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Action box office · May 1986

Action Box Office, May 1986: Top-Grossing Releases

Top Gun (1986) is the highest-grossing action movie released in May 1986, with $357.3M worldwide, ahead of Cobra (1986) at $49M and Blue City (1986) at $6.9M. 6 action films released in May 1986 report a worldwide gross, $422.3M in all, 58% of it from the US & Canada. One film crossed $100 million; none reached $1 billion. That is 22.7 times the total of April 1986, whose releases took $18.6M. By language, English leads with $373.2M across 5 action releases.

May 1986 releases with a gross
6
combined worldwide
$422.3M
film crossed $100M
1
vs April 1986
×22.7
Top Gun (1986) movie poster #1 of 6
#1 action movie of May 1986

Top Gun (1986)

1986 · Action, Drama

$357.3M worldwide · 85% of the chart's total

$180.3M US & Canada · 50% $177M elsewhere · 50%
Top 5

What Were the Biggest Action Hits of May 1986?

Top Gun (1986) leads with $357.3M, 85% of the total. The top 5 together took $420.3M, almost all of what the 6 films earned. Each bar splits a film's gross into the US & Canada and the rest of the world.

  1. Top Gun (1986) movie poster Number 1
    $357.3M Top Gun (1986)
    $180.3M US & Canada · 50% $177M elsewhere · 50%
  2. Cobra (1986) movie poster Number 2
    $49M Cobra (1986)
    $49M US & Canada · 100% $2.4K elsewhere · <1%
  3. Blue City (1986) movie poster Number 3
    $6.9M Blue City (1986)
    $6.9M US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%
  4. No Retreat, No Surrender (1986) movie poster Number 4
    $4.7M No Retreat, No Surrender (1986)
    $4.7M US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%
  5. Dangerously Close (1986) movie poster Number 5
    $2.4M Dangerously Close (1986)
    $2.4M US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%

US & Canada (domestic) Rest of the world

The chart

Every Action Release of May 1986, 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 May 1986.

  1. 1 Top Gun (1986) movie poster
    Top Gun (1986) May 16, 1986 · English · Action, Drama, Romance $357.3M worldwide
    May 16, 1986 US and Canada: $180.3M Rest of the world: $177M Worldwide: $357.3M
  2. 2 Cobra (1986) movie poster
    Cobra (1986) May 23, 1986 · Action, Thriller, Crime $49M worldwide
    May 23, 1986 US and Canada: $49M Rest of the world: $2.4K Worldwide: $49M
  3. 3 Blue City (1986) movie poster
    Blue City (1986) May 2, 1986 · English · Action, Drama, Crime $6.9M worldwide
    May 2, 1986 US and Canada: $6.9M Rest of the world: Worldwide: $6.9M
  4. 4 No Retreat, No Surrender (1986) movie poster
    No Retreat, No Surrender (1986) May 2, 1986 · English · Action, Drama, Comedy $4.7M worldwide
    May 2, 1986 US and Canada: $4.7M Rest of the world: Worldwide: $4.7M
  5. 5 Dangerously Close (1986) movie poster
    Dangerously Close (1986) May 9, 1986 · English · Thriller, Crime, Action $2.4M worldwide
    May 9, 1986 US and Canada: $2.4M Rest of the world: Worldwide: $2.4M
  6. 6 Jake Speed (1986) movie poster
    Jake Speed (1986) May 30, 1986 · English · Action, Adventure, Comedy $1.9M worldwide
    May 30, 1986 US and Canada: $1.9M Rest of the world: Worldwide: $1.9M
US & Canada vs the world

Where Did the Money Come From in May 1986?

Of the top 6, Blue City (1986) earned the biggest share at home (100% in the US & Canada), while Top Gun (1986) made 50% of its gross abroad. Across all 6 films, $245.2M (58%) came from the US & Canada.

  1. 1 Top Gun (1986) $357.3M
    $180.3M US & Canada · 50% $177M elsewhere · 50%
  2. 2 Cobra (1986) $49M
    $49M US & Canada · 100% $2.4K elsewhere · <1%
  3. 3 Blue City (1986) $6.9M
    $6.9M US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%
  4. 4 No Retreat, No Surrender (1986) $4.7M
    $4.7M US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%
  5. 5 Dangerously Close (1986) $2.4M
    $2.4M US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%
  6. 6 Jake Speed (1986) $1.9M
    $1.9M US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%
By release week

Which Week of May 1986 Had the Biggest Releases?

Films released in week 20 (May 11–17) took $357.3M, led by Top Gun (1986). Each column links to that week's chart; weeks are Sunday to Saturday.

  1. Week 18 Wk 18 Apr 27–May 3 Blue City (1986) $11.6M Blue City (1986)
  2. Week 19 Wk 19 May 4–10 Dangerously Close (1986) $2.4M Dangerously Close (1986)
  3. Week 20 Wk 20 May 11–17 Top Gun (1986) $357.3M Top Gun (1986)
  4. Week 21 Wk 21 May 18–24 Cobra (1986) $49M Cobra (1986)
  5. Week 22 Wk 22 May 25–31 Jake Speed (1986) $1.9M Jake Speed (1986)
Earlier years

How Does May 1986 Compare With May in Earlier Years?

Of these 10 years, May 1977 earned the most: $902.1M from 2 films, led by Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977). May 1986 took $422.3M.

Month Films Worldwide Change Biggest film
May 1977 2 films 2 $902.1M – Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977) $775.4M
May 1978 No films 0 – – –
May 1979 No films 0 – – –
May 1980 2 films 2 $564.7M – Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980) $550M
May 1981 1 film · −97% 1 $17.4M −97% Outland (1981) $17.4M
May 1982 4 films · +481% 4 $101M +481% Conan the Barbarian (1982) $68.9M
May 1983 5 films · +446% 5 $550.8M +446% Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983) $482.5M
May 1984 3 films · −35% 3 $358.8M −35% Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984) $333.1M
May 1985 6 films · +10% 6 $393.7M +10% Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985) $300.4M
May 1986 6 films · +7% 6 $422.3M +7% Top Gun (1986) $357.3M
Archive

Action Box Office in 1986, Month by Month

The months of 1986 with their totals: May leads with $422.3M, led by Top Gun (1986).

FAQ

Action Box Office May 1986: 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 6 films as the chart.

What is the highest-grossing action movie in May 1986?

Top Gun (1986) leads with $357.3M worldwide, $180.3M of it in the US & Canada. Next come Cobra (1986) at $49M and Blue City (1986) at $6.9M.

How much did action movies released in May 1986 earn?

6 action films released in May 1986 report a worldwide gross, $422.3M in all, or $70.4M per film on average. April 1986 releases took $18.6M.

How many action movies released in May 1986 made $1 billion?

None. 1 film crossed $100 million, led by Top Gun (1986) with $357.3M.

How much of the May 1986 Action box office came from the US and Canada?

$245.2M of the $422.3M total, or 58%, was earned in the US & Canada (the domestic market); the rest came from other countries. 0 films of the 6 report no domestic figure.

How is the May 1986 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 May 1986. 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 May 1986 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.