Skip to content
What's After the Movie?

Jump to
What's After the Movie?
History box office · 1982

History Box Office 1982: Highest-Grossing History Movies

Quest for Fire (1982) is the highest-grossing history movie released in 1982, with $21M worldwide, ahead of Missing (1982) at $14M and Das Boot (1982) at $11.5M. 7 history films released in 1982 report a worldwide gross, $53.3M in all, 100% of it from the US & Canada. That is down 36% on 1981, whose releases took $83.5M. By language, English leads with $17.1M across 4 history releases.

1982 releases with a gross
7
combined worldwide
$53.3M
Quest for Fire (1982), the #1
$21M
vs 1981
−36%
Quest for Fire (1982) movie poster #1 of 7
#1 history movie of 1982

Quest for Fire (1982)

1982 · Adventure, Drama

$21M worldwide · 39% of the chart's total

$21M US & Canada · 100% $3K elsewhere · <1%
Top 5

What Were the Biggest History Hits of 1982?

Quest for Fire (1982) leads with $21M, 39% of the total. The top 5 together took $52.5M, 98% of what all 7 films earned. Each bar splits a film's gross into the US & Canada and the rest of the world.

  1. Quest for Fire (1982) movie poster Number 1
    $21M Quest for Fire (1982)
    $21M US & Canada · 100% $3K elsewhere · <1%
  2. Missing (1982) movie poster Number 2
    $14M Missing (1982)
    $14M US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%
  3. Das Boot (1982) movie poster Number 3
    $11.5M Das Boot (1982)
    $11.5M US & Canada · 100% $1.4K elsewhere · <1%
  4. The Return of Martin Guerre (1982) movie poster Number 4
    $3.7M The Return of Martin Guerre (1982)
    $3.7M US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%
  5. The Draughtsman’s Contract (1982) movie poster Number 5
    $2.3M The Draughtsman’s Contract (1982)
    $2.3M US & Canada · 99% $27K elsewhere · 1%

US & Canada (domestic) Rest of the world

The chart

Every History Release of 1982, 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 1982.

  1. 1 Quest for Fire (1982) movie poster
    Quest for Fire (1982) Feb 12, 1982 · Adventure, Drama, History $21M worldwide
    Feb 12, 1982 US and Canada: $21M Rest of the world: $3K Worldwide: $21M
  2. 2 Missing (1982) movie poster
    Missing (1982) Mar 12, 1982 · English · Biography, Drama, History $14M worldwide
    Mar 12, 1982 US and Canada: $14M Rest of the world: Worldwide: $14M
  3. 3 Das Boot (1982) movie poster
    Das Boot (1982) Feb 10, 1982 · German · Action, Drama, History $11.5M worldwide
    Feb 10, 1982 US and Canada: $11.5M Rest of the world: $1.4K Worldwide: $11.5M
  4. 4 The Return of Martin Guerre (1982) movie poster
    The Return of Martin Guerre (1982) May 14, 1982 · French · History, Drama $3.7M worldwide
    May 14, 1982 US and Canada: $3.7M Rest of the world: Worldwide: $3.7M
  5. 5 The Draughtsman’s Contract (1982) movie poster
    The Draughtsman’s Contract (1982) Sep 4, 1982 · English · Mystery, History, Drama $2.3M worldwide
    Sep 4, 1982 US and Canada: $2.3M Rest of the world: $27K Worldwide: $2.3M
  6. 6 The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez (1982) movie poster
    The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez (1982) Jun 29, 1982 · English · Western, History $805K worldwide
    Jun 29, 1982 US and Canada: $805K Rest of the world: Worldwide: $805K
  7. 7 The Atomic Cafe (1982) movie poster
    The Atomic Cafe (1982) Mar 17, 1982 · English · History, Documentary $22.3K worldwide
    Mar 17, 1982 US and Canada: $22.3K Rest of the world: Worldwide: $22.3K
US & Canada vs the world

Where Did the Money Come From in 1982?

Of the top 7, Missing (1982) earned the biggest share at home (100% in the US & Canada), while The Draughtsman’s Contract (1982) made 1% of its gross abroad. Across all 7 films, $53.3M (100%) came from the US & Canada.

  1. 1 Quest for Fire (1982) $21M
    $21M US & Canada · 100% $3K elsewhere · <1%
  2. 2 Missing (1982) $14M
    $14M US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%
  3. 3 Das Boot (1982) $11.5M
    $11.5M US & Canada · 100% $1.4K elsewhere · <1%
  4. 4 The Return of Martin Guerre (1982) $3.7M
    $3.7M US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%
  5. 5 The Draughtsman’s Contract (1982) $2.3M
    $2.3M US & Canada · 99% $27K elsewhere · 1%
  6. 6 The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez (1982) $805K
    $805K US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%
  7. 7 The Atomic Cafe (1982) $22.3K
    $22.3K US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%
By release month

Which Month of 1982 Earned the Most?

February releases took the most, $32.5M from 2 films, led by Quest for Fire (1982). June was the quietest month ($805K). Each column is a release month and links to that month's chart.

  1. January Jan No reported grosses – No reported grosses
  2. February Feb Quest for Fire (1982) $32.5M Quest for Fire (1982)
  3. March Mar Missing (1982) $14M Missing (1982)
  4. April Apr No reported grosses – No reported grosses
  5. May May The Return of Martin Guerre (1982) $3.7M The Return of Martin Guerre (1982)
  6. June Jun The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez (1982) $805K The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez (1982)
  7. July Jul No reported grosses – No reported grosses
  8. August Aug No reported grosses – No reported grosses
  9. September Sep The Draughtsman’s Contract (1982) $2.3M The Draughtsman’s Contract (1982)
  10. October Oct No reported grosses – No reported grosses
  11. November Nov No reported grosses – No reported grosses
  12. December Dec No reported grosses – No reported grosses
Last 10 years

How Does 1982 Compare With Previous Years?

Of these 10 years, 1981 earned the most: $83.5M from 7 films, led by Reds (1981). 1982 took $53.3M.

Year Films Worldwide Change Biggest film
1973 No films 0 – – –
1974 5 films 5 $103.4K – Edvard Munch (1974) $76.9K
1975 5 films · +303% 5 $416.1K +303% Barry Lyndon (1975) $283.9K
1976 3 films · +16920% 3 $70.8M +16920% All the President's Men (1976) $70.6M
1977 2 films · −28% 2 $50.8M −28% A Bridge Too Far (1977) $50.8M
1978 6 films · −69% 6 $15.9M −69% American Hot Wax (1978) $7.9M
1979 3 films · −88% 3 $1.9M −88% Zulu Dawn (1979) $1.9M
1980 2 films · +114% 2 $4M +114% Kagemusha (1980) $4M
1981 7 films · +1977% 7 $83.5M +1977% Reds (1981) $40.4M
1982 7 films · −36% 7 $53.3M −36% Quest for Fire (1982) $21M
Archive

History Box Office Year by Year

Every year from 1918 to 2026 with its total and its biggest film. 2023 leads with $2.8B, led by Oppenheimer (2023).

2020s 7 years · $6.8B
2010s 10 years · $11.6B
2000s 10 years · $6.7B
1990s 10 years · $2.6B
1980s 10 years · $628.2M
1970s 9 years · $171.8M
1960s 10 years · $108.7M
1950s 9 years · $177.5M
1940s 5 years · $402.5M
1930s 4 years · $29.1K
1920s 3 years · $124.9K
1910s 1 year · $9.7K
FAQ

History Box Office 1982: 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 7 films as the chart.

What is the highest-grossing history movie in 1982?

Quest for Fire (1982) leads with $21M worldwide, $21M of it in the US & Canada. Next come Missing (1982) at $14M and Das Boot (1982) at $11.5M.

How much did history movies released in 1982 earn?

7 history films released in 1982 report a worldwide gross, $53.3M in all, or $7.6M per film on average. 1981 releases took $83.5M.

How many history movies released in 1982 made $1 billion?

None. The biggest, Quest for Fire (1982), earned $21M.

How much of the 1982 History box office came from the US and Canada?

$53.3M of the $53.3M total, or 100%, was earned in the US & Canada (the domestic market); the rest came from other countries. 0 films of the 7 report no domestic figure.

How is the 1982 history 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 1982. 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 1982 history 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.