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Box office · Week 51 · Dec 11–17, 1988

Box Office Week 51, 1988: Highest-Grossing Releases of Dec 11–17

Rain Man (1988) is the highest-grossing movie released in week 51 of 1988 (Dec 11–17), with $354.8M worldwide, ahead of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (1988) at $42M and Dangerous Liaisons (1988) at $34.7M. 6 films released that week report a worldwide gross, $456.1M in all, 60% of it from the US & Canada. One film crossed $100 million; none reached $1 billion. That is up 93% on Week 50, 1988, whose releases took $236.8M. By genre, Drama leads with $389.5M across 3 releases.

week 51 releases with a gross
6
combined worldwide
$456.1M
film crossed $100M
1
vs Week 50, 1988
+93%
Rain Man (1988) movie poster #1 of 6
#1 movie of Week 51, 1988

Rain Man (1988)

1988 · Drama

$354.8M worldwide · 78% of the chart's total

$172.8M US & Canada · 49% $182M elsewhere · 51%
Top 5

What Were the Biggest Hits of Week 51 of 1988?

Rain Man (1988) leads with $354.8M, 78% of the total. The top 5 together took $456.1M, almost all of what the 6 films earned. Each bar splits a film's gross into the US & Canada and the rest of the world.

  1. Rain Man (1988) movie poster Number 1
    $354.8M Rain Man (1988)
    $172.8M US & Canada · 49% $182M elsewhere · 51%
  2. Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (1988) movie poster Number 2
    $42M Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (1988)
    $42M US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%
  3. Dangerous Liaisons (1988) movie poster Number 3
    $34.7M Dangerous Liaisons (1988)
    $34.7M US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%
  4. I'm Gonna Git You Sucka (1988) movie poster Number 4
    $13M I'm Gonna Git You Sucka (1988)
    $13M US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%
  5. Young Einstein (1988) movie poster Number 5
    $11.5M Young Einstein (1988)
    $11.5M US & Canada · 100% $1.3K elsewhere · <1%

US & Canada (domestic) Rest of the world

The chart

Every Release of Week 51 of 1988, 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 51 of 1988 (Dec 11–17).

  1. 1 Rain Man (1988) movie poster
    Rain Man (1988) Dec 16, 1988 · English · Drama $354.8M worldwide
    Dec 16, 1988 US and Canada: $172.8M Rest of the world: $182M Worldwide: $354.8M
  2. 2 Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (1988) movie poster
    Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (1988) Dec 14, 1988 · English · Comedy, Crime $42M worldwide
    Dec 14, 1988 US and Canada: $42M Rest of the world: Worldwide: $42M
  3. 3 Dangerous Liaisons (1988) movie poster
    Dangerous Liaisons (1988) Dec 16, 1988 · Drama, Romance $34.7M worldwide
    Dec 16, 1988 US and Canada: $34.7M Rest of the world: Worldwide: $34.7M
  4. 4 I'm Gonna Git You Sucka (1988) movie poster
    I'm Gonna Git You Sucka (1988) Dec 14, 1988 · English · Action, Comedy $13M worldwide
    Dec 14, 1988 US and Canada: $13M Rest of the world: Worldwide: $13M
  5. 5 Young Einstein (1988) movie poster
    Young Einstein (1988) Dec 15, 1988 · English · Comedy, Sci-Fi $11.5M worldwide
    Dec 15, 1988 US and Canada: $11.5M Rest of the world: $1.3K Worldwide: $11.5M
  6. 6 Haunted Summer (1988) movie poster
    Haunted Summer (1988) Dec 16, 1988 · English · Romance, Drama $9.9K worldwide
    Dec 16, 1988 US and Canada: $9.9K Rest of the world: Worldwide: $9.9K
US & Canada vs the world

Where Did the Money Come From in Week 51 of 1988?

Of the top 6, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (1988) earned the biggest share at home (100% in the US & Canada), while Rain Man (1988) made 51% of its gross abroad. Across all 6 films, $274.1M (60%) came from the US & Canada.

  1. 1 Rain Man (1988) $354.8M
    $172.8M US & Canada · 49% $182M elsewhere · 51%
  2. 2 Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (1988) $42M
    $42M US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%
  3. 3 Dangerous Liaisons (1988) $34.7M
    $34.7M US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%
  4. 4 I'm Gonna Git You Sucka (1988) $13M
    $13M US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%
  5. 5 Young Einstein (1988) $11.5M
    $11.5M US & Canada · 100% $1.3K elsewhere · <1%
  6. 6 Haunted Summer (1988) $9.9K
    $9.9K US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%
Earlier years

How Does Week 51 of 1988 Compare With Earlier Years?

Of these 10 years, Week 51, 1988 earned the most: $456.1M from 6 films, led by Rain Man (1988).

Week Films Worldwide Change Biggest film
Week 51, 1979 Dec 16–22 9 films 9 $291.7M – Kramer vs. Kramer (1979) $106.3M
Week 51, 1980 Dec 14–20 6 films · −13% 6 $254M −13% 9 to 5 (1980) $103.3M
Week 51, 1981 Dec 13–19 5 films · −48% 5 $131.8M −48% Absence of Malice (1981) $40.7M
Week 51, 1982 Dec 12–18 9 films · +157% 9 $338.5M +157% Tootsie (1982) $177.2M
Week 51, 1983 Dec 11–17 7 films · −59% 7 $139M −59% Silkwood (1983) $35.6M
Week 51, 1984 Dec 16–22 7 films · −21% 7 $109.8M −21% Protocol (1984) $26.2M
Week 51, 1985 Dec 15–21 7 films · +221% 7 $352.6M +221% Out of Africa (1985) $227.5M
Week 51, 1986 Dec 14–20 5 films · −44% 5 $198.4M −44% Platoon (1986) $138.5M
Week 51, 1987 Dec 13–19 11 films · +73% 11 $342.5M +73% Moonstruck (1987) $80.6M
Week 51, 1988 Dec 11–17 6 films · +33% 6 $456.1M +33% Rain Man (1988) $354.8M
FAQ

Box Office Week 51 of 1988: 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 6 films as the chart.

What is the highest-grossing movie in week 51 of 1988 (Dec 11–17)?

Rain Man (1988) leads with $354.8M worldwide, $172.8M of it in the US & Canada. Next come Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (1988) at $42M and Dangerous Liaisons (1988) at $34.7M.

How much did movies released in week 51 of 1988 (Dec 11–17) earn?

6 films released in week 51 of 1988 (Dec 11–17) report a worldwide gross, $456.1M in all, or $76M per film on average. Week 50, 1988 releases took $236.8M.

How many movies released in week 51 of 1988 (Dec 11–17) made $1 billion?

None. 1 film crossed $100 million, led by Rain Man (1988) with $354.8M.

How much of the Week 51, 1988 box office came from the US and Canada?

$274.1M of the $456.1M total, or 60%, was earned in the US & Canada (the domestic market); the rest came from other countries. 0 films of the 6 report no domestic figure.

How is the week 51, 1988 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 51 of 1988 (Dec 11–17). 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 51, 1988 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.