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War box office · 1987

War Box Office 1987: Highest-Grossing War Movies

Full Metal Jacket (1987) is the highest-grossing war movie released in 1987, with $50.2M worldwide, ahead of Empire of the Sun (1987) at $22.2M and Hamburger Hill (1987) at $13.8M. 6 war films released in 1987 report a worldwide gross, $92.3M in all, 96% of it from the US & Canada. That is down 59% on 1986, whose releases took $226.5M. By language, English leads with $92.3M across 6 war releases.

1987 releases with a gross
6
combined worldwide
$92.3M
Full Metal Jacket (1987), the #1
$50.2M
vs 1986
−59%
Full Metal Jacket (1987) movie poster #1 of 6
#1 war movie of 1987

Full Metal Jacket (1987)

1987 · Action, Drama

$50.2M worldwide · 54% of the chart's total

$46.4M US & Canada · 92% $3.8M elsewhere · 8%
Top 5

What Were the Biggest War Hits of 1987?

Full Metal Jacket (1987) leads with $50.2M, 54% of the total. The top 5 together took $92.3M, almost all of what the 6 films earned. Each bar splits a film's gross into the US & Canada and the rest of the world.

  1. Full Metal Jacket (1987) movie poster Number 1
    $50.2M Full Metal Jacket (1987)
    $46.4M US & Canada · 92% $3.8M elsewhere · 8%
  2. Empire of the Sun (1987) movie poster Number 2
    $22.2M Empire of the Sun (1987)
    $22.2M US & Canada · 100% $425 elsewhere · <1%
  3. Hamburger Hill (1987) movie poster Number 3
    $13.8M Hamburger Hill (1987)
    $13.8M US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%
  4. Gardens of Stone (1987) movie poster Number 4
    $5.3M Gardens of Stone (1987)
    $5.3M US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%
  5. The Hanoi Hilton (1987) movie poster Number 5
    $760K The Hanoi Hilton (1987)
    $760K US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%

US & Canada (domestic) Rest of the world

The chart

Every War Release of 1987, 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 1987.

  1. 1 Full Metal Jacket (1987) movie poster
    Full Metal Jacket (1987) Jun 26, 1987 · English · Action, Drama, War $50.2M worldwide
    Jun 26, 1987 US and Canada: $46.4M Rest of the world: $3.8M Worldwide: $50.2M
  2. 2 Empire of the Sun (1987) movie poster
    Empire of the Sun (1987) Dec 9, 1987 · English · Action, Drama, History $22.2M worldwide
    Dec 9, 1987 US and Canada: $22.2M Rest of the world: $425 Worldwide: $22.2M
  3. 3 Hamburger Hill (1987) movie poster
    Hamburger Hill (1987) Aug 28, 1987 · English · Action, Drama, Thriller $13.8M worldwide
    Aug 28, 1987 US and Canada: $13.8M Rest of the world: Worldwide: $13.8M
  4. 4 Gardens of Stone (1987) movie poster
    Gardens of Stone (1987) May 5, 1987 · English · Drama, War, History $5.3M worldwide
    May 5, 1987 US and Canada: $5.3M Rest of the world: Worldwide: $5.3M
  5. 5 The Hanoi Hilton (1987) movie poster
    The Hanoi Hilton (1987) Mar 27, 1987 · English · Drama, War $760K worldwide
    Mar 27, 1987 US and Canada: $760K Rest of the world: Worldwide: $760K
  6. 6 The Lighthorsemen (1987) movie poster
    The Lighthorsemen (1987) Sep 10, 1987 · English · War, Drama, History $34.5K worldwide
    Sep 10, 1987 US and Canada: $33.8K Rest of the world: $735 Worldwide: $34.5K
US & Canada vs the world

Where Did the Money Come From in 1987?

Of the top 6, Hamburger Hill (1987) earned the biggest share at home (100% in the US & Canada), while Full Metal Jacket (1987) made 8% of its gross abroad. Across all 6 films, $88.5M (96%) came from the US & Canada.

  1. 1 Full Metal Jacket (1987) $50.2M
    $46.4M US & Canada · 92% $3.8M elsewhere · 8%
  2. 2 Empire of the Sun (1987) $22.2M
    $22.2M US & Canada · 100% $425 elsewhere · <1%
  3. 3 Hamburger Hill (1987) $13.8M
    $13.8M US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%
  4. 4 Gardens of Stone (1987) $5.3M
    $5.3M US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%
  5. 5 The Hanoi Hilton (1987) $760K
    $760K US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%
  6. 6 The Lighthorsemen (1987) $34.5K
    $33.8K US & Canada · 98% $735 elsewhere · 2%
By release month

Which Month of 1987 Earned the Most?

June releases took the most, $50.2M from 1 film, led by Full Metal Jacket (1987). September was the quietest month ($34.5K). 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 The Hanoi Hilton (1987) $760K The Hanoi Hilton (1987)
  4. April Apr No reported grosses – No reported grosses
  5. May May Gardens of Stone (1987) $5.3M Gardens of Stone (1987)
  6. June Jun Full Metal Jacket (1987) $50.2M Full Metal Jacket (1987)
  7. July Jul No reported grosses – No reported grosses
  8. August Aug Hamburger Hill (1987) $13.8M Hamburger Hill (1987)
  9. September Sep The Lighthorsemen (1987) $34.5K The Lighthorsemen (1987)
  10. October Oct No reported grosses – No reported grosses
  11. November Nov No reported grosses – No reported grosses
  12. December Dec Empire of the Sun (1987) $22.2M Empire of the Sun (1987)
Last 10 years

How Does 1987 Compare With Previous Years?

Of these 10 years, 1985 earned the most: $351.1M from 7 films, led by Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985). 1987 took $92.3M.

Year Films Worldwide Change Biggest film
1978 4 films 4 $89M – 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
1985 7 films · +335% 7 $351.1M +335% Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985) $300.4M
1986 8 films · −35% 8 $226.5M −35% Platoon (1986) $138.5M
1987 6 films · −59% 6 $92.3M −59% Full Metal Jacket (1987) $50.2M
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 1987: 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 6 films as the chart.

What is the highest-grossing war movie in 1987?

Full Metal Jacket (1987) leads with $50.2M worldwide, $46.4M of it in the US & Canada. Next come Empire of the Sun (1987) at $22.2M and Hamburger Hill (1987) at $13.8M.

How much did war movies released in 1987 earn?

6 war films released in 1987 report a worldwide gross, $92.3M in all, or $15.4M per film on average. 1986 releases took $226.5M.

How many war movies released in 1987 made $1 billion?

None. The biggest, Full Metal Jacket (1987), earned $50.2M.

How much of the 1987 War box office came from the US and Canada?

$88.5M of the $92.3M total, or 96%, was earned in the US & Canada (the domestic market); the rest came from other countries. 0 films of the 6 report no domestic figure.

How is the 1987 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 1987. 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 1987 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.