,490,000 |
8,960,159 |
32 |
Norma Rae |
Mar 2, 1979 |
20th Century Fox |
Drama |
$22,228,000 |
8,855,776 |
33 |
The Bermuda Triangle |
Jan 1, 1979 |
|
Horror |
$22,200,000 |
8,844,621 |
34 |
Every Which Way but Loose |
Dec 20, 1978 |
Warner Bros. |
Comedy |
$21,596,391 |
8,604,139 |
35 |
Dracula |
Jan 1, 1979 |
Universal |
Horror |
$21,000,000 |
8,366,533 |
36 |
A Force of One |
Jan 1, 1979 |
American Cinema R… |
Action |
$20,200,000 |
8,047,808 |
37 |
Breaking Away |
Jul 13, 1979 |
20th Century Fox |
Drama |
$20,000,000 |
7,968,127 |
38 |
North Dallas Forty |
Aug 3, 1979 |
Paramount Pictures |
Comedy |
$19,010,710 |
7,573,988 |
39 |
The Seduction of Joe Tynan |
Aug 17, 1979 |
Universal |
Drama |
$19,000,000 |
7,569,721 |
40 |
Hair |
Mar 24, 1979 |
United Artists |
Comedy |
$13,100,000 |
5,219,123 |
41 |
The Concorde: Airport '79 |
Jan 1, 1979 |
Universal |
|
$13,000,000 |
5,179,282 |
42 |
Time After Time |
Jan 1, 1979 |
Warner Bros. |
|
$13,000,000 |
5,179,282 |
43 |
The Frisco Kid |
Jul 13, 1979 |
Warner Bros. |
Comedy |
$12,000,000 |
4,780,876 |
44 |
Star Wars Ep. IV: A New Hope |
Jul 21, 1978 |
20th Century Fox |
Adventure |
$10,345,657 |
4,121,775 |
45 |
Dirt |
Mar 1, 1979 |
American Cinema R… |
Documentary |
$9,200,000 |
3,665,338 |
46 |
Meteor |
Oct 19, 1979 |
American Internat… |
Action |
$8,400,000 |
3,346,613 |
47 |
More American Graffiti |
Aug 3, 1979 |
Universal |
Comedy |
$8,100,000 |
3,227,091 |
48 |
Agatha |
Feb 9, 1979 |
Warner Bros. |
Thriller/Suspense |
$7,500,000 |
2,988,047 |
49 |
Kramer vs. Kramer |
Dec 19, 1979 |
Columbia |
Drama |
$7,277,237 |
2,899,297 |
50 |
The Prisoner of Zenda |
May 25, 1979 |
Universal |
Comedy |
$7,000,000 |
2,788,844 |
51 |
The Great Santini |
Oct 26, 1979 |
Warner Bros. |
Drama |
$7,000,000 |
2,788,844 |
52 |
Dawn of the Dead |
Apr 20, 1979 |
United Film Distr… |
Horror |
$5,100,000 |
2,031,872 |
53 |
The Glacier Fox |
Feb 1, 1979 |
Sanrio Communicat… |
Documentary |
$3,500,000 |
1,394,422 |
54 |
Hanover Street |
Jan 1, 1979 |
Columbia |
Drama |
$3,000,000 |
1,195,219 |
55 |
Fiddler on the Roof |
Jan 1, 1971 |
United Artists |
Musical |
$1,777,630 |
708,219 |
56 |
When a Stranger Calls |
Sep 28, 1979 |
Columbia |
Thriller/Suspense |
$1,262,052 |
502,809 |
57 |
Lost and Found |
Jun 22, 1979 |
Columbia |
Comedy |
$1,022,374 |
407,320 |
58 |
Roller Boogie |
Dec 19, 1979 |
United Artists |
Comedy |
$775,133 |
308,817 |
59 |
Cuba |
Dec 21, 1979 |
United Artists |
Action |
$527,540 |
210,175 |
60 |
The Great Train Robbery |
Feb 2, 1979 |
United Artists |
Action |
$391,942 |
156,152 |
61 |
Last Embrace |
May 2, 1979 |
United Artists |
Thriller/Suspense |
$381,119 |
151,840 |
62 |
The Life of Brian |
Aug 17, 1979 |
Warner Bros. |
Comedy |
$140,044 |
55,794 |
63 |
The Passage |
Mar 9, 1979 |
United Artists |
Drama |
$70,461 |
28,072 |
64 |
Rich Kids |
Aug 17, 1979 |
United Artists |
Drama |
$53,064 |
21,141 |
65 |
Voices |
Mar 14, 1979 |
MGM |
Drama |
$27,445 |
10,934 |
66 |
Birds of a Feather |
Mar 30, 1979 |
United Artists |
Comedy |
$18,709 |
7,453 |
67 |
Dolphin |
Jun 30, 1979 |
|
Documentary |
$14,000 |
5,577 |
68 |
The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh |
Nov 2, 1979 |
United Artists |
Comedy |
$12,922 |
5,148 |
Total Gross of All Movies | $1,793,762,976 | |
Total Tickets Sold | 714,646,571 |
Our Theatrical Market pages are based on the Domestic Theatrical Market performance only. The Domestic Market is defined as the North American movie territory (consisting of the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico and Guam).
The yearly amounts on our Theatrical Market pages are based on box office years. Each box office year starts on the first Monday of the year, so the previous year ends on the Sunday before the first Monday. For example, the "2017 box office year" started on January 2, 2017 so the "2016 box office year" ended on Sunday, January 1, 2017.