#1 of 4 #1 comedy movie of April 1981
Take This Job and Shove It (1981)
1981 · Romance, Comedy
$17.6M worldwide · 38% of the chart's total
$17.6M US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%
Comedy box office · April 1981
Comedy Box Office, April 1981: Top-Grossing Releases
Take This Job and Shove It (1981) is the highest-grossing comedy movie released in April 1981, with $17.6M worldwide, ahead of Caveman (1981) at $16M and Buddy Buddy (1981) at $7.3M. 4 comedy films released in April 1981 report a worldwide gross, $46.3M in all, 100% of it from the US & Canada. That is up 32% on March 1981, whose releases took $35.2M.
- April 1981 releases with a gross
- 4
- combined worldwide
- $46.3M
- Take This Job and Shove It (1981), the #1
- $17.6M
- vs March 1981
- +32%
#1 of 4 Top 4
What Were the Biggest Comedy Hits of April 1981?
Take This Job and Shove It (1981) leads with $17.6M, 38% of the total. The top 4 together took $46.3M, almost all of what the 4 films earned. Each bar splits a film's gross into the US & Canada and the rest of the world.
- Number 1
-
Number 2 -
Number 3 -
Number 4
US & Canada (domestic) Rest of the world
The chart
Every Comedy Release of April 1981, 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 April 1981.
- 1 Apr 24, 1981 US and Canada: $17.6M Rest of the world: Worldwide: $17.6M
- 2 Apr 17, 1981 US and Canada: $16M Rest of the world: Worldwide: $16M
- 3 Apr 2, 1981 US and Canada: $7.3M Rest of the world: Worldwide: $7.3M
- 4 Apr 10, 1981 US and Canada: $5.5M Rest of the world: Worldwide: $5.5M
US & Canada vs the world
Where Did the Money Come From in April 1981?
Of the top 4, Take This Job and Shove It (1981) earned the biggest share at home (100% in the US & Canada), while Going Ape! (1981) made 0% of its gross abroad. Across all 4 films, $46.3M (100%) came from the US & Canada.
- 1 Take This Job and Shove It (1981) $17.6M $17.6M US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%
- 2 Caveman (1981) $16M $16M US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%
- 3 Buddy Buddy (1981) $7.3M $7.3M US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%
- 4 Going Ape! (1981) $5.5M $5.5M US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%
By release week
Which Week of April 1981 Had the Biggest Releases?
Films released in week 17 (Apr 19–25) took $17.6M, led by Take This Job and Shove It (1981). Each column links to that week's chart; weeks are Sunday to Saturday.
- Week 14 Wk 14 Mar 29–Apr 4 Buddy Buddy (1981) $7.3M Buddy Buddy (1981)
- Week 15 Wk 15 Apr 5–11 Going Ape! (1981) $5.5M Going Ape! (1981)
- Week 16 Wk 16 Apr 12–18 Caveman (1981) $16M Caveman (1981)
- Week 17 Wk 17 Apr 19–25 Take This Job and Shove It (1981) $17.6M Take This Job and Shove It (1981)
- Week 18 Wk 18 Apr 26–May 2 No reported grosses – No reported grosses
Earlier years
How Does April 1981 Compare With April in Earlier Years?
Of these 10 years, April 1981 earned the most: $46.3M from 4 films, led by Take This Job and Shove It (1981).
| Month | Films | Worldwide | Change | Biggest film |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 1972 No films | 0 | – | – | – |
| April 1973 No films | 0 | – | – | – |
| April 1974 No films | 0 | – | – | – |
| April 1975 1 film | 1 | $2.9M | – | Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975) $2.9M |
| April 1976 2 films · +999% | 2 | $32.2M | +999% | The Bad News Bears (1976) $32.2M |
| April 1977 3 films · +19% | 3 | $38.3M | +19% | Annie Hall (1977) $38.3M |
| April 1978 3 films · −43% | 3 | $22M | −43% | Same Time, Next Year (1978) $19.7M |
| April 1979 2 films · +100% | 2 | $44M | +100% | Love at First Bite (1979) $43.9M |
| April 1980 2 films · −56% | 2 | $19.5M | −56% | The Last Married Couple in America (1980) $12.8M |
| April 1981 4 films · +137% | 4 | $46.3M | +137% | Take This Job and Shove It (1981) $17.6M |
Archive
Comedy Box Office in 1981, Month by Month
The months of 1981 with their totals: June leads with $220.4M, led by Stripes (1981).
- January $20.3M #1 The Incredible Shrinking Woman (1981)
- February No grosses
- March $35.2M #1 The Devil and Max Devlin (1981)
- April $46.3M #1 Take This Job and Shove It (1981)
- May $81.7M #1 The Four Seasons (1981)
- June $220.4M #1 Stripes (1981)
- July $132M #1 Arthur (1981)
- August $55.5M #1 Private Lessons (1981)
- September $41.1M #1 Only When I Laugh (1981)
- October $19M #1 Paternity (1981)
- November $42.4M #1 Time Bandits (1981)
- December $58.5M #1 Neighbors (1981)
FAQ
Comedy Box Office April 1981: 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 4 films as the chart.
What is the highest-grossing comedy movie in April 1981?
Take This Job and Shove It (1981) leads with $17.6M worldwide, $17.6M of it in the US & Canada. Next come Caveman (1981) at $16M and Buddy Buddy (1981) at $7.3M.
How much did comedy movies released in April 1981 earn?
4 comedy films released in April 1981 report a worldwide gross, $46.3M in all, or $11.6M per film on average. March 1981 releases took $35.2M.
How many comedy movies released in April 1981 made $1 billion?
None. The biggest, Take This Job and Shove It (1981), earned $17.6M.
How is the April 1981 comedy 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 April 1981. 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 April 1981 comedy 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.