#1 of 23 1986 · Sci-Fi, Thriller
$60.6M worldwide · 26% of the chart's total
The Fly (1986) is the highest-grossing English-language movie released in August 1986, with $60.6M worldwide, ahead of Howard the Duck (1986) at $38M and Jason Lives: Friday the 13th Part VI (1986) at $19.5M. 23 English-language films released in August 1986 report a worldwide gross, $232.7M in all, 82% of it from the US & Canada. That is down 28% on July 1986, whose releases took $321.6M. By genre, Sci-Fi leads with $123.6M across 6 English releases.
#1 of 23 1986 · Sci-Fi, Thriller
$60.6M worldwide · 26% of the chart's total
The Fly (1986) leads with $60.6M, 26% of the total. The top 5 together took $152.6M, 66% of what all 23 films earned. Each bar splits a film's gross into the US & Canada and the rest of the world.
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Number 5 US & Canada (domestic) Rest of the world
Lifetime worldwide grosses in US dollars, not adjusted for inflation; domestic means the US & Canada. Films are grouped by their release date in August 1986.
Aug 15, 1986 US and Canada: $40.5M Rest of the world: $20.2M Worldwide: $60.6M
Aug 1, 1986 US and Canada: $16.3M Rest of the world: $21.7M Worldwide: $38M
Aug 1, 1986 US and Canada: $19.5M Rest of the world: $743 Worldwide: $19.5M
Aug 1, 1986 US and Canada: $18.6M Rest of the world: $1.4K Worldwide: $18.6M
Aug 15, 1986 US and Canada: $15.9M Rest of the world: Worldwide: $15.9M
Aug 8, 1986 US and Canada: $13.4M Rest of the world: Worldwide: $13.4M
Aug 22, 1986 US and Canada: $13.4M Rest of the world: Worldwide: $13.4M
Aug 22, 1986 US and Canada: $8.6M Rest of the world: $3.1K Worldwide: $8.6M
Aug 22, 1986 US and Canada: $8M Rest of the world: $1.8K Worldwide: $8M
Aug 8, 1986 US and Canada: $7.1M Rest of the world: Worldwide: $7.1M
Aug 8, 1986 US and Canada: $6M Rest of the world: Worldwide: $6M
Aug 8, 1986 US and Canada: $5.8M Rest of the world: $12.9K Worldwide: $5.9M
Aug 29, 1986 US and Canada: $3.4M Rest of the world: Worldwide: $3.4M
Aug 30, 1986 US and Canada: $3.3M Rest of the world: Worldwide: $3.3M
Aug 29, 1986 US and Canada: $3M Rest of the world: Worldwide: $3M
Aug 22, 1986 US and Canada: $2.5M Rest of the world: Worldwide: $2.5M
Aug 29, 1986 US and Canada: $2.3M Rest of the world: Worldwide: $2.3M
Aug 22, 1986 US and Canada: $1.3M Rest of the world: Worldwide: $1.3M
Aug 13, 1986 US and Canada: $1.1M Rest of the world: Worldwide: $1.1M
Aug 22, 1986 US and Canada: $591.4K Rest of the world: $476 Worldwide: $591.8K
Aug 1, 1986 US and Canada: $136.2K Rest of the world: Worldwide: $136.2K
Aug 31, 1986 US and Canada: $25K Rest of the world: Worldwide: $25K
Aug 13, 1986 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $1.3K Of the top 10, Armed and Dangerous (1986) earned the biggest share at home (100% in the US & Canada), while Howard the Duck (1986) made 57% of its gross abroad. Across all 23 films, $190.9M (82%) came from the US & Canada.
None of the 23 films reached $100M. 16 films, 70% of the list, earned under $10M. Each band shows its films and its share of the $232.7M total.
Films released in week 33 (Aug 10–16) took $77.7M, led by The Fly (1986). Each column links to that week's chart; weeks are Sunday to Saturday.
Of these 10 years, August 1985 earned the most: $262.5M from 17 films, led by Pee-wee's Big Adventure (1985). August 1986 took $232.7M.
| Month | Films | Worldwide | Change | Biggest film |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 1977 6 films | 6 | $50.2M | – | The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) $46.9M |
| August 1978 4 films · −39% | 4 | $30.4M | −39% | Eyes of Laura Mars (1978) $20M |
| August 1979 12 films · +617% | 12 | $218.4M | +617% | Apocalypse Now (1979) $105.1M |
| August 1980 8 films · −40% | 8 | $131.4M | −40% | Smokey and the Bandit II (1980) $66.1M |
| August 1981 12 films · −9% | 12 | $119.4M | −9% | An American Werewolf in London (1981) $30.8M |
| August 1982 9 films · +16% | 9 | $138M | +16% | Friday the 13th Part III (1982) $36.7M |
| August 1983 15 films · +64% | 15 | $226.6M | +64% | Mr. Mom (1983) $64.8M |
| August 1984 15 films · −20% | 15 | $180.7M | −20% | Tightrope (1984) $48.1M |
| August 1985 17 films · +45% | 17 | $262.5M | +45% | Pee-wee's Big Adventure (1985) $41M |
| August 1986 23 films · −11% | 23 | $232.7M | −11% | The Fly (1986) $60.6M |
Sci-Fi took $123.6M across 6 films, 53% of the total, ahead of Thriller ($111M) and Comedy ($92.8M). A film counts once for each of its genres.
The months of 1986 with their totals: June leads with $441.6M, led by The Karate Kid Part II (1986).
The chart's numbers in short: the #1 film, the total, the billion-dollar hits and the US & Canada share, answered from the same 23 films as the chart.
The Fly (1986) leads with $60.6M worldwide, $40.5M of it in the US & Canada. Next come Howard the Duck (1986) at $38M and Jason Lives: Friday the 13th Part VI (1986) at $19.5M.
23 English-language films released in August 1986 report a worldwide gross, $232.7M in all, or $10.1M per film on average. July 1986 releases took $321.6M.
None. The biggest, The Fly (1986), earned $60.6M.
Films are ranked by lifetime worldwide gross in US dollars, not adjusted for inflation, and grouped by their release date in August 1986. 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.
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.