#1 of 15 #1 movie of October 1980
1980 · Comedy, War
$69.8M worldwide · 49% of the chart's total
$69.8M US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%
Box office · October 1980
October 1980 Box Office: The Highest-Grossing October Releases
Private Benjamin (1980) is the highest-grossing movie released in October 1980, with $69.8M worldwide, ahead of The Elephant Man (1980) at $26M and Oh, God! Book II (1980) at $14.5M. 15 films released in October 1980 report a worldwide gross, $143.4M in all, 100% of it from the US & Canada. That is up 40% on September 1980, whose releases took $102.7M. By genre, Comedy leads with $98.6M across 6 releases.
- October 1980 releases with a gross
- 15
- combined worldwide
- $143.4M
- Private Benjamin (1980), the #1
- $69.8M
- vs September 1980
- +40%
#1 of 15 Top 5
What Were the Biggest Hits of October 1980?
Private Benjamin (1980) leads with $69.8M, 49% of the total. The top 5 together took $126.4M, 88% of what all 15 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 Release of October 1980, 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 October 1980.
- 1 Oct 10, 1980 US and Canada: $69.8M Rest of the world: Worldwide: $69.8M
- 2 Oct 10, 1980 US and Canada: $26M Rest of the world: $23.5K Worldwide: $26M
- 3 Oct 3, 1980 US and Canada: $14.5M Rest of the world: Worldwide: $14.5M
- 4 Oct 3, 1980 US and Canada: $9.7M Rest of the world: Worldwide: $9.7M
- 5 Oct 24, 1980 US and Canada: $6.3M Rest of the world: Worldwide: $6.3M
- 6
Oct 3, 1980 US and Canada: $4.5M Rest of the world: Worldwide: $4.5M - 7
Oct 1, 1980 US and Canada: $4.1M Rest of the world: $2.5K Worldwide: $4.1M - 8
Oct 10, 1980 US and Canada: $4M Rest of the world: $18.5K Worldwide: $4M - 9
Oct 24, 1980 US and Canada: $2.8M Rest of the world: Worldwide: $2.8M - 10
Oct 3, 1980 US and Canada: $843.2K Rest of the world: Worldwide: $843.2K - 11
Oct 31, 1980 US and Canada: $621.9K Rest of the world: Worldwide: $621.9K - 12
Oct 2, 1980 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $92.5K - 13
Oct 1, 1980 US and Canada: $2.5K Rest of the world: Worldwide: $2.5K - 14
Oct 15, 1980 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $948 - 15
Oct 14, 1980 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $351
US & Canada vs the world
Where Did the Money Come From in October 1980?
Of the top 10, Private Benjamin (1980) earned the biggest share at home (100% in the US & Canada), while Kagemusha (1980) made <1% of its gross abroad. Across all 15 films, $143.2M (100%) came from the US & Canada.
- 1 Private Benjamin (1980) $69.8M $69.8M US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%
- 2 The Elephant Man (1980) $26M $26M US & Canada · 100% $23.5K elsewhere · <1%
- 3 Oh, God! Book II (1980) $14.5M $14.5M US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%
- 4 Somewhere in Time (1980) $9.7M $9.7M US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%
- 5 Motel Hell (1980) $6.3M $6.3M US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%
- 6 Coast to Coast (1980) $4.5M $4.5M US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%
- 7 Gloria (1980) $4.1M $4.1M US & Canada · 100% $2.5K elsewhere · <1%
- 8 Kagemusha (1980) $4M $4M US & Canada · 100% $18.5K elsewhere · <1%
- 9 Loving Couples (1980) $2.8M $2.8M US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%
- 10 One Trick Pony (1980) $843.2K $843.2K US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%
Gross bands
How Many October 1980 Releases Crossed $100 Million?
None of the 15 films reached $100M. 12 films, 80% of the list, earned under $10M. Each band shows its films and its share of the $143.4M total.
77% 23%
- $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 0 films, 0% of the list No films
- $10M to $100M 3 films, 20% of the list $110.4M · 77% of the gross
- Under $10M 12 films, 80% of the list $33M · 23% of the gross
By release week
Which Week of October 1980 Had the Biggest Releases?
Films released in week 41 (Oct 5–11) took $99.9M, led by Private Benjamin (1980). Each column links to that week's chart; weeks are Sunday to Saturday.
- Week 40 Wk 40 Sep 28–Oct 4 Oh, God! Book II (1980) $33.7M Oh, God! Book II (1980)
- Week 41 Wk 41 Oct 5–11 Private Benjamin (1980) $99.9M Private Benjamin (1980)
- Week 42 Wk 42 Oct 12–18 Breaker Morant (1980) $1.3K Breaker Morant (1980)
- Week 43 Wk 43 Oct 19–25 Motel Hell (1980) $9.1M Motel Hell (1980)
- Week 44 Wk 44 Oct 26–Nov 1 Sunday Lovers (1980) $621.9K Sunday Lovers (1980)
Earlier years
How Does October 1980 Compare With October in Earlier Years?
Of these 10 years, October 1979 earned the most: $223.4M from 11 films, led by 10 (1979). October 1980 took $143.4M.
| Month | Films | Worldwide | Change | Biggest film |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| October 1971 3 films | 3 | $80.9M | – | The French Connection (1971) $51.7M |
| October 1972 2 films · −100% | 2 | $20.6K | −100% | Slap the Monster on Page One (1972) $16.9K |
| October 1973 6 films · +219087% | 6 | $45.2M | +219087% | The Way We Were (1973) $45M |
| October 1974 7 films · +56% | 7 | $70.7M | +56% | Benji (1974) $39.6M |
| October 1975 1 film · −100% | 1 | $293.1K | −100% | The Giant Spider Invasion (1975) $293.1K |
| October 1976 3 films · +7312% | 3 | $21.7M | +7312% | Marathon Man (1976) $21.7M |
| October 1977 9 films · +324% | 9 | $92.2M | +324% | Oh, God! (1977) $41.7M |
| October 1978 8 films · +45% | 8 | $133.4M | +45% | Halloween (1978) $47.2M |
| October 1979 11 films · +68% | 11 | $223.4M | +68% | 10 (1979) $74.9M |
| October 1980 15 films · −36% | 15 | $143.4M | −36% | Private Benjamin (1980) $69.8M |
Genres & languages
Which Genres and Languages Earned the Most in October 1980?
Comedy took $98.6M across 6 films, 69% of the total, ahead of War ($73.9M) and Drama ($49.9M). A film counts once for each of its genres. English-language films took $64.7M across 9 films, 45% of the total, ahead of Japanese-language films ($4M) and French-language films ($622.3K).
October 1980 Box Office by Genre
-
Comedy $98.6M6 films · #1 Private Benjamin (1980) -
War $73.9M3 films · #1 Private Benjamin (1980) -
Drama $49.9M11 films · #1 The Elephant Man (1980) -
Biography $26M1 film · #1 The Elephant Man (1980) -
Fantasy $24.2M2 films · #1 Oh, God! Book II (1980) -
Romance $17.6M4 films · #1 Somewhere in Time (1980) -
Thriller $10.4M2 films · #1 Motel Hell (1980) -
Horror $6.3M1 film · #1 Motel Hell (1980) -
Crime $4.1M1 film · #1 Gloria (1980) -
History $4M2 films · #1 Kagemusha (1980)
Archive
Box Office in 1980, Month by Month
The months of 1980 with their totals: May leads with $700.1M, led by Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980).
- January $4.4M #1 Windows (1980)
- February $118.7M #1 American Gigolo (1980)
- March $132M #1 Coal Miner's Daughter (1980)
- April $23.9M #1 The Last Married Couple in America (1980)
- May $700.1M #1 Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
- June $283.7M #1 The Blues Brothers (1980)
- July $329.7M #1 Airplane! (1980)
- August $147.7M #1 Smokey and the Bandit II (1980)
- September $102.7M #1 Ordinary People (1980)
- October $143.4M #1 Private Benjamin (1980)
- November $29.7M #1 Raging Bull (1980)
- December $494.4M #1 9 to 5 (1980)
FAQ
Box Office October 1980: 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 15 films as the chart.
What is the highest-grossing movie in October 1980?
Private Benjamin (1980) leads with $69.8M worldwide, $69.8M of it in the US & Canada. Next come The Elephant Man (1980) at $26M and Oh, God! Book II (1980) at $14.5M.
How much did movies released in October 1980 earn?
15 films released in October 1980 report a worldwide gross, $143.4M in all, or $9.6M per film on average. September 1980 releases took $102.7M.
How many movies released in October 1980 made $1 billion?
None. The biggest, Private Benjamin (1980), earned $69.8M.
How is the October 1980 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 October 1980. 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 October 1980 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.