#1 of 5 #1 English-language movie of Week 51, 1981
1981 · Drama, Thriller
$40.7M worldwide · 31% of the chart's total
$40.7M US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%
English box office · Week 51 · Dec 13–19, 1981
English Box Office, Week 51 of 1981: English Releases of Dec 13–19
Absence of Malice (1981) is the highest-grossing English-language movie released in week 51 of 1981 (Dec 13–19), with $40.7M worldwide, ahead of Sharky's Machine (1981) at $35.6M and Neighbors (1981) at $29.9M. 5 English-language films released that week report a worldwide gross, $131.8M in all, 100% of it from the US & Canada. That is 7.3 times the total of Week 50, 1981, whose releases took $18M. By genre, Drama leads with $99.7M across 3 English releases.
- week 51 releases with a gross
- 5
- combined worldwide
- $131.8M
- Absence of Malice (1981), the #1
- $40.7M
- vs Week 50, 1981
- ×7.3
#1 of 5 Top 5
What Were the Biggest English Hits of Week 51 of 1981?
Absence of Malice (1981) leads with $40.7M, 31% of the total. The top 5 together took $131.8M, 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.
- Number 1
-
Number 2 -
Number 3 -
Number 4 -
Number 5
US & Canada (domestic) Rest of the world
The chart
Every English 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: $29.9M Rest of the world: Worldwide: $29.9M
- 4 Dec 18, 1981 US and Canada: $23.4M Rest of the world: Worldwide: $23.4M
- 5 Dec 18, 1981 US and Canada: $2.2M Rest of the world: Worldwide: $2.2M
US & Canada vs the world
Where Did the Money Come From in Week 51 of 1981?
Of the top 5, Absence of Malice (1981) earned the biggest share at home (100% in the US & Canada), while Heartbeeps (1981) made 0% of its gross abroad. Across all 5 films, $131.8M (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 Neighbors (1981) $29.9M $29.9M US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%
- 4 Ghost Story (1981) $23.4M $23.4M US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%
- 5 Heartbeeps (1981) $2.2M $2.2M US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%
Weeks around it
How Does Week 51 Compare With the Weeks Around It?
Week 51 releases took $131.8M. The biggest of these 9 weeks is week 51 (Dec 13–19) with $131.8M, led by Absence of Malice (1981).
- Week 45 Wk 45 Nov 1–7 Time Bandits (1981) $42.4M Time Bandits (1981)
- 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 Ragtime (1981) $14.9M Ragtime (1981)
- Week 48 Wk 48 Nov 22–28 Venom (1981) $5.2M Venom (1981)
- Week 49 Wk 49 Nov 29–Dec 5 On Golden Pond (1981) $127.5M On Golden Pond (1981)
- Week 50 Wk 50 Dec 6–12 Rollover (1981) $18M Rollover (1981)
- Week 51 Wk 51 Dec 13–19 Absence of Malice (1981) $131.8M Absence of Malice (1981)
- Week 52 Wk 52 Dec 20–26 Reds (1981) $102.4M Reds (1981)
- 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, 1979 earned the most: $286.1M from 8 films, led by Kramer vs. Kramer (1979). Week 51, 1981 took $131.8M.
| Week | Films | Worldwide | Change | Biggest film |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 51, 1972 Dec 10–16 1 film | 1 | $84.6M | – | The Poseidon Adventure (1972) $84.6M |
| Week 51, 1973 Dec 16–22 2 films · −15% | 2 | $71.6M | −15% | Papillon (1973) $53.3M |
| Week 51, 1974 Dec 15–21 4 films · +212% | 4 | $223.3M | +212% | The Towering Inferno (1974) $116M |
| Week 51, 1975 Dec 14–20 2 films · −100% | 2 | $296.6K | −100% | Barry Lyndon (1975) $283.9K |
| Week 51, 1976 Dec 12–18 3 films · +56019% | 3 | $166.4M | +56019% | A Star Is Born (1976) $80M |
| Week 51, 1977 Dec 11–17 2 films · +43% | 2 | $237.3M | +43% | Saturday Night Fever (1977) $237.1M |
| Week 51, 1978 Dec 17–23 5 films · −44% | 5 | $133.4M | −44% | Every Which Way But Loose (1978) $85.2M |
| Week 51, 1979 Dec 16–22 8 films · +114% | 8 | $286.1M | +114% | Kramer vs. Kramer (1979) $106.3M |
| Week 51, 1980 Dec 14–20 5 films · −11% | 5 | $254M | −11% | 9 to 5 (1980) $103.3M |
| Week 51, 1981 Dec 13–19 5 films · −48% | 5 | $131.8M | −48% | Absence of Malice (1981) $40.7M |
Archive
English Box Office in 1981, Week by Week
47 weeks of 1981 with reported grosses; the biggest is week 25 (Jun 14–20) with $288.6M, led by Superman II (1981).
- Week 1 No grosses
- Week 2 $1.2M
- Week 3 $14.2M
- Week 4 No grosses
- Week 5 $20.3M
- Week 6 $29.2M
- Week 7 $20.8M
- Week 8 No grosses
- Week 9 No grosses
- Week 10 $20.5M
- Week 11 $22.6M
- Week 12 $35.1M
- Week 13 $11.5M
- Week 14 $20.5M
- Week 15 $80.4M
- Week 16 $16M
- Week 17 $20.6M
- Week 18 $23.5M
- Week 19 $5.2M
- Week 20 $3.1M
- Week 21 $99.1M
- Week 22 $5.1K
- Week 23 $14.9M
- Week 24 $83.8M
- Week 25 $288.6M
- Week 26 $185.5M
- Week 27 $14.9M
- Week 28 $88.7M
- Week 29 $128M
- Week 30 $79.6M
- Week 31 $29.7M
- Week 32 $27.9M
- Week 33 $8.3M
- Week 34 $53.4M
- Week 35 $29.8M
- Week 36 $533
- Week 37 No grosses
- Week 38 $17.6M
- Week 39 $57.4M
- Week 40 $22.1M
- Week 41 $5M
- Week 42 $26.9M
- Week 43 $1.6M
- Week 44 $25.6M
- Week 45 $42.4M
- Week 46 $3.7M
- Week 47 $14.9M
- Week 48 $5.2M
- Week 49 $127.5M
- Week 50 $18M
- Week 51 $131.8M
- Week 52 $102.4M
- Week 53 No grosses
FAQ
English 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 5 films as the chart.
What is the highest-grossing English-language 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 Neighbors (1981) at $29.9M.
How much did English-language movies released in week 51 of 1981 (Dec 13–19) earn?
5 English-language films released in week 51 of 1981 (Dec 13–19) report a worldwide gross, $131.8M in all, or $26.4M per film on average. Week 50, 1981 releases took $18M.
How many English-language 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 English 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, and so are films whose stored language is most likely wrong.
How often is the week 51, 1981 English 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.