#1 of 5 Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979)
1979 · Adventure, Sci-Fi
$82.7M worldwide · 77% of the chart's total
Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979) is the highest-grossing mystery movie released in 1979, with $82.7M worldwide, ahead of When a Stranger Calls (1979) at $21.4M and Last Embrace (1979) at $1.5M. 5 mystery films released in 1979 report a worldwide gross, $106.8M in all, 100% of it from the US & Canada. That is down 25% on 1978, whose releases took $142.2M. By language, English leads with $106.8M across 5 mystery releases.
#1 of 5 Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979)
1979 · Adventure, Sci-Fi
$82.7M worldwide · 77% of the chart's total
Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979) leads with $82.7M, 77% of the total. The top 5 together took $106.8M, almost all of what the 5 films earned. Each bar splits a film's gross into the US & Canada and the rest of the world.
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Number 5 US & Canada (domestic) Rest of the world
Lifetime worldwide grosses in US dollars, not adjusted for inflation; domestic means the US & Canada. Films are grouped by their release date in 1979.
Oct 26, 1979 US and Canada: $21.4M Rest of the world: Worldwide: $21.4M
May 4, 1979 US and Canada: $1.5M Rest of the world: Worldwide: $1.5M
May 11, 1979 US and Canada: $1.2M Rest of the world: $462 Worldwide: $1.2M
Mar 29, 1979 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $365 Of the top 5, When a Stranger Calls (1979) earned the biggest share at home (100% in the US & Canada), while Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979) made <1% of its gross abroad. Across all 5 films, $106.7M (100%) came from the US & Canada. 1 film of the top 5 reports no US & Canada figure.
December releases took the most, $82.7M from 1 film, led by Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979). March was the quietest month ($365). Each column is a release month and links to that month's chart.
Of these 10 years, 1978 earned the most: $142.2M from 5 films, led by Revenge of the Pink Panther (1978). 1979 took $106.8M.
| Year | Films | Worldwide | Change | Biggest film |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 1 film | 1 | $19.9K | – | The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes (1970) $19.9K |
| 1971 4 films · +12310% | 4 | $2.5M | +12310% | THX 1138 (1971) $2.4M |
| 1972 2 films · −91% | 2 | $232.4K | −91% | Solaris (1972) $231K |
| 1973 6 films · +23917% | 6 | $55.8M | +23917% | Magnum Force (1973) $39.8M |
| 1974 6 films · +67% | 6 | $93.3M | +67% | The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) $30.9M |
| 1975 5 films · −20% | 5 | $74.2M | −20% | The Return of the Pink Panther (1975) $41.8M |
| 1976 4 films · −97% | 4 | $2.3M | −97% | The Tenant (1976) $1.9M |
| 1977 7 films · +2006% | 7 | $47.4M | +2006% | The Deep (1977) $47.3M |
| 1978 5 films · +200% | 5 | $142.2M | +200% | Revenge of the Pink Panther (1978) $49.6M |
| 1979 5 films · −25% | 5 | $106.8M | −25% | Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979) $82.7M |
Every year from 1924 to 2026 with its total and its biggest film. 2023 leads with $4B, led by Fast X (2023).
The chart's numbers in short: the #1 film, the total, the billion-dollar hits and the US & Canada share, answered from the same 5 films as the chart.
Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979) leads with $82.7M worldwide, $82.6M of it in the US & Canada. Next come When a Stranger Calls (1979) at $21.4M and Last Embrace (1979) at $1.5M.
5 mystery films released in 1979 report a worldwide gross, $106.8M in all, or $21.4M per film on average. 1978 releases took $142.2M.
None. The biggest, Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979), earned $82.7M.
Films are ranked by lifetime worldwide gross in US dollars, not adjusted for inflation, and grouped by their release date in 1979. 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.
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.