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English box office · May 1984

English Box Office, May 1984: Top-Grossing Releases

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984) is the highest-grossing English-language movie released in May 1984, with $333.1M worldwide, ahead of Breakin' (1984) at $38.7M and Sixteen Candles (1984) at $23.7M. 12 English-language films released in May 1984 report a worldwide gross, $438.6M in all, 65% of it from the US & Canada. One film crossed $100 million; none reached $1 billion. That is 3.9 times the total of April 1984, whose releases took $112.2M. By genre, Action leads with $358.8M across 3 English releases.

May 1984 releases with a gross
12
combined worldwide
$438.6M
film crossed $100M
1
vs April 1984
×3.9
Top 5

What Were the Biggest English Hits of May 1984?

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984) leads with $333.1M, 76% of the total. The top 5 together took $421.2M, 96% of what all 12 films earned. Each bar splits a film's gross into the US & Canada and the rest of the world.

  1. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984) movie poster Number 1
    $333.1M Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)
    $179.9M US & Canada · 54% $153.2M elsewhere · 46%
  2. Breakin' (1984) movie poster Number 2
    $38.7M Breakin' (1984)
    $38.7M US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%
  3. Sixteen Candles (1984) movie poster Number 3
    $23.7M Sixteen Candles (1984)
    $23.7M US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%
  4. Firestarter (1984) movie poster Number 4
    $17.1M Firestarter (1984)
    $17.1M US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%
  5. The Bounty (1984) movie poster Number 5
    $8.6M The Bounty (1984)
    $8.6M US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%

US & Canada (domestic) Rest of the world

The chart

Every English Release of May 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 May 1984.

  1. 1 Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984) movie poster
    Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984) May 23, 1984 · Action, Adventure $333.1M worldwide
    May 23, 1984 US and Canada: $179.9M Rest of the world: $153.2M Worldwide: $333.1M
  2. 2 Breakin' (1984) movie poster
    Breakin' (1984) May 4, 1984 · Drama, Comedy $38.7M worldwide
    May 4, 1984 US and Canada: $38.7M Rest of the world: Worldwide: $38.7M
  3. 3 Sixteen Candles (1984) movie poster
    Sixteen Candles (1984) May 4, 1984 · Comedy, Romance $23.7M worldwide
    May 4, 1984 US and Canada: $23.7M Rest of the world: Worldwide: $23.7M
  4. 4 Firestarter (1984) movie poster
    Firestarter (1984) May 11, 1984 · Action, Sci-Fi $17.1M worldwide
    May 11, 1984 US and Canada: $17.1M Rest of the world: Worldwide: $17.1M
  5. 5 The Bounty (1984) movie poster
    The Bounty (1984) May 4, 1984 · Action, Adventure $8.6M worldwide
    May 4, 1984 US and Canada: $8.6M Rest of the world: Worldwide: $8.6M
  6. 6 Hardbodies (1984) movie poster
    Hardbodies (1984) May 4, 1984 · Comedy $7.1M worldwide
    May 4, 1984 US and Canada: $7.1M Rest of the world: Worldwide: $7.1M
  7. 7 Making the Grade (1984) movie poster
    Making the Grade (1984) May 18, 1984 · Comedy $4.6M worldwide
    May 18, 1984 US and Canada: $4.6M Rest of the world: Worldwide: $4.6M
  8. 8 Choose Me (1984) movie poster
    Choose Me (1984) May 11, 1984 · Comedy, Romance $2.5M worldwide
    May 11, 1984 US and Canada: $2.5M Rest of the world: Worldwide: $2.5M
  9. 9 The Buddy System (1984) movie poster
    The Buddy System (1984) May 4, 1984 · Comedy, Romance $1.8M worldwide
    May 4, 1984 US and Canada: $1.8M Rest of the world: Worldwide: $1.8M
  10. 10 Finders Keepers (1984) movie poster
    Finders Keepers (1984) May 18, 1984 · Comedy $1.5M worldwide
    May 18, 1984 US and Canada: $1.5M Rest of the world: Worldwide: $1.5M
  11. 11 Cal (1984) movie poster
    Cal (1984) May 15, 1984 · Romance, Drama $7.3K worldwide
    May 15, 1984 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $7.3K
  12. 12 The Element of Crime (1984) movie poster
    The Element of Crime (1984) May 14, 1984 · Drama, Thriller $5.7K worldwide
    May 14, 1984 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $5.7K
US & Canada vs the world

Where Did the Money Come From in May 1984?

Of the top 10, Breakin' (1984) earned the biggest share at home (100% in the US & Canada), while Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984) made 46% of its gross abroad. Across all 12 films, $285.4M (65%) came from the US & Canada.

  1. 1 Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984) $333.1M
    $179.9M US & Canada · 54% $153.2M elsewhere · 46%
  2. 2 Breakin' (1984) $38.7M
    $38.7M US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%
  3. 3 Sixteen Candles (1984) $23.7M
    $23.7M US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%
  4. 4 Firestarter (1984) $17.1M
    $17.1M US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%
  5. 5 The Bounty (1984) $8.6M
    $8.6M US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%
  6. 6 Hardbodies (1984) $7.1M
    $7.1M US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%
  7. 7 Making the Grade (1984) $4.6M
    $4.6M US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%
  8. 8 Choose Me (1984) $2.5M
    $2.5M US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%
  9. 9 The Buddy System (1984) $1.8M
    $1.8M US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%
  10. 10 Finders Keepers (1984) $1.5M
    $1.5M US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%
Gross bands

How Many May 1984 Releases Crossed $100 Million?

1 of 12 films crossed $100M and took $333.1M between them, 76% of the total. 8 films, 67% of the list, earned under $10M.

  • $1B or more 0 films, 0% of the list No films
  • $500M to $1B 0 films, 0% of the list No films
  • $100M to $500M 1 film, 8% of the list $333.1M · 76% of the gross
  • $10M to $100M 3 films, 25% of the list $79.4M · 18% of the gross
  • Under $10M 8 films, 67% of the list $26.1M · 6% of the gross
By release week

Which Week of May 1984 Had the Biggest Releases?

Films released in week 21 (May 20–26) took $333.1M, led by Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984). Each column links to that week's chart; weeks are Sunday to Saturday.

  1. Week 18 Wk 18 Apr 29–May 5 Breakin' (1984) $79.9M Breakin' (1984)
  2. Week 19 Wk 19 May 6–12 Firestarter (1984) $19.6M Firestarter (1984)
  3. Week 20 Wk 20 May 13–19 Making the Grade (1984) $6M Making the Grade (1984)
  4. Week 21 Wk 21 May 20–26 Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984) $333.1M Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)
  5. Week 22 Wk 22 May 27–Jun 2 No reported grosses – No reported grosses
Earlier years

How Does May 1984 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 1984 took $438.6M.

Month Films Worldwide Change Biggest film
May 1975 5 films 5 $68.5M – 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
May 1984 12 films · −21% 12 $438.6M −21% Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984) $333.1M
By genre

Which English Genres Earned the Most in May 1984?

Action took $358.8M across 3 films, 82% of the total, ahead of Adventure ($341.7M) and Comedy ($79.8M). A film counts once for each of its genres.

May 1984 English Box Office by Genre

  1. Action $358.8M
    3 films · #1 Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)
  2. Adventure $341.7M
    2 films · #1 Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)
  3. Comedy $79.8M
    7 films · #1 Breakin' (1984)
  4. Romance $75.3M
    6 films · #1 Breakin' (1984)
  5. Drama $51.6M
    6 films · #1 Breakin' (1984)
  6. Music $38.7M
    1 film · #1 Breakin' (1984)
  7. Thriller $17.1M
    3 films · #1 Firestarter (1984)
  8. Horror $17.1M
    1 film · #1 Firestarter (1984)
  9. Sci-Fi $17.1M
    1 film · #1 Firestarter (1984)
  10. History $8.6M
    1 film · #1 The Bounty (1984)
Archive

English Box Office in 1984, Month by Month

The months of 1984 with their totals: June leads with $781.4M, led by Ghostbusters (1984).

FAQ

English Box Office May 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 12 films as the chart.

What is the highest-grossing English-language movie in May 1984?

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984) leads with $333.1M worldwide, $179.9M of it in the US & Canada. Next come Breakin' (1984) at $38.7M and Sixteen Candles (1984) at $23.7M.

How much did English-language movies released in May 1984 earn?

12 English-language films released in May 1984 report a worldwide gross, $438.6M in all, or $36.6M per film on average. April 1984 releases took $112.2M.

How many English-language movies released in May 1984 made $1 billion?

None. 1 film crossed $100 million, led by Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984) with $333.1M.

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

$285.4M of the $438.6M total, or 65%, was earned in the US & Canada (the domestic market); the rest came from other countries. 2 films of the 12 report no domestic figure.

How is the May 1984 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 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, and so are films whose stored language is most likely wrong.

How often is the May 1984 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.