#1 of 3 #1 movie of Week 39, 1981
1981 · Comedy, Drama
$25.5M worldwide · 44% of the chart's total
$25.5M US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%
Box office · Week 39 · Sep 20–26, 1981
Box Office Week 39, 1981: Highest-Grossing Releases of Sep 20–26
Only When I Laugh (1981) is the highest-grossing movie released in week 39 of 1981 (Sep 20–26), with $25.5M worldwide, ahead of Mommie Dearest (1981) at $19M and True Confessions (1981) at $12.9M. 3 films released that week report a worldwide gross, $57.4M in all, 100% of it from the US & Canada. That is 3.3 times the total of Week 38, 1981, whose releases took $17.6M.
- week 39 releases with a gross
- 3
- combined worldwide
- $57.4M
- Only When I Laugh (1981), the #1
- $25.5M
- vs Week 38, 1981
- ×3.3
#1 of 3 Top 3
What Were the Biggest Hits of Week 39 of 1981?
Only When I Laugh (1981) leads with $25.5M, 44% of the total. The top 3 together took $57.4M, almost all of what the 3 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
US & Canada (domestic) Rest of the world
The chart
Every Release of Week 39 of 1981, 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 week 39 of 1981 (Sep 20–26).
- 1 Sep 25, 1981 US and Canada: $25.5M Rest of the world: Worldwide: $25.5M
- 2 Sep 25, 1981 US and Canada: $19M Rest of the world: $1.9K Worldwide: $19M
- 3 Sep 25, 1981 US and Canada: $12.9M Rest of the world: Worldwide: $12.9M
US & Canada vs the world
Where Did the Money Come From in Week 39 of 1981?
Of the top 3, Only When I Laugh (1981) earned the biggest share at home (100% in the US & Canada), while Mommie Dearest (1981) made <1% of its gross abroad. Across all 3 films, $57.4M (100%) came from the US & Canada.
- 1 Only When I Laugh (1981) $25.5M $25.5M US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%
- 2 Mommie Dearest (1981) $19M $19M US & Canada · 100% $1.9K elsewhere · <1%
- 3 True Confessions (1981) $12.9M $12.9M US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%
Weeks around it
How Does Week 39 Compare With the Weeks Around It?
Week 39 releases took $57.4M. The biggest of these 9 weeks is week 39 (Sep 20–26) with $57.4M, led by Only When I Laugh (1981).
- Week 33 Wk 33 Aug 9–15 Deadly Blessing (1981) $8.3M Deadly Blessing (1981)
- Week 34 Wk 34 Aug 16–22 An American Werewolf in London (1981) $53.4M An American Werewolf in London (1981)
- Week 35 Wk 35 Aug 23–29 Private Lessons (1981) $57M Private Lessons (1981)
- Week 36 Wk 36 Aug 30–Sep 5 The Killing of America (1981) $533 The Killing of America (1981)
- Week 37 Wk 37 Sep 6–12 No reported grosses – No reported grosses
- Week 38 Wk 38 Sep 13–19 Continental Divide (1981) $17.6M Continental Divide (1981)
- Week 39 Wk 39 Sep 20–26 Only When I Laugh (1981) $57.4M Only When I Laugh (1981)
- Week 40 Wk 40 Sep 27–Oct 3 Paternity (1981) $22.1M Paternity (1981)
- Week 41 Wk 41 Oct 4–10 Rich and Famous (1981) $20.3M Rich and Famous (1981)
Earlier years
How Does Week 39 of 1981 Compare With Earlier Years?
Of these 10 years, Week 39, 1975 earned the most: $143.3M from 3 films, led by The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975). Week 39, 1981 took $57.4M.
| Week | Films | Worldwide | Change | Biggest film |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 39, 1972 Sep 17–23 No films | 0 | – | – | – |
| Week 39, 1973 Sep 23–29 No films | 0 | – | – | – |
| Week 39, 1974 Sep 22–28 1 film | 1 | $5.9K | – | Dunderklumpen! (1974) $5.9K |
| Week 39, 1975 Sep 21–27 3 films · +2442287% | 3 | $143.3M | +2442287% | The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) $115.8M |
| Week 39, 1976 Sep 19–25 1 film · −100% | 1 | $7.1K | −100% | Ugly, Dirty and Bad (1976) $7.1K |
| Week 39, 1977 Sep 18–24 2 films · +140% | 2 | $17.2K | +140% | The Brothers Lionheart (1977) $13.2K |
| Week 39, 1978 Sep 24–30 3 films · +84921% | 3 | $14.6M | +84921% | Death on the Nile (1978) $14.6M |
| Week 39, 1979 Sep 23–29 1 film · −95% | 1 | $683.4K | −95% | A Man, a Woman and a Bank (1979) $683.4K |
| Week 39, 1980 Sep 21–27 4 films · +5284% | 4 | $36.8M | +5284% | My Bodyguard (1980) $22.5M |
| Week 39, 1981 Sep 20–26 3 films · +56% | 3 | $57.4M | +56% | Only When I Laugh (1981) $25.5M |
Archive
Box Office in 1981, Week by Week
47 weeks of 1981 with reported grosses; the biggest is week 25 (Jun 14–20) with $288.6M, led by Superman II (1981).
- Week 1 No grosses
- Week 2 $1.2M
- Week 3 $14.2M
- Week 4 No grosses
- Week 5 $20.3M
- Week 6 $29.2M
- Week 7 $20.8M
- Week 8 No grosses
- Week 9 No grosses
- Week 10 $26.8M
- Week 11 $22.7M
- Week 12 $35.1M
- Week 13 $11.5M
- Week 14 $20.5M
- Week 15 $80.4M
- Week 16 $16M
- Week 17 $20.6M
- Week 18 $23.5M
- Week 19 $5.2M
- Week 20 $3.1M
- Week 21 $99.1M
- Week 22 $5.1K
- Week 23 $14.9M
- Week 24 $83.8M
- Week 25 $288.6M
- Week 26 $185.5M
- Week 27 $14.9M
- Week 28 $88.7M
- Week 29 $128M
- Week 30 $80.1M
- Week 31 $29.7M
- Week 32 $27.9M
- Week 33 $8.3M
- Week 34 $53.4M
- Week 35 $57M
- Week 36 $533
- Week 37 No grosses
- Week 38 $17.6M
- Week 39 $57.4M
- Week 40 $22.1M
- Week 41 $20.3M
- Week 42 $26.9M
- Week 43 $1.6M
- Week 44 $25.7M
- Week 45 $42.4M
- Week 46 $3.7M
- Week 47 $14.9M
- Week 48 $5.2M
- Week 49 $127.5M
- Week 50 $18M
- Week 51 $131.8M
- Week 52 $102.4M
- Week 53 No grosses
FAQ
Box Office Week 39 of 1981: 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 3 films as the chart.
What is the highest-grossing movie in week 39 of 1981 (Sep 20–26)?
Only When I Laugh (1981) leads with $25.5M worldwide, $25.5M of it in the US & Canada. Next come Mommie Dearest (1981) at $19M and True Confessions (1981) at $12.9M.
How much did movies released in week 39 of 1981 (Sep 20–26) earn?
3 films released in week 39 of 1981 (Sep 20–26) report a worldwide gross, $57.4M in all, or $19.1M per film on average. Week 38, 1981 releases took $17.6M.
How many movies released in week 39 of 1981 (Sep 20–26) made $1 billion?
None. The biggest, Only When I Laugh (1981), earned $25.5M.
How is the week 39, 1981 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 week 39 of 1981 (Sep 20–26). 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 week 39, 1981 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.