#1 of 3 #1 thriller movie of Week 51, 1981
1981 · Drama, Thriller
$40.7M worldwide · 41% of the chart's total
$40.7M US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%
Thriller box office · Week 51 · Dec 13–19, 1981
Thriller Box Office, Week 51 of 1981: Thriller Releases of Dec 13–19
Absence of Malice (1981) is the highest-grossing thriller movie released in week 51 of 1981 (Dec 13–19), with $40.7M worldwide, ahead of Sharky's Machine (1981) at $35.6M and Ghost Story (1981) at $23.4M. 3 thriller films released that week report a worldwide gross, $99.7M in all, 100% of it from the US & Canada.
- week 51 releases with a gross
- 3
- combined worldwide
- $99.7M
- Absence of Malice (1981), the #1
- $40.7M
- earned in the US & Canada
- 100%
#1 of 3 Top 3
What Were the Biggest Thriller Hits of Week 51 of 1981?
Absence of Malice (1981) leads with $40.7M, 41% of the total. The top 3 together took $99.7M, 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.
- Number 1
-
Number 2 -
Number 3
US & Canada (domestic) Rest of the world
The chart
Every Thriller Release of Week 51 of 1981, 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 week 51 of 1981 (Dec 13–19).
- 1 Dec 18, 1981 US and Canada: $40.7M Rest of the world: Worldwide: $40.7M
- 2 Dec 18, 1981 US and Canada: $35.6M Rest of the world: Worldwide: $35.6M
- 3 Dec 18, 1981 US and Canada: $23.4M Rest of the world: Worldwide: $23.4M
US & Canada vs the world
Where Did the Money Come From in Week 51 of 1981?
Of the top 3, Absence of Malice (1981) earned the biggest share at home (100% in the US & Canada), while Ghost Story (1981) made 0% of its gross abroad. Across all 3 films, $99.7M (100%) came from the US & Canada.
- 1 Absence of Malice (1981) $40.7M $40.7M US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%
- 2 Sharky's Machine (1981) $35.6M $35.6M US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%
- 3 Ghost Story (1981) $23.4M $23.4M US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%
Weeks around it
How Does Week 51 Compare With the Weeks Around It?
Week 51 releases took $99.7M. The biggest of these 9 weeks is week 51 (Dec 13–19) with $99.7M, led by Absence of Malice (1981).
- Week 45 Wk 45 Nov 1–7 No reported grosses – No reported grosses
- Week 46 Wk 46 Nov 8–14 The Pursuit of D.B. Cooper (1981) $3.7M The Pursuit of D.B. Cooper (1981)
- Week 47 Wk 47 Nov 15–21 Road Games (1981) $306 Road Games (1981)
- Week 48 Wk 48 Nov 22–28 Venom (1981) $5.2M Venom (1981)
- Week 49 Wk 49 Nov 29–Dec 5 No reported grosses – No reported grosses
- Week 50 Wk 50 Dec 6–12 Rollover (1981) $17.7M Rollover (1981)
- Week 51 Wk 51 Dec 13–19 Absence of Malice (1981) $99.7M Absence of Malice (1981)
- Week 52 Wk 52 Dec 20–26 No reported grosses – No reported grosses
- Week 53 Wk 53 Dec 27–31 No reported grosses – No reported grosses
Earlier years
How Does Week 51 of 1981 Compare With Earlier Years?
Of these 10 years, Week 51, 1974 earned the most: $137M from 3 films, led by The Towering Inferno (1974). Week 51, 1981 took $99.7M.
| Week | Films | Worldwide | Change | Biggest film |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 51, 1972 Dec 10–16 2 films | 2 | $84.6M | – | The Poseidon Adventure (1972) $84.6M |
| Week 51, 1973 Dec 16–22 No films | 0 | – | – | – |
| Week 51, 1974 Dec 15–21 3 films | 3 | $137M | – | The Towering Inferno (1974) $116M |
| Week 51, 1975 Dec 14–20 No films | 0 | – | – | – |
| Week 51, 1976 Dec 12–18 No films | 0 | – | – | – |
| Week 51, 1977 Dec 11–17 No films | 0 | – | – | – |
| Week 51, 1978 Dec 17–23 No films | 0 | – | – | – |
| Week 51, 1979 Dec 16–22 2 films | 2 | $6M | – | Cuba (1979) $5.6M |
| Week 51, 1980 Dec 14–20 1 film · +49% | 1 | $8.9M | +49% | The Formula (1980) $8.9M |
| Week 51, 1981 Dec 13–19 3 films · +1021% | 3 | $99.7M | +1021% | Absence of Malice (1981) $40.7M |
Archive
Thriller Box Office in 1981, Week by Week
25 weeks of 1981 with reported grosses; the biggest is week 51 (Dec 13–19) with $99.7M, led by Absence of Malice (1981).
- Week 1 No grosses
- Week 2 $1.2M
- Week 3 $14.2M
- Week 4 No grosses
- Week 5 No grosses
- Week 6 No grosses
- Week 7 $15.2M
- Week 8 No grosses
- Week 9 No grosses
- Week 10 No grosses
- Week 11 $183.4K
- Week 12 $14.1M
- Week 13 $11.5M
- Week 14 No grosses
- Week 15 $19.9M
- Week 16 No grosses
- Week 17 $2.4M
- Week 18 $21.7M
- Week 19 No grosses
- Week 20 $3.1M
- Week 21 $17.4M
- Week 22 No grosses
- Week 23 No grosses
- Week 24 No grosses
- Week 25 No grosses
- Week 26 $54.8M
- Week 27 No grosses
- Week 28 No grosses
- Week 29 No grosses
- Week 30 $40.2M
- Week 31 No grosses
- Week 32 No grosses
- Week 33 $17
- Week 34 No grosses
- Week 35 $24.1M
- Week 36 No grosses
- Week 37 No grosses
- Week 38 $39K
- Week 39 No grosses
- Week 40 $297
- Week 41 $5M
- Week 42 No grosses
- Week 43 $560
- Week 44 $25.6M
- Week 45 No grosses
- Week 46 $3.7M
- Week 47 $306
- Week 48 $5.2M
- Week 49 No grosses
- Week 50 $17.7M
- Week 51 $99.7M
- Week 52 No grosses
- Week 53 No grosses
FAQ
Thriller Box Office Week 51 of 1981: 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 thriller movie in week 51 of 1981 (Dec 13–19)?
Absence of Malice (1981) leads with $40.7M worldwide, $40.7M of it in the US & Canada. Next come Sharky's Machine (1981) at $35.6M and Ghost Story (1981) at $23.4M.
How much did thriller movies released in week 51 of 1981 (Dec 13–19) earn?
3 thriller films released in week 51 of 1981 (Dec 13–19) report a worldwide gross, $99.7M in all, or $33.2M per film on average.
How many thriller movies released in week 51 of 1981 (Dec 13–19) made $1 billion?
None. The biggest, Absence of Malice (1981), earned $40.7M.
How is the week 51, 1981 thriller 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 week 51 of 1981 (Dec 13–19). 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 week 51, 1981 thriller 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.