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Sci-Fi box office · 1977

Sci-Fi Box Office 1977: Highest-Grossing Sci-Fi Movies

Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977) is the highest-grossing sci-fi movie released in 1977, with $775.4M worldwide, ahead of Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) at $306.9M and Empire of the Ants (1977) at $970. 4 sci-fi films released in 1977 report a worldwide gross, $1.1B in all, 55% of it from the US & Canada. 2 films crossed $100 million; none reached $1 billion. That is 265.3 times the total of 1976, whose releases took $4.1M.

1977 releases with a gross
4
combined worldwide
$1.1B
films crossed $100M
2
vs 1976
×265.3
Top 4

What Were the Biggest Sci-Fi Hits of 1977?

Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977) leads with $775.4M, 72% of the total. The top 4 together took $1.1B, 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.

  1. Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977) movie poster Number 1
    $775.4M Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977)
    $461M US & Canada · 59% $314.4M elsewhere · 41%
  2. Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) movie poster Number 2
    $306.9M Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)
    $135.2M US & Canada · 44% $171.7M elsewhere · 56%
  3. Empire of the Ants (1977) movie poster Number 3
    $970 Empire of the Ants (1977)
    No US & Canada figure reported
  4. Blue Sunshine (1977) movie poster Number 4
    $197 Blue Sunshine (1977)
    No US & Canada figure reported

US & Canada (domestic) Rest of the world

The chart

Every Sci-Fi Release of 1977, 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 1977.

  1. 1 Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977) movie poster
    Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977) May 25, 1977 · English · Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi $775.4M worldwide
    May 25, 1977 US and Canada: $461M Rest of the world: $314.4M Worldwide: $775.4M
  2. 2 Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) movie poster
    Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) Nov 16, 1977 · English · Adventure, Sci-Fi, Drama $306.9M worldwide
    Nov 16, 1977 US and Canada: $135.2M Rest of the world: $171.7M Worldwide: $306.9M
  3. 3 Empire of the Ants (1977) movie poster
    Empire of the Ants (1977) Jul 1, 1977 · English · Adventure, Sci-Fi, Horror $970 worldwide
    Jul 1, 1977 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $970
  4. 4 Blue Sunshine (1977) movie poster
    Blue Sunshine (1977) Nov 1, 1977 · English · Mystery, Horror, Sci-Fi $197 worldwide
    Nov 1, 1977 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $197
By release month

Which Month of 1977 Earned the Most?

May releases took the most, $775.4M from 1 film, led by Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977). July was the quietest month ($970). 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 No reported grosses – No reported grosses
  4. April Apr No reported grosses – No reported grosses
  5. May May Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977) $775.4M Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977)
  6. June Jun No reported grosses – No reported grosses
  7. July Jul Empire of the Ants (1977) $970 Empire of the Ants (1977)
  8. August Aug No reported grosses – No reported grosses
  9. September Sep No reported grosses – No reported grosses
  10. October Oct No reported grosses – No reported grosses
  11. November Nov Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) $306.9M Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)
  12. December Dec No reported grosses – No reported grosses
Last 10 years

How Does 1977 Compare With Previous Years?

Of these 10 years, 1977 earned the most: $1.1B from 4 films, led by Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977).

Year Films Worldwide Change Biggest film
1968 4 films 4 $32.6M – Planet of the Apes (1968) $32.6M
1969 1 film · −100% 1 $171 −100% Night of the Bloody Apes (1969) $171
1970 2 films · +11110946% 2 $19M +11110946% Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970) $19M
1971 4 films · +122% 4 $42.1M +122% A Clockwork Orange (1971) $27M
1972 3 films · −78% 3 $9.3M −78% Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972) $9M
1973 5 films · +193% 5 $27.2M +193% Sleeper (1973) $18.3M
1974 5 films · −98% 5 $560.7K −98% The Terminal Man (1974) $551.9K
1975 3 films · +595% 3 $3.9M +595% Bug (1975) $3.6M
1976 3 films · +5% 3 $4.1M +5% Robot Taekwon V (1976) $3.9M
1977 4 films · +26431% 4 $1.1B +26431% Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977) $775.4M
Archive

Sci-Fi Box Office Year by Year

Every year from 1933 to 2026 with its total and its biggest film. 2018 leads with $15.1B, led by Avengers: Infinity War (2018).

2020s 7 years · $37.1B
2010s 10 years · $87.8B
2000s 10 years · $31B
1990s 10 years · $12.5B
1980s 10 years · $5.4B
1970s 10 years · $2B
1960s 8 years · $33.1M
1950s 9 years · $696.6K
1940s 1 year · $14.8K
1930s 3 years · $39.9K
FAQ

Sci-Fi Box Office 1977: 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 sci-fi movie in 1977?

Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977) leads with $775.4M worldwide, $461M of it in the US & Canada. Next come Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) at $306.9M and Empire of the Ants (1977) at $970.

How much did sci-fi movies released in 1977 earn?

4 sci-fi films released in 1977 report a worldwide gross, $1.1B in all, or $270.6M per film on average. 1976 releases took $4.1M.

How many sci-fi movies released in 1977 made $1 billion?

None. 2 films crossed $100 million, led by Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977) with $775.4M.

How much of the 1977 Sci-Fi box office came from the US and Canada?

$596.2M of the $1.1B total, or 55%, was earned in the US & Canada (the domestic market); the rest came from other countries. 2 films of the 4 report no domestic figure.

How is the 1977 sci-fi 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 1977. 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 1977 sci-fi 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.