Skip to content
What's After the Movie?

Jump to
What's After the Movie?
Horror box office · May 1986

Horror Box Office, May 1986: Top-Grossing Releases

Poltergeist II: The Other Side (1986) is the highest-grossing horror movie released in May 1986, with $41M worldwide, ahead of Spookies (1986) at $17.8K and Demons (1986) at $2.9K. 3 horror films released in May 1986 report a worldwide gross, $41M in all, 100% of it from the US & Canada. That is up 158% on April 1986, whose releases took $15.9M.

May 1986 releases with a gross
3
combined worldwide
$41M
Poltergeist II: The Other Side (1986), the #1
$41M
vs April 1986
+158%
Top 3

What Were the Biggest Horror Hits of May 1986?

Poltergeist II: The Other Side (1986) leads with $41M, 100% of the total. The top 3 together took $41M, almost all of what the 3 films earned. Each bar splits a film's gross into the US & Canada and the rest of the world.

  1. Poltergeist II: The Other Side (1986) movie poster Number 1
    $41M Poltergeist II: The Other Side (1986)
    $41M US & Canada · 100% $1.4K elsewhere · <1%
  2. Spookies (1986) movie poster Number 2
    $17.8K Spookies (1986)
    $17.8K US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%
  3. Demons (1986) movie poster Number 3
    $2.9K Demons (1986)
    No US & Canada figure reported

US & Canada (domestic) Rest of the world

The chart

Every Horror 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 Poltergeist II: The Other Side (1986) movie poster
    Poltergeist II: The Other Side (1986) May 23, 1986 · English · Horror $41M worldwide
    May 23, 1986 US and Canada: $41M Rest of the world: $1.4K Worldwide: $41M
  2. 2 Spookies (1986) movie poster
    Spookies (1986) May 14, 1986 · English · Horror $17.8K worldwide
    May 14, 1986 US and Canada: $17.8K Rest of the world: Worldwide: $17.8K
  3. 3 Demons (1986) movie poster
    Demons (1986) May 30, 1986 · English · Horror $2.9K worldwide
    May 30, 1986 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $2.9K
By release week

Which Week of May 1986 Had the Biggest Releases?

Films released in week 21 (May 18–24) took $41M, led by Poltergeist II: The Other Side (1986). Each column links to that week's chart; weeks are Sunday to Saturday.

  1. Week 18 Wk 18 Apr 27–May 3 No reported grosses – No reported grosses
  2. Week 19 Wk 19 May 4–10 No reported grosses – No reported grosses
  3. Week 20 Wk 20 May 11–17 Spookies (1986) $17.8K Spookies (1986)
  4. Week 21 Wk 21 May 18–24 Poltergeist II: The Other Side (1986) $41M Poltergeist II: The Other Side (1986)
  5. Week 22 Wk 22 May 25–31 Demons (1986) $2.9K Demons (1986)
Earlier years

How Does May 1986 Compare With May in Earlier Years?

Of these 10 years, May 1980 earned the most: $87.9M from 3 films, led by The Shining (1980). May 1986 took $41M.

Month Films Worldwide Change Biggest film
May 1977 No films 0 – – –
May 1978 No films 0 – – –
May 1979 1 film 1 $159.8K – Dawn of the Dead (1979) $159.8K
May 1980 3 films · +54888% 3 $87.9M +54888% The Shining (1980) $48M
May 1981 3 films · −72% 3 $24.8M −72% Friday the 13th Part 2 (1981) $21.7M
May 1982 3 films · −26% 3 $18.2M −26% Visiting Hours (1982) $13.3M
May 1983 No films 0 – – –
May 1984 1 film 1 $17.1M – Firestarter (1984) $17.1M
May 1985 No films 0 – – –
May 1986 3 films 3 $41M – Poltergeist II: The Other Side (1986) $41M
Archive

Horror Box Office in 1986, Month by Month

The months of 1986 with their totals: August leads with $91.7M, led by The Fly (1986).

FAQ

Horror 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 3 films as the chart.

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

Poltergeist II: The Other Side (1986) leads with $41M worldwide, $41M of it in the US & Canada. Next come Spookies (1986) at $17.8K and Demons (1986) at $2.9K.

How much did horror movies released in May 1986 earn?

3 horror films released in May 1986 report a worldwide gross, $41M in all, or $13.7M per film on average. April 1986 releases took $15.9M.

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

None. The biggest, Poltergeist II: The Other Side (1986), earned $41M.

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

$41M of the $41M total, or 100%, was earned in the US & Canada (the domestic market); the rest came from other countries. 1 film of the 3 report no domestic figure.

How is the May 1986 horror 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 horror 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.