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War box office · 1984

War Box Office 1984: Highest-Grossing War Movies

Missing in Action (1984) is the highest-grossing war movie released in 1984, with $22.8M worldwide, ahead of A Soldier's Story (1984) at $21.8M and Best Defense (1984) at $19.3M. 7 war films released in 1984 report a worldwide gross, $80.6M in all, 100% of it from the US & Canada. That is down 1% on 1983, whose releases took $81.7M. By language, English leads with $80.6M across 7 war releases.

1984 releases with a gross
7
combined worldwide
$80.6M
Missing in Action (1984), the #1
$22.8M
vs 1983
−1%
Missing in Action (1984) movie poster #1 of 7
#1 war movie of 1984

Missing in Action (1984)

1984 · Action, Adventure

$22.8M worldwide · 28% of the chart's total

$22.8M US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%
Top 5

What Were the Biggest War Hits of 1984?

Missing in Action (1984) leads with $22.8M, 28% of the total. The top 5 together took $77.1M, 96% of what all 7 films earned. Each bar splits a film's gross into the US & Canada and the rest of the world.

  1. Missing in Action (1984) movie poster Number 1
    $22.8M Missing in Action (1984)
    $22.8M US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%
  2. A Soldier's Story (1984) movie poster Number 2
    $21.8M A Soldier's Story (1984)
    $21.8M US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%
  3. Best Defense (1984) movie poster Number 3
    $19.3M Best Defense (1984)
    $19.3M US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%
  4. Swing Shift (1984) movie poster Number 4
    $6.7M Swing Shift (1984)
    $6.7M US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%
  5. The Razor's Edge (1984) movie poster Number 5
    $6.6M The Razor's Edge (1984)
    $6.6M US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%

US & Canada (domestic) Rest of the world

The chart

Every War Release of 1984, 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 1984.

  1. 1 Missing in Action (1984) movie poster
    Missing in Action (1984) Nov 16, 1984 · English · Action, Adventure, Drama $22.8M worldwide
    Nov 16, 1984 US and Canada: $22.8M Rest of the world: Worldwide: $22.8M
  2. 2 A Soldier's Story (1984) movie poster
    A Soldier's Story (1984) Nov 2, 1984 · English · Drama, Mystery, Crime $21.8M worldwide
    Nov 2, 1984 US and Canada: $21.8M Rest of the world: Worldwide: $21.8M
  3. 3 Best Defense (1984) movie poster
    Best Defense (1984) Jul 20, 1984 · English · Comedy, War $19.3M worldwide
    Jul 20, 1984 US and Canada: $19.3M Rest of the world: Worldwide: $19.3M
  4. 4 Swing Shift (1984) movie poster
    Swing Shift (1984) Apr 13, 1984 · English · Drama, Romance, War $6.7M worldwide
    Apr 13, 1984 US and Canada: $6.7M Rest of the world: Worldwide: $6.7M
  5. 5 The Razor's Edge (1984) movie poster
    The Razor's Edge (1984) Oct 19, 1984 · English · Drama, Romance, War $6.6M worldwide
    Oct 19, 1984 US and Canada: $6.6M Rest of the world: Worldwide: $6.6M
  6. 6 Purple Hearts (1984) movie poster
    Purple Hearts (1984) Mar 30, 1984 · English · Romance, Drama, War $2.1M worldwide
    Mar 30, 1984 US and Canada: $2.1M Rest of the world: Worldwide: $2.1M
  7. 7 Birdy (1984) movie poster
    Birdy (1984) Dec 21, 1984 · English · Drama, War $1.5M worldwide
    Dec 21, 1984 US and Canada: $1.5M Rest of the world: $51 Worldwide: $1.5M
US & Canada vs the world

Where Did the Money Come From in 1984?

Of the top 7, Missing in Action (1984) earned the biggest share at home (100% in the US & Canada), while Birdy (1984) made <1% of its gross abroad. Across all 7 films, $80.6M (100%) came from the US & Canada.

  1. 1 Missing in Action (1984) $22.8M
    $22.8M US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%
  2. 2 A Soldier's Story (1984) $21.8M
    $21.8M US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%
  3. 3 Best Defense (1984) $19.3M
    $19.3M US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%
  4. 4 Swing Shift (1984) $6.7M
    $6.7M US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%
  5. 5 The Razor's Edge (1984) $6.6M
    $6.6M US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%
  6. 6 Purple Hearts (1984) $2.1M
    $2.1M US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%
  7. 7 Birdy (1984) $1.5M
    $1.5M US & Canada · 100% $51 elsewhere · <1%
By release month

Which Month of 1984 Earned the Most?

November releases took the most, $44.6M from 2 films, led by Missing in Action (1984). December was the quietest month ($1.5M). 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 Purple Hearts (1984) $2.1M Purple Hearts (1984)
  4. April Apr Swing Shift (1984) $6.7M Swing Shift (1984)
  5. May May No reported grosses – No reported grosses
  6. June Jun No reported grosses – No reported grosses
  7. July Jul Best Defense (1984) $19.3M Best Defense (1984)
  8. August Aug No reported grosses – No reported grosses
  9. September Sep No reported grosses – No reported grosses
  10. October Oct The Razor's Edge (1984) $6.6M The Razor's Edge (1984)
  11. November Nov Missing in Action (1984) $44.6M Missing in Action (1984)
  12. December Dec Birdy (1984) $1.5M Birdy (1984)
Last 10 years

How Does 1984 Compare With Previous Years?

Of these 10 years, 1979 earned the most: $228.1M from 9 films, led by Apocalypse Now (1979). 1984 took $80.6M.

Year Films Worldwide Change Biggest film
1975 4 films 4 $20.4M – Love and Death (1975) $20.1M
1976 No films 0 – – –
1977 3 films 3 $51.8M – A Bridge Too Far (1977) $50.8M
1978 4 films · +72% 4 $89M +72% The Deer Hunter (1978) $49.1M
1979 9 films · +156% 9 $228.1M +156% Apocalypse Now (1979) $105.1M
1980 6 films · −64% 6 $81.3M −64% Private Benjamin (1980) $69.8M
1981 8 films · +61% 8 $131M +61% Stripes (1981) $85.3M
1982 4 films · −62% 4 $49.8M −62% Some Kind of Hero (1982) $23.7M
1983 8 films · +64% 8 $81.7M +64% Uncommon Valor (1983) $30.5M
1984 7 films · −1% 7 $80.6M −1% Missing in Action (1984) $22.8M
Archive

War Box Office Year by Year

Every year from 1921 to 2026 with its total and its biggest film. 2017 leads with $3.3B, led by Wolf Warrior 2 (2017).

2020s 7 years · $3.5B
2010s 10 years · $11.4B
2000s 10 years · $6.8B
1990s 10 years · $2.9B
1980s 10 years · $1.4B
1970s 8 years · $492.9M
1960s 9 years · $173.6M
1950s 8 years · $125.1M
1940s 7 years · $446.1M
1930s 5 years · $119.7K
1920s 3 years · $9.3M
FAQ

War Box Office 1984: 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 7 films as the chart.

What is the highest-grossing war movie in 1984?

Missing in Action (1984) leads with $22.8M worldwide, $22.8M of it in the US & Canada. Next come A Soldier's Story (1984) at $21.8M and Best Defense (1984) at $19.3M.

How much did war movies released in 1984 earn?

7 war films released in 1984 report a worldwide gross, $80.6M in all, or $11.5M per film on average. 1983 releases took $81.7M.

How many war movies released in 1984 made $1 billion?

None. The biggest, Missing in Action (1984), earned $22.8M.

How much of the 1984 War box office came from the US and Canada?

$80.6M of the $80.6M total, or 100%, was earned in the US & Canada (the domestic market); the rest came from other countries. 0 films of the 7 report no domestic figure.

How is the 1984 war 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 1984. 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 1984 war 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.