#1 of 15 #1 movie of December 1990
1990 · Action, Thriller
$202M worldwide · 32% of the chart's total
$91.5M US & Canada · 45% $110.5M elsewhere · 55%
Box office · December 1990
December 1990 Box Office: The Highest-Grossing December Releases
Kindergarten Cop (1990) is the highest-grossing movie released in December 1990, with $202M worldwide, ahead of The Godfather: Part III (1990) at $136.9M and Edward Scissorhands (1990) at $86M. 15 films released in December 1990 report a worldwide gross, $624M in all, 66% of it from the US & Canada. 2 films crossed $100 million; none reached $1 billion. That is down 53% on November 1990, whose releases took $1.3B. By genre, Drama leads with $407.8M across 12 releases.
- December 1990 releases with a gross
- 15
- combined worldwide
- $624M
- films crossed $100M
- 2
- vs November 1990
- −53%
#1 of 15 Top 5
What Were the Biggest Hits of December 1990?
Kindergarten Cop (1990) leads with $202M, 32% of the total. The top 5 together took $512.4M, 82% 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 December 1990, 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 December 1990.
- 1 Dec 21, 1990 US and Canada: $91.5M Rest of the world: $110.5M Worldwide: $202M
- 2 Dec 25, 1990 US and Canada: $66.8M Rest of the world: $70.1M Worldwide: $136.9M
- 3 Dec 7, 1990 US and Canada: $56.4M Rest of the world: $29.7M Worldwide: $86M
- 4 Dec 20, 1990 US and Canada: $52.1M Rest of the world: Worldwide: $52.1M
- 5 Dec 14, 1990 US and Canada: $35.4M Rest of the world: Worldwide: $35.4M
- 6
Dec 21, 1990 US and Canada: $23M Rest of the world: Worldwide: $23M - 7
Dec 7, 1990 US and Canada: $21.6M Rest of the world: Worldwide: $21.6M - 8
Dec 21, 1990 US and Canada: $15.7M Rest of the world: Worldwide: $15.7M - 9
Dec 5, 1990 US and Canada: $13.4M Rest of the world: Worldwide: $13.4M - 10
Dec 11, 1990 US and Canada: $9.2M Rest of the world: $402.3K Worldwide: $9.6M - 11
Dec 25, 1990 US and Canada: $7.3M Rest of the world: Worldwide: $7.3M - 12
Dec 21, 1990 US and Canada: $6.9M Rest of the world: Worldwide: $6.9M - 13
Dec 1, 1990 US and Canada: $5.8M Rest of the world: $2K Worldwide: $5.8M - 14
Dec 21, 1990 US and Canada: $4.9M Rest of the world: Worldwide: $4.9M - 15
Dec 15, 1990 US and Canada: $146.3K Rest of the world: $3.1M Worldwide: $3.3M
US & Canada vs the world
Where Did the Money Come From in December 1990?
Of the top 10, Awakenings (1990) earned the biggest share at home (100% in the US & Canada), while Kindergarten Cop (1990) made 55% of its gross abroad. Across all 15 films, $410.2M (66%) came from the US & Canada.
- 1 Kindergarten Cop (1990) $202M $91.5M US & Canada · 45% $110.5M elsewhere · 55%
- 2 The Godfather: Part III (1990) $136.9M $66.8M US & Canada · 49% $70.1M elsewhere · 51%
- 3 Edward Scissorhands (1990) $86M $56.4M US & Canada · 66% $29.7M elsewhere · 34%
- 4 Awakenings (1990) $52.1M $52.1M US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%
- 5 Mermaids (1990) $35.4M $35.4M US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%
- 6 The Russia House (1990) $23M $23M US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%
- 7 The Rookie (1990) $21.6M $21.6M US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%
- 8 The Bonfire of the Vanities (1990) $15.7M $15.7M US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%
- 9 The Grifters (1990) $13.4M $13.4M US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%
- 10 Havana (1990) $9.6M $9.2M US & Canada · 96% $402.3K elsewhere · 4%
Gross bands
How Many December 1990 Releases Crossed $100 Million?
2 of 15 films crossed $100M and took $338.8M between them, 54% of the total. 6 films, 40% of the list, earned under $10M.
54% 40%
- $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 2 films, 13% of the list $338.8M · 54% of the gross
- $10M to $100M 7 films, 47% of the list $247.3M · 40% of the gross
- Under $10M 6 films, 40% of the list $37.9M · 6% of the gross
By release week
Which Week of December 1990 Had the Biggest Releases?
Films released in week 51 (Dec 16–22) took $304.6M, led by Kindergarten Cop (1990). Each column links to that week's chart; weeks are Sunday to Saturday.
- Week 48 Wk 48 Nov 25–Dec 1 Cyrano de Bergerac (1990) $5.8M Cyrano de Bergerac (1990)
- Week 49 Wk 49 Dec 2–8 Edward Scissorhands (1990) $121.1M Edward Scissorhands (1990)
- Week 50 Wk 50 Dec 9–15 Mermaids (1990) $48.3M Mermaids (1990)
- Week 51 Wk 51 Dec 16–22 Kindergarten Cop (1990) $304.6M Kindergarten Cop (1990)
- Week 52 Wk 52 Dec 23–29 The Godfather: Part III (1990) $144.2M The Godfather: Part III (1990)
- Week 53 Wk 53 Dec 30–31 No reported grosses – No reported grosses
Earlier years
How Does December 1990 Compare With December in Earlier Years?
Of these 10 years, December 1988 earned the most: $1B from 21 films, led by Rain Man (1988). December 1990 took $624M.
| Month | Films | Worldwide | Change | Biggest film |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 1981 16 films | 16 | $379.7M | – | On Golden Pond (1981) $119.3M |
| December 1982 16 films · +43% | 16 | $544.2M | +43% | Tootsie (1982) $177.2M |
| December 1983 16 films · −42% | 16 | $313.5M | −42% | Sudden Impact (1983) $67.6M |
| December 1984 18 films · +96% | 18 | $614M | +96% | Beverly Hills Cop (1984) $316.4M |
| December 1985 17 films · −3% | 17 | $593.5M | −3% | Out of Africa (1985) $227.5M |
| December 1986 14 films · −33% | 14 | $398.6M | −33% | Platoon (1986) $138.5M |
| December 1987 19 films · +17% | 19 | $468.2M | +17% | Moonstruck (1987) $80.6M |
| December 1988 21 films · +119% | 21 | $1B | +119% | Rain Man (1988) $354.8M |
| December 1989 18 films · −24% | 18 | $779.2M | −24% | Born on the Fourth of July (1989) $161M |
| December 1990 15 films · −20% | 15 | $624M | −20% | Kindergarten Cop (1990) $202M |
Genres & languages
Which Genres and Languages Earned the Most in December 1990?
Drama took $407.8M across 12 films, 65% of the total, ahead of Thriller ($396.9M) and Crime ($377.2M). A film counts once for each of its genres. English-language films took $614.9M across 13 films, 99% of the total, ahead of French-language films ($5.8M) and Cantonese-language films ($3.3M).
December 1990 Box Office by Genre
-
Drama $407.8M12 films · #1 The Godfather: Part III (1990) -
Thriller $396.9M5 films · #1 Kindergarten Cop (1990) -
Crime $377.2M5 films · #1 Kindergarten Cop (1990) -
Action $360.5M3 films · #1 Kindergarten Cop (1990) -
Comedy $273.2M6 films · #1 Kindergarten Cop (1990) -
Romance $186.2M8 films · #1 Edward Scissorhands (1990) -
Fantasy $86M1 film · #1 Edward Scissorhands (1990) -
History $10.7M2 films · #1 Cyrano de Bergerac (1990)
Archive
Box Office in 1990, Month by Month
The months of 1990 with their totals: November leads with $1.3B, led by Home Alone (1990).
- January $72.7M #1 Internal Affairs (1990)
- February $172.9M #1 Hard to Kill (1990)
- March $1B #1 Pretty Woman (1990)
- April $162.8M #1 Ernest Goes to Jail (1990)
- May $457.8M #1 Back to the Future Part III (1990)
- June $870.4M #1 Total Recall (1990)
- July $1.2B #1 Ghost (1990)
- August $384.4M #1 Flatliners (1990)
- September $194.9M #1 Goodfellas (1990)
- October $248.9M #1 Marked for Death (1990)
- November $1.3B #1 Home Alone (1990)
- December $624M #1 Kindergarten Cop (1990)
FAQ
Box Office December 1990: 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 December 1990?
Kindergarten Cop (1990) leads with $202M worldwide, $91.5M of it in the US & Canada. Next come The Godfather: Part III (1990) at $136.9M and Edward Scissorhands (1990) at $86M.
How much did movies released in December 1990 earn?
15 films released in December 1990 report a worldwide gross, $624M in all, or $41.6M per film on average. November 1990 releases took $1.3B.
How many movies released in December 1990 made $1 billion?
None. 2 films crossed $100 million, led by Kindergarten Cop (1990) with $202M.
How is the December 1990 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 December 1990. 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 December 1990 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.