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Box office · September 1980

September 1980 Box Office: The Highest-Grossing September Releases

Ordinary People (1980) is the highest-grossing movie released in September 1980, with $54.8M worldwide, ahead of My Bodyguard (1980) at $22.5M and Stardust Memories (1980) at $10.4M. 10 films released in September 1980 report a worldwide gross, $102.7M in all, 99% of it from the US & Canada. That is down 30% on August 1980, whose releases took $147.7M. By genre, Drama leads with $97.3M across 8 releases.

September 1980 releases with a gross
10
combined worldwide
$102.7M
Ordinary People (1980), the #1
$54.8M
vs August 1980
−30%
Ordinary People (1980) movie poster #1 of 10
#1 movie of September 1980

Ordinary People (1980)

1980 · Drama

$54.8M worldwide · 53% of the chart's total

$54.8M US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%
Top 5

What Were the Biggest Hits of September 1980?

Ordinary People (1980) leads with $54.8M, 53% of the total. The top 5 together took $97.3M, 95% of what all 10 films earned. Each bar splits a film's gross into the US & Canada and the rest of the world.

  1. Ordinary People (1980) movie poster Number 1
    $54.8M Ordinary People (1980)
    $54.8M US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%
  2. My Bodyguard (1980) movie poster Number 2
    $22.5M My Bodyguard (1980)
    $22.5M US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%
  3. Stardust Memories (1980) movie poster Number 3
    $10.4M Stardust Memories (1980)
    $10.4M US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%
  4. Divine Madness (1980) movie poster Number 4
    $5.3M Divine Madness (1980)
    $5.3M US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%
  5. Melvin and Howard (1980) movie poster Number 5
    $4.3M Melvin and Howard (1980)
    $4.3M US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%

US & Canada (domestic) Rest of the world

The chart

Every Release of September 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 September 1980.

  1. 1 Ordinary People (1980) movie poster
    Ordinary People (1980) Sep 18, 1980 · Drama $54.8M worldwide
    Sep 18, 1980 US and Canada: $54.8M Rest of the world: Worldwide: $54.8M
  2. 2 My Bodyguard (1980) movie poster
    My Bodyguard (1980) Sep 26, 1980 · English · Drama, Comedy $22.5M worldwide
    Sep 26, 1980 US and Canada: $22.5M Rest of the world: Worldwide: $22.5M
  3. 3 Stardust Memories (1980) movie poster
    Stardust Memories (1980) Sep 26, 1980 · English · Comedy, Drama $10.4M worldwide
    Sep 26, 1980 US and Canada: $10.4M Rest of the world: Worldwide: $10.4M
  4. 4 Divine Madness (1980) movie poster
    Divine Madness (1980) Sep 13, 1980 · English · Documentary, Music $5.3M worldwide
    Sep 13, 1980 US and Canada: $5.3M Rest of the world: Worldwide: $5.3M
  5. 5 Melvin and Howard (1980) movie poster
    Melvin and Howard (1980) Sep 19, 1980 · English · Comedy, Drama $4.3M worldwide
    Sep 19, 1980 US and Canada: $4.3M Rest of the world: Worldwide: $4.3M
  6. 6 Resurrection (1980) movie poster
    Resurrection (1980) Sep 26, 1980 · English · Drama, Fantasy $3.9M worldwide
    Sep 26, 1980 US and Canada: $3.9M Rest of the world: Worldwide: $3.9M
  7. 7 The Nest (1980) movie poster
    The Nest (1980) Sep 18, 1980 · Spanish · Drama $1.5M worldwide
    Sep 18, 1980 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $1.5M
  8. 8 Phobia (1980) movie poster
    Phobia (1980) Sep 9, 1980 · English · Thriller, Horror $59.2K worldwide
    Sep 9, 1980 US and Canada: $59.2K Rest of the world: Worldwide: $59.2K
  9. 9 Germany Pale Mother (1980) movie poster
    Germany Pale Mother (1980) Sep 26, 1980 · German · Drama $7K worldwide
    Sep 26, 1980 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $7K
  10. 10 Loulou (1980) movie poster
    Loulou (1980) Sep 3, 1980 · French · Drama, Romance $1.3K worldwide
    Sep 3, 1980 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $1.3K
US & Canada vs the world

Where Did the Money Come From in September 1980?

Of the top 10, Ordinary People (1980) earned the biggest share at home (100% in the US & Canada), while Phobia (1980) made 0% of its gross abroad. Across all 10 films, $101.2M (99%) came from the US & Canada. 3 films of the top 10 report no US & Canada figure.

  1. 1 Ordinary People (1980) $54.8M
    $54.8M US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%
  2. 2 My Bodyguard (1980) $22.5M
    $22.5M US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%
  3. 3 Stardust Memories (1980) $10.4M
    $10.4M US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%
  4. 4 Divine Madness (1980) $5.3M
    $5.3M US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%
  5. 5 Melvin and Howard (1980) $4.3M
    $4.3M US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%
  6. 6 Resurrection (1980) $3.9M
    $3.9M US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%
  7. 7 The Nest (1980) $1.5M
    No US & Canada figure reported
  8. 8 Phobia (1980) $59.2K
    $59.2K US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%
  9. 9 Germany Pale Mother (1980) $7K
    No US & Canada figure reported
  10. 10 Loulou (1980) $1.3K
    No US & Canada figure reported
Gross bands

How Many September 1980 Releases Crossed $100 Million?

None of the 10 films reached $100M. 7 films, 70% of the list, earned under $10M. Each band shows its films and its share of the $102.7M total.

  • $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, 30% of the list $87.6M · 85% of the gross
  • Under $10M 7 films, 70% of the list $15.1M · 15% of the gross
By release week

Which Week of September 1980 Had the Biggest Releases?

Films released in week 38 (Sep 14–20) took $60.6M, led by Ordinary People (1980). Each column links to that week's chart; weeks are Sunday to Saturday.

  1. Week 36 Wk 36 Aug 31–Sep 6 Loulou (1980) $1.3K Loulou (1980)
  2. Week 37 Wk 37 Sep 7–13 Divine Madness (1980) $5.4M Divine Madness (1980)
  3. Week 38 Wk 38 Sep 14–20 Ordinary People (1980) $60.6M Ordinary People (1980)
  4. Week 39 Wk 39 Sep 21–27 My Bodyguard (1980) $36.8M My Bodyguard (1980)
  5. Week 40 Wk 40 Sep 28–Oct 4 No reported grosses – No reported grosses
Earlier years

How Does September 1980 Compare With September in Earlier Years?

Of these 10 years, September 1975 earned the most: $143.4M from 5 films, led by The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975). September 1980 took $102.7M.

Month Films Worldwide Change Biggest film
September 1971 No films 0 – – –
September 1972 3 films 3 $107K – The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie (1972) $103.2K
September 1973 2 films · +78% 2 $190.9K +78% The Spirit of the Beehive (1973) $190.7K
September 1974 5 films · −96% 5 $7.6K −96% Dunderklumpen! (1974) $5.9K
September 1975 5 films · +1897935% 5 $143.4M +1897935% The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) $115.8M
September 1976 2 films · −98% 2 $2.8M −98% Bugsy Malone (1976) $2.8M
September 1977 6 films · +263% 6 $10.3M +263% Bobby Deerfield (1977) $9.3M
September 1978 8 films · +609% 8 $73.2M +609% Up in Smoke (1978) $44.4M
September 1979 10 films · −30% 10 $51M −30% Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (1979) $21.7M
September 1980 10 films · +101% 10 $102.7M +101% Ordinary People (1980) $54.8M
Genres & languages

Which Genres and Languages Earned the Most in September 1980?

Drama took $97.3M across 8 films, 95% of the total, ahead of Comedy ($42.5M) and Family ($22.5M). A film counts once for each of its genres. English-language films took $46.5M across 6 films, 45% of the total, ahead of Spanish-language films ($1.5M) and German-language films ($7K).

September 1980 Box Office by Genre

  1. Drama $97.3M
    8 films · #1 Ordinary People (1980)
  2. Comedy $42.5M
    4 films · #1 My Bodyguard (1980)
  3. Family $22.5M
    1 film · #1 My Bodyguard (1980)
  4. Romance $10.4M
    2 films · #1 Stardust Memories (1980)
  5. Documentary $5.3M
    1 film · #1 Divine Madness (1980)
  6. Music $5.3M
    1 film · #1 Divine Madness (1980)
  7. Fantasy $3.9M
    1 film · #1 Resurrection (1980)
  8. Horror $59.2K
    1 film · #1 Phobia (1980)
  9. Thriller $59.2K
    1 film · #1 Phobia (1980)

September 1980 Box Office by Language

  1. English $46.5M
    6 films · #1 My Bodyguard (1980)
  2. Spanish $1.5M
    1 film · #1 The Nest (1980)
  3. German $7K
    1 film · #1 Germany Pale Mother (1980)
  4. French $1.3K
    1 film · #1 Loulou (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).

FAQ

Box Office September 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 10 films as the chart.

What is the highest-grossing movie in September 1980?

Ordinary People (1980) leads with $54.8M worldwide, $54.8M of it in the US & Canada. Next come My Bodyguard (1980) at $22.5M and Stardust Memories (1980) at $10.4M.

How much did movies released in September 1980 earn?

10 films released in September 1980 report a worldwide gross, $102.7M in all, or $10.3M per film on average. August 1980 releases took $147.7M.

How many movies released in September 1980 made $1 billion?

None. The biggest, Ordinary People (1980), earned $54.8M.

How much of the September 1980 box office came from the US and Canada?

$101.2M of the $102.7M total, or 99%, was earned in the US & Canada (the domestic market); the rest came from other countries. 3 films of the 10 report no domestic figure.

How is the September 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 September 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 September 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.