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Romantic musical

Grease (1978): Cast, Ratings, Box Office & Plot

Grease (1978) movie poster

Grease is a 1978 romantic musical directed by Randal Kleiser, starring John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John. It runs 1 hour 50 minutes and earned $396.3 million worldwide on a $6 million budget. It won 2 awards from 5 nominations, one of them 1 Oscar nomination. Critics gave it 66% on Rotten Tomatoes and 70 on Metacritic, and IMDb users rate it 7.2/10.

IMDb rating
7.2/10
Rotten Tomatoes
66%
worldwide gross
$396.3M
awards won
2
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Grease (1978) movie poster
Released
Runtime
1h 50m (110 min)
Director
Randal Kleiser
Genres
Romance , Musical
Original language
English
Budget
$6M
After the credits
No No extra scene
The story

What Is Grease About?

The premise of Grease without spoilers. The whole story is in the plot summary further down.

Set in the carefree 1950s, a rebellious leather-jacketed greaser and a wholesome new girl find themselves drawn to each other, challenging the social norms of their high school. Their summer romance unfolds amidst a backdrop of rock and roll music, energetic dance sequences, and the pressures of fitting in with their respective groups. The film explores themes of love, friendship, and finding your place.

Grease Themes & Keywords

· 50 tags
  • high school
  • opposites attract
  • dance contest
  • automobile racing
  • los angeles california
  • cheerleader
  • 1950s
  • animated opening credits
  • rock 'n' roll
  • prom dress
  • voyeurism
  • singer
+38 more
  • singing
  • dancing
  • slumber party
  • flirting
  • auto mechanic
  • leather jacket
  • hot rod
  • national film registry
  • los angeles river
  • school dance
  • new school
  • young love
  • teenager
  • beach
  • wrestling
  • wrong side of the tracks
  • loss of virginity
  • underage smoking
  • exchange student
  • coming of age
  • nostalgia
  • student athlete
  • funhouse
  • friendship
  • dance
  • car accident
  • auto repair
  • carnival
  • pregnancy scare
  • makeover
  • blockbuster
  • coach
  • greaser
  • australian
  • premarital sex
  • sleepover
  • teen angst
  • dream sequence
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Cast & crew

Grease Cast

John Travolta leads the cast, with Olivia Newton-John. Directed by Randal Kleiser.

Ratings

Grease Reviews & Ratings

Critics gave Grease 66% on Rotten Tomatoes and 70 on Metacritic, and IMDb users rate it 7.2/10.

Plot

Grease Plot Summary

What happens in Grease from start to finish, spoilers included, with a timeline of 15 key events. The opening is below; the full summary is a 3-minute read.

Spoilers ahead

During the summer of 1958, Danny Zuko (John Travolta) and Sandy Olsson (Olivia Newton-John) share a passionate romance at the beach. As summer concludes, they reluctantly bid farewell, with Sandy returning to Australia. However, fate intervenes when Sandy’s family decides to stay in the U.S., leading her to enroll at Rydell High School, where she unexpectedly crosses paths with Danny, who is also a student there, along with her new friend Frenchy (Didi Conn), a member of the Pink Ladies.

Full summary

The whole story of Grease, scene by scene

Read the full summary
Box office

Grease Box Office & Budget

Grease grossed $396.3 million worldwide on a $6 million budget, 66 times what it cost. $190.1 million came from the US and Canada and $206.2 million (52%) from the rest of the world.

1978 box office

Worldwide gross

$396.3M

66× its budget

US & Canada
$190.1M
International
$206.2M
Budget
$6M
US & Canada 48% Rest of the world 52%
Awards

Grease Awards & Nominations

Grease won 2 awards from 5 nominations, one of them 1 Oscar nomination. Its biggest night was the Golden Globes 1979, with 2 wins from 4 nominations.

2 wins5 nominations2 ceremonies

  • Golden Globe Awards logo
    Golden Globes 1979 2 wins · 4 nominations
    • Won Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy
    • Won Best Performance in a Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical (Actor) – John Travolta
    • Nominated Best Original Song
    • Nominated Best Performance in a Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical (Actress) – Olivia Newton-John
  • Academy Awards (Oscars) logo
    Oscars 1979 1 nomination
    • Nominated Music (Original Song)
Videos

Grease Trailers & Videos

11 videos: 2 trailers, 2 teasers, 2 clips and 5 featurettes.

All 11 videos
Original Trailer
  • Trailer Paramount Movies Trailer
  • Teaser Fathom Event
  • Teaser 45th Anniversary Spot
  • Clip Hopelessly Devoted
Quiz

How Well Do You Know Grease?

10 questions about the story, each with a hint if you get stuck. Pick an answer to see whether you were right.

Question 1 of 10

  1. Question 1: not answered
  2. Question 2: not answered
  3. Question 3: not answered
  4. Question 4: not answered
  5. Question 5: not answered
  6. Question 6: not answered
  7. Question 7: not answered
  8. Question 8: not answered
  9. Question 9: not answered
  10. Question 10: not answered

What year does 'Grease' take place?

Cars

Cars in Grease

14 cars on screen, including the 1948 Ford Super De Luxe and the 1956 Dodge Custom Royal.

All 14 cars
  • 1948 Ford Super De Luxe in Grease 1948 Ford Super De Luxe Main role
  • 1956 Dodge Custom Royal in Grease 1956 Dodge Custom Royal Important role
  • 1949 Dodge Wayfarer in Grease 1949 Dodge Wayfarer Important role
  • 1949 Mercury Convertible in Grease 1949 Mercury Convertible Important role
Details

Grease Also Known As

28 alternative titles, including “Nos Tempos da Brilhantina” and “火爆浪子”.

Also known as
  • Nos Tempos da Brilhantina
  • 火爆浪子
  • Grease – Schmiere
  • Grease Brillantina
  • กรีส
  • Vaselina
  • Grease er ordet
  • Γκριζ, ბრეოლინი
  • Grease - Brillantina
  • Pomádé
  • Grease - Brilhantina
  • Бриолин
+16 more
  • 油脂
  • Pomáda
  • Бриљантин
  • Γκρηζ
  • גריז
  • Grease: Nos Tempos da Brilhantina
  • Brillantine
  • 그리스
  • Брилянтин
  • グリース
  • Бріолін
  • Briliantinas, ქრთამი
  • Động Lực
  • گریس
  • Breolīns
  • Briljantin

Seen Grease?

FAQ

Grease FAQ: Cast, Box Office & Awards

Runtime, release date, director, cast, box office, ratings, awards and post-credit scenes of Grease, each answered in a sentence.

How long is Grease?

Grease runs 1 hour 50 minutes (110 minutes).

When was Grease released?

Grease was released on June 16, 1978.

Who directed Grease?

Grease was directed by Randal Kleiser.

More films by Randal Kleiser

Who is in the cast of Grease?

Grease stars John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John.

How much did Grease make at the box office?

Grease grossed $396.3 million worldwide ($190.1 million domestic, $206.2 million international) on a budget of $6 million.

How is Grease rated?

Grease has 7.2/10 on IMDb, 66% on Rotten Tomatoes, 70 on Metacritic and 74% on TMDB.

What awards did Grease win?

Grease won 2 awards from 5 nominations, including Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy at the Golden Globes 1979.

Does Grease have a post-credit scene?

No. Grease has no extra scene during or after the credits.

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