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Action box office · 1974

Action Box Office 1974: Highest-Grossing Action Movies

The Towering Inferno (1974) is the highest-grossing action movie released in 1974, with $116M worldwide, ahead of Earthquake (1974) at $79.7M and Death Wish (1974) at $22M. 11 action films released in 1974 report a worldwide gross, $238.7M in all, 100% of it from the US & Canada. One film crossed $100 million; none reached $1 billion. That is up 184% on 1973, whose releases took $84.1M. By language, English leads with $159M across 8 action releases.

1974 releases with a gross
11
combined worldwide
$238.7M
film crossed $100M
1
vs 1973
+184%
The Towering Inferno (1974) movie poster #1 of 11
#1 action movie of 1974

The Towering Inferno (1974)

1974 · Action, Drama

$116M worldwide · 49% of the chart's total

$116M US & Canada · 100% $2K elsewhere · <1%
Top 5

What Were the Biggest Action Hits of 1974?

The Towering Inferno (1974) leads with $116M, 49% of the total. The top 5 together took $238.7M, almost all of what the 11 films earned. Each bar splits a film's gross into the US & Canada and the rest of the world.

  1. The Towering Inferno (1974) movie poster Number 1
    $116M The Towering Inferno (1974)
    $116M US & Canada · 100% $2K elsewhere · <1%
  2. Earthquake (1974) movie poster Number 2
    $79.7M Earthquake (1974)
    $79.7M US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%
  3. Death Wish (1974) movie poster Number 3
    $22M Death Wish (1974)
    $22M US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%
  4. The Man with the Golden Gun (1974) movie poster Number 4
    $21M The Man with the Golden Gun (1974)
    $21M US & Canada · 100% $986 elsewhere · <1%
  5. Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia (1974) movie poster Number 5
    $18.9K Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia (1974)
    No US & Canada figure reported

US & Canada (domestic) Rest of the world

The chart

Every Action Release of 1974, Ranked by Worldwide Gross

Lifetime worldwide grosses in US dollars, not adjusted for inflation; domestic means the US & Canada. Films are grouped by their release date in 1974.

  1. 1 The Towering Inferno (1974) movie poster
    The Towering Inferno (1974) Dec 17, 1974 · English · Action, Drama, Thriller $116M worldwide
    Dec 17, 1974 US and Canada: $116M Rest of the world: $2K Worldwide: $116M
  2. 2 Earthquake (1974) movie poster
    Earthquake (1974) Nov 15, 1974 · Action, Drama, Thriller $79.7M worldwide
    Nov 15, 1974 US and Canada: $79.7M Rest of the world: Worldwide: $79.7M
  3. 3 Death Wish (1974) movie poster
    Death Wish (1974) Jul 24, 1974 · English · Action, Drama, Thriller $22M worldwide
    Jul 24, 1974 US and Canada: $22M Rest of the world: Worldwide: $22M
  4. 4 The Man with the Golden Gun (1974) movie poster
    The Man with the Golden Gun (1974) Dec 20, 1974 · English · Action, Adventure, Thriller $21M worldwide
    Dec 20, 1974 US and Canada: $21M Rest of the world: $986 Worldwide: $21M
  5. 5 Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia (1974) movie poster
    Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia (1974) Aug 7, 1974 · English · Action, Drama, Thriller $18.9K worldwide
    Aug 7, 1974 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $18.9K
  6. 6 Stone (1974) movie poster
    Stone (1974) Jan 2, 1974 · English · Action, Thriller, Crime $5.1K worldwide
    Jan 2, 1974 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $5.1K
  7. 7 Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla (1974) movie poster
    Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla (1974) Mar 21, 1974 · Japanese · Action, Sci-Fi, Adventure $549 worldwide
    Mar 21, 1974 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $549
  8. 8 Foxy Brown (1974) movie poster
    Foxy Brown (1974) Apr 5, 1974 · English · Action, Thriller, Crime $459 worldwide
    Apr 5, 1974 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $459
  9. 9 The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974) movie poster
    The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974) Sep 1, 1974 · English · Thriller, Action, Crime $364 worldwide
    Sep 1, 1974 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $364
  10. 10 Lady Snowblood (1974) movie poster
    Lady Snowblood (1974) Mar 22, 1974 · Japanese · Action, Drama, Thriller $269 worldwide
    Mar 22, 1974 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $269
  11. 11 The Golden Voyage of Sinbad (1974) movie poster
    The Golden Voyage of Sinbad (1974) Apr 5, 1974 · English · Action, Adventure, Fantasy $136 worldwide
    Apr 5, 1974 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $136
US & Canada vs the world

Where Did the Money Come From in 1974?

Of the top 10, Earthquake (1974) earned the biggest share at home (100% in the US & Canada), while The Man with the Golden Gun (1974) made <1% of its gross abroad. Across all 11 films, $238.6M (100%) came from the US & Canada. 6 films of the top 10 report no US & Canada figure.

  1. 1 The Towering Inferno (1974) $116M
    $116M US & Canada · 100% $2K elsewhere · <1%
  2. 2 Earthquake (1974) $79.7M
    $79.7M US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%
  3. 3 Death Wish (1974) $22M
    $22M US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%
  4. 4 The Man with the Golden Gun (1974) $21M
    $21M US & Canada · 100% $986 elsewhere · <1%
  5. 5 Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia (1974) $18.9K
    No US & Canada figure reported
  6. 6 Stone (1974) $5.1K
    No US & Canada figure reported
  7. 7 Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla (1974) $549
    No US & Canada figure reported
  8. 8 Foxy Brown (1974) $459
    No US & Canada figure reported
  9. 9 The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974) $364
    No US & Canada figure reported
  10. 10 Lady Snowblood (1974) $269
    No US & Canada figure reported
Gross bands

How Many 1974 Releases Crossed $100 Million?

1 of 11 films crossed $100M and took $116M between them, 49% of the total. 7 films, 64% of the list, earned under $10M.

  • $1B or more 0 films, 0% of the list No films
  • $500M to $1B 0 films, 0% of the list No films
  • $100M to $500M 1 film, 9% of the list $116M · 49% of the gross
  • $10M to $100M 3 films, 27% of the list $122.6M · 51% of the gross
  • Under $10M 7 films, 64% of the list $25.8K · <1% of the gross
By release month

Which Month of 1974 Earned the Most?

December releases took the most, $137M from 2 films, led by The Towering Inferno (1974). September was the quietest month ($364). Each column is a release month and links to that month's chart.

  1. January Jan Stone (1974) $5.1K Stone (1974)
  2. February Feb No reported grosses – No reported grosses
  3. March Mar Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla (1974) $818 Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla (1974)
  4. April Apr Foxy Brown (1974) $595 Foxy Brown (1974)
  5. May May No reported grosses – No reported grosses
  6. June Jun No reported grosses – No reported grosses
  7. July Jul Death Wish (1974) $22M Death Wish (1974)
  8. August Aug Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia (1974) $18.9K Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia (1974)
  9. September Sep The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974) $364 The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974)
  10. October Oct No reported grosses – No reported grosses
  11. November Nov Earthquake (1974) $79.7M Earthquake (1974)
  12. December Dec The Towering Inferno (1974) $137M The Towering Inferno (1974)
Last 10 years

How Does 1974 Compare With Previous Years?

Of these 10 years, 1974 earned the most: $238.7M from 11 films, led by The Towering Inferno (1974).

Year Films Worldwide Change Biggest film
1965 3 films 3 $115.3M – Thunderball (1965) $63.6M
1966 4 films · −100% 4 $31.4K −100% Django (1966) $30.3K
1967 2 films · +156410% 2 $49.1M +156410% You Only Live Twice (1967) $43.1M
1968 3 films · −93% 3 $3.6M −93% Coogan’s Bluff (1968) $3.1M
1969 6 films · +748% 6 $30.7M +748% On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969) $22.8M
1970 3 films · +289% 3 $119.5M +289% Airport (1970) $100.5M
1971 6 films · −6% 6 $112.6M −6% The French Connection (1971) $51.7M
1972 8 films · −16% 8 $94.5M −16% The Poseidon Adventure (1972) $84.6M
1973 10 films · −11% 10 $84.1M −11% Magnum Force (1973) $39.8M
1974 11 films · +184% 11 $238.7M +184% The Towering Inferno (1974) $116M
By language

Which Languages Do the Biggest Action Movies Speak in 1974?

English-language action films took $159M across 8 films, 67% of the total, ahead of Japanese-language action films ($818).

1974 Action Box Office by Language

  1. English $159M
    8 films · #1 The Towering Inferno (1974)
  2. Japanese $818
    2 films · #1 Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla (1974)
Archive

Action Box Office Year by Year

Every year from 1924 to 2026 with its total and its biggest film. 2017 leads with $20.6B, led by Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi (2017).

2020s 7 years · $61.4B
2010s 10 years · $152.6B
2000s 10 years · $73.2B
1990s 10 years · $32.6B
1980s 10 years · $10.7B
1970s 10 years · $2.8B
1960s 10 years · $286.3M
1950s 7 years · $3.2M
1940s 2 years · $2.3M
1930s 2 years · $5.8K
1920s 2 years · $1.8K
FAQ

Action Box Office 1974: Questions & Answers

The chart's numbers in short: the #1 film, the total, the billion-dollar hits and the US & Canada share, answered from the same 11 films as the chart.

What is the highest-grossing action movie in 1974?

The Towering Inferno (1974) leads with $116M worldwide, $116M of it in the US & Canada. Next come Earthquake (1974) at $79.7M and Death Wish (1974) at $22M.

How much did action movies released in 1974 earn?

11 action films released in 1974 report a worldwide gross, $238.7M in all, or $21.7M per film on average. 1973 releases took $84.1M.

How many action movies released in 1974 made $1 billion?

None. 1 film crossed $100 million, led by The Towering Inferno (1974) with $116M.

How much of the 1974 Action box office came from the US and Canada?

$238.6M of the $238.7M total, or 100%, was earned in the US & Canada (the domestic market); the rest came from other countries. 7 films of the 11 report no domestic figure.

How is the 1974 action box office chart ranked and where do the numbers come from?

Films are ranked by lifetime worldwide gross in US dollars, not adjusted for inflation, and grouped by their release date in 1974. The figures are the reported box office grosses in our database. A gross that looks misattributed, such as one figure shared by two unrelated films or a blockbuster total on an obscure title, is left out rather than shown as a fact.

How often is the 1974 action box office chart updated?

Grosses change while films are in theaters and whenever a new figure is reported; this chart reads the latest numbers in our database, so an older film can still move after a re-release.