#1 of 12 #1 movie of May 1990
Back to the Future Part III (1990)
1990 · Adventure, Sci-Fi
$245.1M worldwide · 54% of the chart's total
$88.3M US & Canada · 36% $156.8M elsewhere · 64%
Box office · May 1990
May 1990 Box Office: The Highest-Grossing May Releases
Back to the Future Part III (1990) is the highest-grossing movie released in May 1990, with $245.1M worldwide, ahead of Bird on a Wire (1990) at $138.7M and Cadillac Man (1990) at $27.6M. 12 films released in May 1990 report a worldwide gross, $457.8M in all, 51% of it from the US & Canada. 2 films crossed $100 million; none reached $1 billion. That is up 181% on April 1990, whose releases took $162.8M. By genre, Comedy leads with $435.8M across 8 releases.
- May 1990 releases with a gross
- 12
- combined worldwide
- $457.8M
- films crossed $100M
- 2
- vs April 1990
- +181%
#1 of 12 Top 5
What Were the Biggest Hits of May 1990?
Back to the Future Part III (1990) leads with $245.1M, 54% of the total. The top 5 together took $442.5M, 97% of what all 12 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 May 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 May 1990.
- 1 May 25, 1990 US and Canada: $88.3M Rest of the world: $156.8M Worldwide: $245.1M
- 2 May 18, 1990 US and Canada: $71M Rest of the world: $67.7M Worldwide: $138.7M
- 3 May 18, 1990 US and Canada: $27.6M Rest of the world: Worldwide: $27.6M
- 4 Tales from the Darkside: The Movie (1990)May 4, 1990 US and Canada: $16.3M Rest of the world: Worldwide: $16.3M
May 4, 1990 · English · Thriller, Fantasy $16.3M worldwide - 5 May 25, 1990 US and Canada: $14.8M Rest of the world: Worldwide: $14.8M
- 6
May 4, 1990 US and Canada: $4.1M Rest of the world: $1.8K Worldwide: $4.1M - 7
May 4, 1990 US and Canada: $4M Rest of the world: Worldwide: $4M - 8
May 11, 1990 US and Canada: $2M Rest of the world: $1M Worldwide: $3M - 9
May 11, 1990 US and Canada: $2.5M Rest of the world: Worldwide: $2.5M - 10
May 4, 1990 US and Canada: $1.7M Rest of the world: Worldwide: $1.7M - 11
May 9, 1990 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $8.4K - 12
May 11, 1990 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $2.8K
US & Canada vs the world
Where Did the Money Come From in May 1990?
Of the top 10, Cadillac Man (1990) earned the biggest share at home (100% in the US & Canada), while Back to the Future Part III (1990) made 64% of its gross abroad. Across all 12 films, $232.2M (51%) came from the US & Canada.
- 1 Back to the Future Part III (1990) $245.1M $88.3M US & Canada · 36% $156.8M elsewhere · 64%
- 2 Bird on a Wire (1990) $138.7M $71M US & Canada · 51% $67.7M elsewhere · 49%
- 3 Cadillac Man (1990) $27.6M $27.6M US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%
- 4 Tales from the Darkside: The Movie (1990) $16.3M $16.3M US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%
- 5 Fire Birds (1990) $14.8M $14.8M US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%
- 6 Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! (1990) $4.1M $4.1M US & Canada · 100% $1.8K elsewhere · <1%
- 7 Short Time (1990) $4M $4M US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%
- 8 Dreams (1990) $3M $2M US & Canada · 66% $1M elsewhere · 34%
- 9 Class of 1999 (1990) $2.5M $2.5M US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%
- 10 Last Exit to Brooklyn (1990) $1.7M $1.7M US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%
Gross bands
How Many May 1990 Releases Crossed $100 Million?
2 of 12 films crossed $100M and took $383.8M between them, 84% of the total. 7 films, 58% of the list, earned under $10M.
84% 13%
- $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, 17% of the list $383.8M · 84% of the gross
- $10M to $100M 3 films, 25% of the list $58.7M · 13% of the gross
- Under $10M 7 films, 58% of the list $15.3M · 3% of the gross
By release week
Which Week of May 1990 Had the Biggest Releases?
Films released in week 21 (May 20–26) took $259.8M, led by Back to the Future Part III (1990). Each column links to that week's chart; weeks are Sunday to Saturday.
- Week 18 Wk 18 Apr 29–May 5 Tales from the Darkside: The Movie (1990) $26.2M Tales from the Darkside: The Movie (1990)
- Week 19 Wk 19 May 6–12 Dreams (1990) $5.4M Dreams (1990)
- Week 20 Wk 20 May 13–19 Bird on a Wire (1990) $166.3M Bird on a Wire (1990)
- Week 21 Wk 21 May 20–26 Back to the Future Part III (1990) $259.8M Back to the Future Part III (1990)
- Week 22 Wk 22 May 27–Jun 2 No reported grosses – No reported grosses
Earlier years
How Does May 1990 Compare With May in Earlier Years?
Of these 10 years, May 1989 earned the most: $595M from 27 films, led by Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989). May 1990 took $457.8M.
| Month | Films | Worldwide | Change | Biggest film |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 1981 10 films | 10 | $130.9M | – | The Four Seasons (1981) $50.4M |
| May 1982 17 films · +111% | 17 | $275.9M | +111% | Rocky III (1982) $125.1M |
| May 1983 10 films · +115% | 10 | $593.6M | +115% | Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983) $482.5M |
| May 1984 15 films · −18% | 15 | $486.6M | −18% | Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984) $333.1M |
| May 1985 20 films · +8% | 20 | $527.8M | +8% | Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985) $300.4M |
| May 1986 13 films · −1% | 13 | $522.4M | −1% | Top Gun (1986) $357.3M |
| May 1987 24 films · −25% | 24 | $390.6M | −25% | Beverly Hills Cop II (1987) $300M |
| May 1988 28 films · +37% | 28 | $533.3M | +37% | Crocodile Dundee II (1988) $239.6M |
| May 1989 27 films · +12% | 27 | $595M | +12% | Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989) $474.2M |
| May 1990 12 films · −23% | 12 | $457.8M | −23% | Back to the Future Part III (1990) $245.1M |
Genres & languages
Which Genres and Languages Earned the Most in May 1990?
Comedy took $435.8M across 8 films, 95% of the total, ahead of Adventure ($259.8M) and Sci-Fi ($247.5M). A film counts once for each of its genres. English-language films took $435.9M across 7 films, 95% of the total, ahead of Hebrew-language films ($14.8M) and Spanish-language films ($4.1M).
May 1990 Box Office by Genre
-
Comedy $435.8M8 films · #1 Back to the Future Part III (1990) -
Adventure $259.8M2 films · #1 Back to the Future Part III (1990) -
Sci-Fi $247.5M2 films · #1 Back to the Future Part III (1990) -
Western $245.1M1 film · #1 Back to the Future Part III (1990) -
Action $159.9M5 films · #1 Bird on a Wire (1990) -
Crime $35.7M3 films · #1 Cadillac Man (1990) -
Fantasy $19.3M3 films · #1 Tales from the Darkside: The Movie (1990) -
Horror $18.8M2 films · #1 Tales from the Darkside: The Movie (1990) -
Thriller $16.3M1 film · #1 Tales from the Darkside: The Movie (1990) -
Drama $8.8M4 films · #1 Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! (1990)
May 1990 Box Office by Language
- English $435.9M7 films · #1 Back to the Future Part III (1990)
-
Hebrew $14.8M1 film · #1 Fire Birds (1990) -
Spanish $4.1M1 film · #1 Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! (1990) -
Japanese $3M1 film · #1 Dreams (1990) -
Telugu $8.4K1 film · #1 Jagadeka Veerudu Athiloka Sundari (1990) -
Russian $2.8K1 film · #1 Taxi Blues (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 May 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 12 films as the chart.
What is the highest-grossing movie in May 1990?
Back to the Future Part III (1990) leads with $245.1M worldwide, $88.3M of it in the US & Canada. Next come Bird on a Wire (1990) at $138.7M and Cadillac Man (1990) at $27.6M.
How much did movies released in May 1990 earn?
12 films released in May 1990 report a worldwide gross, $457.8M in all, or $38.1M per film on average. April 1990 releases took $162.8M.
How many movies released in May 1990 made $1 billion?
None. 2 films crossed $100 million, led by Back to the Future Part III (1990) with $245.1M.
How is the May 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 May 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 May 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.