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Musical box office · 1986

Musical Box Office 1986: Highest-Grossing Musical Movies

An American Tail (1986) is the highest-grossing musical movie released in 1986, with $84.5M worldwide, ahead of Little Shop of Horrors (1986) at $39.1M and The Great Mouse Detective (1986) at $38.6M. 8 musical films released in 1986 report a worldwide gross, $194.9M in all, 80% of it from the US & Canada. That is 4.2 times the total of 1985, whose releases took $46.2M. By language, English leads with $180.2M across 7 musical releases.

1986 releases with a gross
8
combined worldwide
$194.9M
An American Tail (1986), the #1
$84.5M
vs 1985
×4.2
An American Tail (1986) movie poster #1 of 8
#1 musical movie of 1986

An American Tail (1986)

1986 · Drama, Comedy

$84.5M worldwide · 43% of the chart's total

$47.5M US & Canada · 56% $37.1M elsewhere · 44%
Top 5

What Were the Biggest Musical Hits of 1986?

An American Tail (1986) leads with $84.5M, 43% of the total. The top 5 together took $185.5M, 95% of what all 8 films earned. Each bar splits a film's gross into the US & Canada and the rest of the world.

  1. An American Tail (1986) movie poster Number 1
    $84.5M An American Tail (1986)
    $47.5M US & Canada · 56% $37.1M elsewhere · 44%
  2. Little Shop of Horrors (1986) movie poster Number 2
    $39.1M Little Shop of Horrors (1986)
    $39M US & Canada · 100% $32.3K elsewhere · <1%
  3. The Great Mouse Detective (1986) movie poster Number 3
    $38.6M The Great Mouse Detective (1986)
    $38.6M US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%
  4. Labyrinth (1986) movie poster Number 4
    $14.7M Labyrinth (1986)
    $13.7M US & Canada · 93% $1M elsewhere · 7%
  5. Care Bears Movie II: A New Generation (1986) movie poster Number 5
    $8.5M Care Bears Movie II: A New Generation (1986)
    $8.5M US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%

US & Canada (domestic) Rest of the world

The chart

Every Musical Release of 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 1986.

  1. 1 An American Tail (1986) movie poster
    An American Tail (1986) Nov 21, 1986 · English · Drama, Comedy, Animation $84.5M worldwide
    Nov 21, 1986 US and Canada: $47.5M Rest of the world: $37.1M Worldwide: $84.5M
  2. 2 Little Shop of Horrors (1986) movie poster
    Little Shop of Horrors (1986) Dec 19, 1986 · English · Sci-Fi, Horror, Comedy $39.1M worldwide
    Dec 19, 1986 US and Canada: $39M Rest of the world: $32.3K Worldwide: $39.1M
  3. 3 The Great Mouse Detective (1986) movie poster
    The Great Mouse Detective (1986) Jul 2, 1986 · English · Adventure, Mystery, Animation $38.6M worldwide
    Jul 2, 1986 US and Canada: $38.6M Rest of the world: Worldwide: $38.6M
  4. 4 Labyrinth (1986) movie poster
    Labyrinth (1986) Jun 27, 1986 · Adventure, Fantasy, Family $14.7M worldwide
    Jun 27, 1986 US and Canada: $13.7M Rest of the world: $1M Worldwide: $14.7M
  5. 5 Care Bears Movie II: A New Generation (1986) movie poster
    Care Bears Movie II: A New Generation (1986) Mar 21, 1986 · English · Adventure, Fantasy, Comedy $8.5M worldwide
    Mar 21, 1986 US and Canada: $8.5M Rest of the world: Worldwide: $8.5M
  6. 6 My Little Pony: The Movie (1986) movie poster
    My Little Pony: The Movie (1986) Jun 6, 1986 · English · Adventure, Fantasy, Animation $6M worldwide
    Jun 6, 1986 US and Canada: $6M Rest of the world: Worldwide: $6M
  7. 7 True Stories (1986) movie poster
    True Stories (1986) Oct 10, 1986 · English · Comedy, Musical $2.5M worldwide
    Oct 10, 1986 US and Canada: $2.5M Rest of the world: $317 Worldwide: $2.5M
  8. 8 Absolute Beginners (1986) movie poster
    Absolute Beginners (1986) Apr 18, 1986 · English · Drama, Romance, Musical $930.2K worldwide
    Apr 18, 1986 US and Canada: $930.2K Rest of the world: Worldwide: $930.2K
US & Canada vs the world

Where Did the Money Come From in 1986?

Of the top 8, The Great Mouse Detective (1986) earned the biggest share at home (100% in the US & Canada), while An American Tail (1986) made 44% of its gross abroad. Across all 8 films, $156.8M (80%) came from the US & Canada.

  1. 1 An American Tail (1986) $84.5M
    $47.5M US & Canada · 56% $37.1M elsewhere · 44%
  2. 2 Little Shop of Horrors (1986) $39.1M
    $39M US & Canada · 100% $32.3K elsewhere · <1%
  3. 3 The Great Mouse Detective (1986) $38.6M
    $38.6M US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%
  4. 4 Labyrinth (1986) $14.7M
    $13.7M US & Canada · 93% $1M elsewhere · 7%
  5. 5 Care Bears Movie II: A New Generation (1986) $8.5M
    $8.5M US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%
  6. 6 My Little Pony: The Movie (1986) $6M
    $6M US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%
  7. 7 True Stories (1986) $2.5M
    $2.5M US & Canada · 100% $317 elsewhere · <1%
  8. 8 Absolute Beginners (1986) $930.2K
    $930.2K US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%
By release month

Which Month of 1986 Earned the Most?

November releases took the most, $84.5M from 1 film, led by An American Tail (1986). April was the quietest month ($930.2K). 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 No reported grosses – No reported grosses
  3. March Mar Care Bears Movie II: A New Generation (1986) $8.5M Care Bears Movie II: A New Generation (1986)
  4. April Apr Absolute Beginners (1986) $930.2K Absolute Beginners (1986)
  5. May May No reported grosses – No reported grosses
  6. June Jun Labyrinth (1986) $20.7M Labyrinth (1986)
  7. July Jul The Great Mouse Detective (1986) $38.6M The Great Mouse Detective (1986)
  8. August Aug No reported grosses – No reported grosses
  9. September Sep No reported grosses – No reported grosses
  10. October Oct True Stories (1986) $2.5M True Stories (1986)
  11. November Nov An American Tail (1986) $84.5M An American Tail (1986)
  12. December Dec Little Shop of Horrors (1986) $39.1M Little Shop of Horrors (1986)
Last 10 years

How Does 1986 Compare With Previous Years?

Of these 10 years, 1978 earned the most: $437.7M from 3 films, led by Grease (1978). 1986 took $194.9M.

Year Films Worldwide Change Biggest film
1977 2 films 2 $56M – Pete's Dragon (1977) $39.6M
1978 3 films · +682% 3 $437.7M +682% Grease (1978) $396.3M
1979 3 films · −73% 3 $119.6M −73% The Muppet Movie (1979) $66.5M
1980 3 films · −41% 3 $71M −41% Popeye (1980) $49.8M
1981 2 films · −56% 2 $31.2M −56% The Great Muppet Caper (1981) $31.2M
1982 7 films · +572% 7 $209.6M +572% The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (1982) $69.7M
1983 2 films · −93% 2 $15.6M −93% The Meaning of Life (1983) $14.9M
1984 4 films · +866% 4 $151.1M +866% Purple Rain (1984) $70.3M
1985 3 films · −69% 3 $46.2M −69% The Care Bears Movie (1985) $22.9M
1986 8 films · +322% 8 $194.9M +322% An American Tail (1986) $84.5M
Archive

Musical Box Office Year by Year

Every year from 1929 to 2026 with its total and its biggest film. 2019 leads with $4.8B, led by The Lion King (2019).

2020s 7 years · $5.7B
2010s 10 years · $12.9B
2000s 10 years · $3.2B
1990s 10 years · $3.1B
1980s 10 years · $844M
1970s 8 years · $809.3M
1960s 7 years · $631.5M
1950s 9 years · $266.2M
1940s 7 years · $159.5M
1930s 8 years · $210.9M
1920s 1 year · $270
FAQ

Musical Box Office 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 8 films as the chart.

What is the highest-grossing musical movie in 1986?

An American Tail (1986) leads with $84.5M worldwide, $47.5M of it in the US & Canada. Next come Little Shop of Horrors (1986) at $39.1M and The Great Mouse Detective (1986) at $38.6M.

How much did musical movies released in 1986 earn?

8 musical films released in 1986 report a worldwide gross, $194.9M in all, or $24.4M per film on average. 1985 releases took $46.2M.

How many musical movies released in 1986 made $1 billion?

None. The biggest, An American Tail (1986), earned $84.5M.

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

$156.8M of the $194.9M total, or 80%, was earned in the US & Canada (the domestic market); the rest came from other countries. 0 films of the 8 report no domestic figure.

How is the 1986 musical 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 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 1986 musical 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.