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English box office · May 1983

English Box Office, May 1983: Top-Grossing Releases

Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983) is the highest-grossing English-language movie released in May 1983, with $482.5M worldwide, ahead of Blue Thunder (1983) at $42.3M and Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone (1983) at $16.5M. 6 English-language films released in May 1983 report a worldwide gross, $557.8M in all, 70% of it from the US & Canada. One film crossed $100 million; none reached $1 billion. That is 3.9 times the total of April 1983, whose releases took $144.7M. By genre, Sci-Fi leads with $541.3M across 3 English releases.

May 1983 releases with a gross
6
combined worldwide
$557.8M
film crossed $100M
1
vs April 1983
×3.9
Top 5

What Were the Biggest English Hits of May 1983?

Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983) leads with $482.5M, 86% of the total. The top 5 together took $557.8M, 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. Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983) movie poster Number 1
    $482.5M Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983)
    $316.6M US & Canada · 66% $165.9M elsewhere · 34%
  2. Blue Thunder (1983) movie poster Number 2
    $42.3M Blue Thunder (1983)
    $42.3M US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%
  3. Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone (1983) movie poster Number 3
    $16.5M Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone (1983)
    $16.5M US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%
  4. Doctor Detroit (1983) movie poster Number 4
    $10.4M Doctor Detroit (1983)
    $10.4M US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%
  5. Chained Heat (1983) movie poster Number 5
    $6.1M Chained Heat (1983)
    $6.1M US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%

US & Canada (domestic) Rest of the world

The chart

Every English Release of May 1983, 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 May 1983.

  1. 1 Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983) movie poster
    Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983) May 25, 1983 · Action, Adventure $482.5M worldwide
    May 25, 1983 US and Canada: $316.6M Rest of the world: $165.9M Worldwide: $482.5M
  2. 2 Blue Thunder (1983) movie poster
    Blue Thunder (1983) May 13, 1983 · Action, Sci-Fi $42.3M worldwide
    May 13, 1983 US and Canada: $42.3M Rest of the world: Worldwide: $42.3M
  3. 3 Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone (1983) movie poster
    Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone (1983) May 20, 1983 · Adventure, Sci-Fi $16.5M worldwide
    May 20, 1983 US and Canada: $16.5M Rest of the world: Worldwide: $16.5M
  4. 4 Doctor Detroit (1983) movie poster
    Doctor Detroit (1983) May 6, 1983 · Comedy $10.4M worldwide
    May 6, 1983 US and Canada: $10.4M Rest of the world: Worldwide: $10.4M
  5. 5 Chained Heat (1983) movie poster
    Chained Heat (1983) May 27, 1983 · Action, Drama $6.1M worldwide
    May 27, 1983 US and Canada: $6.1M Rest of the world: Worldwide: $6.1M
  6. 6 Utu (1983) movie poster
    Utu (1983) May 14, 1983 · History, Adventure $1.7K worldwide
    May 14, 1983 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $1.7K
US & Canada vs the world

Where Did the Money Come From in May 1983?

Of the top 6, Blue Thunder (1983) earned the biggest share at home (100% in the US & Canada), while Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983) made 34% of its gross abroad. Across all 6 films, $391.9M (70%) came from the US & Canada. 1 film of the top 6 reports no US & Canada figure.

  1. 1 Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983) $482.5M
    $316.6M US & Canada · 66% $165.9M elsewhere · 34%
  2. 2 Blue Thunder (1983) $42.3M
    $42.3M US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%
  3. 3 Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone (1983) $16.5M
    $16.5M US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%
  4. 4 Doctor Detroit (1983) $10.4M
    $10.4M US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%
  5. 5 Chained Heat (1983) $6.1M
    $6.1M US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%
  6. 6 Utu (1983) $1.7K
    No US & Canada figure reported
By release week

Which Week of May 1983 Had the Biggest Releases?

Films released in week 22 (May 22–28) took $488.6M, led by Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983). Each column links to that week's chart; weeks are Sunday to Saturday.

  1. Week 19 Wk 19 May 1–7 Doctor Detroit (1983) $10.4M Doctor Detroit (1983)
  2. Week 20 Wk 20 May 8–14 Blue Thunder (1983) $42.3M Blue Thunder (1983)
  3. Week 21 Wk 21 May 15–21 Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone (1983) $16.5M Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone (1983)
  4. Week 22 Wk 22 May 22–28 Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983) $488.6M Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983)
  5. Week 23 Wk 23 May 29–Jun 4 No reported grosses – No reported grosses
Earlier years

How Does May 1983 Compare With May in Earlier Years?

Of these 10 years, May 1977 earned the most: $903M from 6 films, led by Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977). May 1983 took $557.8M.

Month Films Worldwide Change Biggest film
May 1974 3 films 3 $21.8M – Thunderbolt and Lightfoot (1974) $21.7M
May 1975 5 films · +214% 5 $68.5M +214% The Return of the Pink Panther (1975) $41.8M
May 1976 3 films · −92% 3 $5.2M −92% That's Entertainment, Part II (1976) $5M
May 1977 6 films · +17382% 6 $903M +17382% Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977) $775.4M
May 1978 7 films · −97% 7 $31.1M −97% The Greek Tycoon (1978) $14.7M
May 1979 6 films · −83% 6 $5.2M −83% Zulu Dawn (1979) $1.9M
May 1980 11 films · +13411% 11 $700M +13411% Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980) $550M
May 1981 9 films · −81% 9 $130.9M −81% The Four Seasons (1981) $50.4M
May 1982 13 films · +104% 13 $266.6M +104% Rocky III (1982) $125.1M
May 1983 6 films · +109% 6 $557.8M +109% Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983) $482.5M
Archive

English Box Office in 1983, Month by Month

The months of 1983 with their totals: May leads with $557.8M, led by Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983).

FAQ

English Box Office May 1983: 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 English-language movie in May 1983?

Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983) leads with $482.5M worldwide, $316.6M of it in the US & Canada. Next come Blue Thunder (1983) at $42.3M and Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone (1983) at $16.5M.

How much did English-language movies released in May 1983 earn?

6 English-language films released in May 1983 report a worldwide gross, $557.8M in all, or $93M per film on average. April 1983 releases took $144.7M.

How many English-language movies released in May 1983 made $1 billion?

None. 1 film crossed $100 million, led by Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983) with $482.5M.

How much of the May 1983 English box office came from the US and Canada?

$391.9M of the $557.8M total, or 70%, was earned in the US & Canada (the domestic market); the rest came from other countries. 1 film of the 6 report no domestic figure.

How is the May 1983 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 May 1983. 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 May 1983 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.