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Box office · May 1977

May 1977 Box Office: The Highest-Grossing May Releases

Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977) is the highest-grossing movie released in May 1977, with $775.4M worldwide, ahead of Smokey and the Bandit (1977) at $126.8M and Citizens Band (1977) at $815.5K. 7 films released in May 1977 report a worldwide gross, $903M in all, 65% of it from the US & Canada. 2 films crossed $100 million; none reached $1 billion. That is 23.6 times the total of April 1977, whose releases took $38.3M. By genre, Action leads with $902.1M across 2 releases.

May 1977 releases with a gross
7
combined worldwide
$903M
films crossed $100M
2
vs April 1977
×23.6
Top 5

What Were the Biggest Hits of May 1977?

Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977) leads with $775.4M, 86% of the total. The top 5 together took $903M, almost all of what the 7 films earned. Each bar splits a film's gross into the US & Canada and the rest of the world.

  1. Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977) movie poster Number 1
    $775.4M Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977)
    $461M US & Canada · 59% $314.4M elsewhere · 41%
  2. Smokey and the Bandit (1977) movie poster Number 2
    $126.8M Smokey and the Bandit (1977)
    $126.7M US & Canada · 100% $13K elsewhere · <1%
  3. Citizens Band (1977) movie poster Number 3
    $815.5K Citizens Band (1977)
    $815.5K US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%
  4. Stroszek (1977) movie poster Number 4
    $3.5K Stroszek (1977)
    No US & Canada figure reported
  5. Desperate Living (1977) movie poster Number 5
    $1.1K Desperate Living (1977)
    No US & Canada figure reported

US & Canada (domestic) Rest of the world

The chart

Every Release of May 1977, 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 1977.

  1. 1 Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977) movie poster
    Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977) May 25, 1977 · English · Action, Adventure $775.4M worldwide
    May 25, 1977 US and Canada: $461M Rest of the world: $314.4M Worldwide: $775.4M
  2. 2 Smokey and the Bandit (1977) movie poster
    Smokey and the Bandit (1977) May 27, 1977 · English · Action, Comedy $126.8M worldwide
    May 27, 1977 US and Canada: $126.7M Rest of the world: $13K Worldwide: $126.8M
  3. 3 Citizens Band (1977) movie poster
    Citizens Band (1977) May 18, 1977 · English · Drama, Comedy $815.5K worldwide
    May 18, 1977 US and Canada: $815.5K Rest of the world: Worldwide: $815.5K
  4. 4 Stroszek (1977) movie poster
    Stroszek (1977) May 20, 1977 · German · Drama $3.5K worldwide
    May 20, 1977 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $3.5K
  5. 5 Desperate Living (1977) movie poster
    Desperate Living (1977) May 27, 1977 · English · Comedy, Crime $1.1K worldwide
    May 27, 1977 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $1.1K
  6. 6 Cross of Iron (1977) movie poster
    Cross of Iron (1977) May 20, 1977 · English · Drama, War $201 worldwide
    May 20, 1977 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $201
  7. 7 The Picture Show Man (1977) movie poster
    The Picture Show Man (1977) May 5, 1977 · English · Comedy, Drama $197 worldwide
    May 5, 1977 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $197
US & Canada vs the world

Where Did the Money Come From in May 1977?

Of the top 7, Citizens Band (1977) earned the biggest share at home (100% in the US & Canada), while Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977) made 41% of its gross abroad. Across all 7 films, $588.6M (65%) came from the US & Canada. 4 films of the top 7 report no US & Canada figure.

  1. 1 Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977) $775.4M
    $461M US & Canada · 59% $314.4M elsewhere · 41%
  2. 2 Smokey and the Bandit (1977) $126.8M
    $126.7M US & Canada · 100% $13K elsewhere · <1%
  3. 3 Citizens Band (1977) $815.5K
    $815.5K US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%
  4. 4 Stroszek (1977) $3.5K
    No US & Canada figure reported
  5. 5 Desperate Living (1977) $1.1K
    No US & Canada figure reported
  6. 6 Cross of Iron (1977) $201
    No US & Canada figure reported
  7. 7 The Picture Show Man (1977) $197
    No US & Canada figure reported
By release week

Which Week of May 1977 Had the Biggest Releases?

Films released in week 22 (May 22–28) took $902.2M, led by Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977). Each column links to that week's chart; weeks are Sunday to Saturday.

  1. Week 19 Wk 19 May 1–7 The Picture Show Man (1977) $197 The Picture Show Man (1977)
  2. Week 20 Wk 20 May 8–14 No reported grosses – No reported grosses
  3. Week 21 Wk 21 May 15–21 Citizens Band (1977) $819.2K Citizens Band (1977)
  4. Week 22 Wk 22 May 22–28 Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977) $902.2M Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977)
  5. Week 23 Wk 23 May 29–Jun 4 No reported grosses – No reported grosses
Earlier years

How Does May 1977 Compare With May in Earlier Years?

Of these 10 years, May 1977 earned the most: $903M from 7 films, led by Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977).

Month Films Worldwide Change Biggest film
May 1968 5 films 5 $44.9M – The Odd Couple (1968) $44.5M
May 1969 5 films · ±0% 5 $44.9M ±0% Midnight Cowboy (1969) $44.8M
May 1970 2 films · −28% 2 $32.3M −28% Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970) $19M
May 1971 4 films · −61% 4 $12.7M −61% Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971) $12.3M
May 1972 4 films · −100% 4 $33.4K −100% Play It Again, Sam (1972) $15.4K
May 1973 6 films · −69% 6 $10.3K −69% Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid (1973) $8.5K
May 1974 7 films · +212484% 7 $21.9M +212484% Thunderbolt and Lightfoot (1974) $21.7M
May 1975 7 films · +213% 7 $68.5M +213% The Return of the Pink Panther (1975) $41.8M
May 1976 5 films · −92% 5 $5.4M −92% That's Entertainment, Part II (1976) $5M
May 1977 7 films · +16669% 7 $903M +16669% Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977) $775.4M
Archive

Box Office in 1977, Month by Month

The months of 1977 with their totals: May leads with $903M, led by Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977).

FAQ

Box Office May 1977: 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 7 films as the chart.

What is the highest-grossing movie in May 1977?

Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977) leads with $775.4M worldwide, $461M of it in the US & Canada. Next come Smokey and the Bandit (1977) at $126.8M and Citizens Band (1977) at $815.5K.

How much did movies released in May 1977 earn?

7 films released in May 1977 report a worldwide gross, $903M in all, or $129M per film on average. April 1977 releases took $38.3M.

How many movies released in May 1977 made $1 billion?

None. 2 films crossed $100 million, led by Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977) with $775.4M.

How much of the May 1977 box office came from the US and Canada?

$588.6M of the $903M total, or 65%, was earned in the US & Canada (the domestic market); the rest came from other countries. 4 films of the 7 report no domestic figure.

How is the May 1977 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 1977. 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 May 1977 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.