The 1980s

Best Movies of the 1980s: Top Films Year by Year

16,635 films on the site were released from 1980 to 1989, and 1,102 are ranked. My Left Foot (1989) leads the decade, ahead of Grave of the Fireflies (1988). The biggest hit was Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980) with $550M worldwide, and 7 Best Picture winners were released in the decade.

films released 1980–1989: 16,635
ranked by rating: 1,102
worldwide box office: $36B
award wins: 408

#1 of 1,102

Best-rated film of the 1980s

My Left Foot

1989 Biography Drama 1h 43m English

97 Metascore $14.7M worldwide

Directed by Jim Sheridan

About My Left Foot

Ranked

What Are the Best Movies of the 1980s?

Grave of the Fireflies (1988) and Stop Making Sense follow My Left Foot. Drama is the most common genre in the top 20 (11 films). Hayao Miyazaki and Martin Scorsese each have 2 films on the list. Ranked by a blend of Metascore and IMDb/Letterboxd user ratings (Echo Scores start with 2017 releases).

1. My Left Foot 97 Metascore (Metascore 97 out of 100 (18 critic reviews))

1989 · Biography, Drama · 1h 43m

Dir. Jim Sheridan No Echo Score: ranked 92/100 on critics & audiences
1. Grave of the Fireflies (1988) 94 Metascore (Metascore 94 out of 100 (16 critic reviews))

1989 · Animation, Drama · 1h 29m

Dir. Isao Takahata No Echo Score: ranked 92/100 on critics & audiences
3. Stop Making Sense 94 Metascore (Metascore 94 out of 100)

1984 · Music, Documentary · 1h 28m

Dir. Jonathan Demme No Echo Score: ranked 90/100 on critics & audiences
4. Ran 97 Metascore (Metascore 97 out of 100)

1985 · Action, Drama · 2h 42m

Dir. Akira Kurosawa No Echo Score: ranked 89/100 on critics & audiences
5. Raging Bull 90 Metascore (Metascore 90 out of 100)

1980 · Biography, Drama · 2h 9m

Dir. Martin Scorsese No Echo Score: ranked 88/100 on critics & audiences
6. Back to the Future 87 Metascore (Metascore 87 out of 100 (26 critic reviews))

1985 · Adventure, Sci-Fi · 1h 56m

Dir. Robert Zemeckis No Echo Score: ranked 88/100 on critics & audiences
7. The Right Stuff 91 Metascore (Metascore 91 out of 100)

1983 · Adventure, Biography · 3h 13m

Dir. Philip Kaufman No Echo Score: ranked 87/100 on critics & audiences
8. After Hours 89 Metascore (Metascore 89 out of 100 (9 critic reviews))

1985 · Thriller, Comedy · 1h 37m

Dir. Martin Scorsese No Echo Score: ranked 86/100 on critics & audiences
8. My Neighbor Totoro 87 Metascore (Metascore 87 out of 100 (16 critic reviews))

1988 · Fantasy, Animation · 1h 26m

Dir. Hayao Miyazaki No Echo Score: ranked 86/100 on critics & audiences
10. Hope and Glory 86 Metascore (Metascore 86 out of 100 (15 critic reviews))

1988 · Drama, Comedy · 1h 53m

Dir. John Boorman No Echo Score: ranked 86/100 on critics & audiences
10. Au Revoir les Enfants 88 Metascore (Metascore 88 out of 100 (18 critic reviews))

1988 · Drama, War · 1h 44m

Dir. Louis Malle No Echo Score: ranked 86/100 on critics & audiences
12. Do the Right Thing 93 Metascore (Metascore 93 out of 100 (26 critic reviews))

1989 · Drama, Comedy · 2h

Dir. Spike Lee No Echo Score: ranked 86/100 on critics & audiences
13. Platoon 92 Metascore (Metascore 92 out of 100)

1986 · Drama, War · 2h

Dir. Oliver Stone No Echo Score: ranked 85/100 on critics & audiences
14. Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back 82 Metascore (Metascore 82 out of 100)

1980 · Action, Adventure · 2h 4m

Dir. Irvin Kershner No Echo Score: ranked 85/100 on critics & audiences
14. Das Boot 85 Metascore (Metascore 85 out of 100 (16 critic reviews))

1982 · Action, Drama · 2h 29m

Dir. Wolfgang Petersen No Echo Score: ranked 85/100 on critics & audiences
14. Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind 86 Metascore (Metascore 86 out of 100 (7 critic reviews))

1985 · Adventure, Sci-Fi · 1h 57m

Dir. Hayao Miyazaki No Echo Score: ranked 85/100 on critics & audiences
17. Threads 92 Metascore (Metascore 92 out of 100)

1984 · Sci-Fi, Drama · 1h 52m

Dir. Mick Jackson No Echo Score: ranked 85/100 on critics & audiences
18. Aliens 84 Metascore (Metascore 84 out of 100 (23 critic reviews))

1986 · Action, Sci-Fi · 2h 17m

Dir. James Cameron No Echo Score: ranked 85/100 on critics & audiences
18. Let's Get Lost 85 Metascore (Metascore 85 out of 100 (15 critic reviews))

1989 · Music, Documentary · 2h

Dir. Bruce Weber No Echo Score: ranked 85/100 on critics & audiences
20. This Is Spinal Tap 92 Metascore (Metascore 92 out of 100)

1984 · Comedy, Music · 1h 22m

No Echo Score: ranked 84/100 on critics & audiences

Year by year

The 1980s Year by Year: Biggest Hit and Best Picture

1988 has the most releases on the site (2,030). The decade's biggest single hit, Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back, came out in 1980. Rain Man was both its year's biggest hit and the Best Picture winner. Each year links to its own ranking.

Every year of the 1980s: releases on the site, biggest hit and the Oscar Best Picture winner released that year
Year	Releases	Biggest hit	Best Picture winner
1980	Releases: 1,425	Biggest hit Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back $550M worldwide	Best Picture winner Ordinary People Oscars 1981
1981	Releases: 1,441	Biggest hit Superman II $216.4M worldwide	None recorded
1982	Releases: 1,457	Biggest hit Tootsie $177.2M worldwide	Best Picture winner Chariots of Fire Oscars 1982
1983	Releases: 1,553	Biggest hit Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi $482.5M worldwide	Best Picture winner Gandhi Oscars 1983
1984	Releases: 1,558	Biggest hit Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom $333.1M worldwide	None recorded
1985	Releases: 1,642	Biggest hit Back to the Future $385.1M worldwide	Best Picture winner Out of Africa Oscars 1986
1986	Releases: 1,764	Biggest hit Top Gun $357.3M worldwide	Best Picture winner Platoon Oscars 1987
1987	Releases: 1,880	Biggest hit Fatal Attraction $320.1M worldwide	Best Picture winner The Last Emperor Oscars 1988
1988	Releases: 2,030	Biggest hit Rain Man $354.8M worldwide	Best Picture winner Rain Man Oscars 1989
1989	Releases: 1,885	Biggest hit Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade $474.2M worldwide	None recorded

#1 of each year

The Best-Rated Movie of Every Year, 1980–1989

Raging Bull (1980), Blow Out (1981), Das Boot (1982) and 7 more years: the best-rated film of each year of the 1980s. Ranked by a blend of Metascore and IMDb/Letterboxd user ratings (Echo Scores start with 2017 releases).

Box office

Which 1980s Movies Earned the Most?

Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980) earned $550M worldwide, the most of any 1980s film; Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi follows with $482.5M. The top 10 took $4B; all 1,922 films of the decade with a box office record took $36B.

Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back $550M
1980 · Action, Adventure
Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi $482.5M
1983 · Action, Adventure
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade $474.2M
1989 · Action, Adventure
Batman $411.6M
1989 · Thriller, Crime
Back to the Future $385.1M
1985 · Adventure, Sci-Fi
Top Gun $357.3M
1986 · Action, Drama
Rain Man $354.8M
1988 · Drama
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom $333.1M
1984 · Action, Adventure
Back to the Future Part II $332.9M
1989 · Adventure, Sci-Fi
Who Framed Roger Rabbit $329.8M
1988 · Mystery, Fantasy

Awards

The Most-Awarded Movies of the 1980s

Gandhi (1983) leads the 1980s with 13 wins from 34 nominations, ahead of The Last Emperor (13 wins). Films of the decade won 408 awards in all.

Gandhi 13 / 34
1983 · Biography, Drama · 13 wins from 34 nominations Won at BAFTA, DGA Awards, Oscars
The Last Emperor 13 / 26
1987 · Biography, Drama · 13 wins from 26 nominations Won at BAFTA, DGA Awards, Oscars
The Killing Fields 11 / 27
1985 · Drama, History · 11 wins from 27 nominations Won at BAFTA, Oscars
Platoon 11 / 21
1986 · Drama, War · 11 wins from 21 nominations Won at BAFTA, DGA Awards, Oscars, Spirit Awards
Out of Africa 10 / 25
1985 · Biography, Drama · 10 wins from 25 nominations Won at BAFTA, Oscars
Raiders of the Lost Ark 10 / 24
1981 · Action, Adventure · 10 wins from 24 nominations Won at BAFTA, Oscars, Saturn Awards
Aliens 10 / 22
1986 · Action, Sci-Fi · 10 wins from 22 nominations Won at BAFTA, Oscars, Saturn Awards
A Room with a View 8 / 26
1986 · Drama, Comedy · 8 wins from 26 nominations Won at BAFTA, Oscars

Genres

What Genres Defined the 1980s?

Drama is the biggest genre of the 1980s with 6,809 films (41% of the decade's films), then Comedy (27%) and Action (14%). A film can have several genres, so the shares add up to more than 100%.

Directors

Who Directed the Most Films of the 1980s?

Blake Edwards made 10 notable films in the 1980s, the best-rated being Victor Victoria; Sidney Lumet also has 10. Counted over feature films with ratings, box office or awards.

Blake Edwards 10 films
Best: Victor Victoria (1982)
Sidney Lumet 10 films
Best: The Verdict (1982)
J. Lee Thompson 10 films
Best: Death Wish 4: The Crackdown (1987)
John G. Avildsen 9 films
Best: The Karate Kid (1984)
Herbert Ross 9 films
Best: Pennies from Heaven (1982)
Walter Hill 9 films
Best: The Long Riders (1980)
Michael Ritchie 9 films
Best: Fletch (1985)
John Carpenter 8 films
Best: Escape from New York (1981)

Every decade

Best Movies by Decade

10 decades ranked, from the 1930s to the 2020s. Each has its year-by-year table and its own top films.

FAQ

Best Movies of the 1980s: Questions & Answers

Quick answers about the 1980s' best-rated films, biggest hits and Best Picture winners, from the lists above.

What is the best movie of the 1980s?

My Left Foot (1989) is the best-rated film of the 1980s on What's After the Movie, with a rank value of 92/100 from critics and audiences. Grave of the Fireflies (1988) is second and Stop Making Sense (1984) third. Ranked by a blend of Metascore and IMDb/Letterboxd user ratings (Echo Scores start with 2017 releases).

About My Left Foot

What was the highest-grossing movie of the 1980s?

Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980) earned $550M worldwide, the most of any 1980s release on the site.

1980 box office

Which 1980s movies won Best Picture?

Ordinary People (1980), Chariots of Fire (1982), Gandhi (1983), Out of Africa (1985), Platoon (1986), The Last Emperor (1987) and Rain Man (1988); the site has no Best Picture winner recorded for 1981, 1984 and 1989.

Which 1980s film won the most awards?

Gandhi (1983), with 13 wins from 34 nominations recorded on the site.

How many movies from the 1980s are on the site?

16,635 films released from 1980 to 1989, the most in 1988 (2,030). 1,102 of them are ranked.

How are the best movies of the 1980s ranked?

Ranked by a blend of Metascore and IMDb/Letterboxd user ratings (Echo Scores start with 2017 releases). Only feature films count (60 minutes or longer, no concert recordings), and a film needs enough ratings, box office or award attention to be ranked.