What was the BEST YEAR of the 1980s for cinema? We help you decide

The 1980s were a unique decade for world culture. Anyone who had the good fortune to grow up in this era will never forget every absurd detail (by today’s standards) that built this politically incorrect era to the extreme. What must be taken into account, however, is that the period established what would become a blockbuster, a type of film that transcended theaters, migrating into our daily lives and becoming part of everything that is merchandising that has permeated our routines. Before, when we left a cinema, the film was always there, discussed and commented on in certain circles of cinephiles as much as possible. With the arrival of the 80s and its entertainment cinema, these films left the theaters and became t-shirts, dolls, video games, cartoons, lunch boxes, bedding, etc.

The blockbusters, as everyone is tired of knowing, were indeed born in 1975 with Tubarão, the first film-event in the history of cinema. It was followed two years later with Star Wars. But while the end of the 70s only elected two cinematographic phenomena (and you have to know how to differentiate hits, like Rocky and Alien, for example, from phenomena), from the 80s, things took off without returning to back. Then came The Empire Strikes Back, Indiana Jones, ET, Ghostbusters, Back to the Future, Top Gun… to name a few. With each new year of the 80s, a new flood of phenomena, until arriving at what we have today. But what was the best year of the 1980s for cinema? Choosing it can be mission impossible. But here in this new article, what we offer is help, so that everyone can decide for themselves. And for that, we’ve listed ten of the biggest hits of each year in the 80s so you can get a taste of what the era was like. Of course, we left out a lot of good stuff, otherwise the story would never end. But you can already get an idea. Check and decide.

As said, Jaws (1975) and Star Wars (1977) were the first blockbusters in movie history. In the early 1980s, specifically in 1980, fans got to feel the rumble again, with the release of the first Star Wars sequel, the dark The Empire Strikes Back. And then it was potato, a new phenomenon that appeared on the big screen. Apart from that, 1980 also booked the premieres of some films that are still hugely popular with audiences even today, 42 years later, like horror classics The Shining and first Friday the 13th comedies Fasten Your Seatbelts, Pilot Sumiu and Brothers Face-of-Pau, novels Somewhere in the Past and absolute Afternoon Session classic The Blue Lagoon, thriller Dressed to Kill, boxing drama Raging Bull and blockbuster Superman II – The Adventure keep on going.

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It can be said that the fathers of successful cinema were Steven Spielberg and George Lucas. Each year of the period, the most successful films belonged to one or the other. Or sometimes both together. This is the case with this creation called Indiana Jones and his first adventure on the big screen: Raiders of the Lost Ark. Created by Lucas and directed by Spielberg, it had nothing to do with it, and a new phenomenon was created. But 1981 still held apocalyptic adventures like Mad Max 2 and Escape from New York, Oscar-winning dramas like Chariots of Fire, horror films like An American Werewolf in London and Evil Dead, comedies like Arthur: The Millionaire Seducer and the escrachada Porky’s – The House of Love and Laughter, the medieval adventure Excalibur – The Sword of Power and the cult reissued this year Me, Christiane F., 13, drug addict and prostitute.

Here, Steven Spielberg scored the goal again, this time solo, without the help of his colleague George Lucas. The subject here? ET – The extraterrestrial, of course. And when the youngest ask why so much veneration of moviegoers for the director, here is the answer. Some of the most iconic feature films of the seventh art are his authorship. Outside of ET, Spielberg also took part in another horror classic of the same year, with Poltergeist – The Phenomenon. Star Sylvester Stallone also scored big, with hits Rocky III – The Ultimate Challenge and Rambo – Programmed to Kill. We still had cult fiction Blade Runner – The Android Hunter and horror The Enigma from Another World, Oscar-winning epic drama Gandhi, adventure Conan – The Barbarian, teen comedy Ridiculous Students and blockbuster Star Trek II – The Khan’s Wrath.

It’s safe to say that with each passing year of the 1980s, cinema became even more pop, and more productions were won that live on in the collective consciousness of fans to this day. Some films are truly unforgettable. This is the case of Return of the Jedi, the third Star Wars which would end the trilogy in the 80s, and would not be revived until the end of the 90s. Today, it is inconceivable for someone Who’s never heard of Star Wars – probably the biggest pop culture franchise of all time. Along with him, we’ve had cult classics like Scarface, Flashdance and Life Without Rumo, iconic comedies like A Bad Vacation, Switching Balls and Risky Business, horror films like Christine – The Killer Car and Jaws 3, and the blockbuster Superman III.

It was from 1984 that the competition became really tough. Until that date, the difference in sovereignty of one film over the others was clear and left little room for competition. For example, 1980, 1981, 1982 and 1983 were respectively dominated by The Empire Strikes Back, Raiders of the Lost Ark, ET and Return of the Jedi. But when we talk about 1984, things change. As much as the first sequel to Indiana Jones, with the dark The Temple of Doom, seemed the right choice to dominate its respective year, as much in its path appeared a few thorns in the shoe, titled Ghostbusters and One Hard Cop, which also became respect blockbusters, defying box office leadership. But who said it ended there, one of the busiest years of the decade also brought Karate Kid – A Hora da Verdade, Gremlins and Footloose – Ritmo Louco. Moreover, it would also guarantee the release of cult works of great popularity such as The Terminator, The Neverending Story, the terror A Nightmare on Hours and the classic Afternoon Session Splash – Uma Mermaid in My Life.

In 1985, the box office shuddered again. Sylvester Stallone returned to attack in double dose, bringing two of his most famous and beloved characters to the big screen three years later: the Vietnam veteran in Rambo II – The Mission, and the boxer Balboa in Rocky IV. And it almost didn’t get the upper hand for itself, without an unforgettable time travel movie called Back to the Future, the 1985 leader, and still one of the most beloved films in movie history. movie theater. But when we talk about beloved films, we must also remember Os Goonies, Clube dos Cinco and Mulher Nota Mil, three of the most timeless children’s films in the seventh art. In terms of affection, we still have the drama The Color Purple (Spielberg has the signature in many films from 1985) and Cocoon. But the year has not forgotten adrenaline, served up by Arnold Schwarzenegger in Command to Kill and Mel Gibson in Mad Max – Beyond Thunderdome.

This year 2022, the highest place on the box office podium belongs to star Tom Cruise. The actor is one of the legends still active in Hollywood, and for those who doubt it, just go back 36 years and realize that in 1986 the podium was also his, with the original Top Gun – The Indomitable Aces. Here, however, Cruise still wasn’t the established star he is today, but Top Gun was his first step towards it. Closely following the mega-success Aliens – O Resgate, by James Cameron, which takes up all the concepts of Alien (1979) cubed. But when we talk about beloved teenage cults, we should immediately mention Crazy Life, The Girl in Pink Shocking and the sequel Karate Kid 2. When it comes to action-adventure fans always hold a special place in their hearts for Les Aventuriers. of the forbidden district, Highlander – The Immortal Warrior and (Stallone) Cobra. Speaking of horror, the 1986 film is The Fly, and in the realm of romance, the hit was 9 ½ Weeks of Love, which set the screens on fire.

The year 1987 is undoubtedly the most unpredictable when it comes to blockbusters. Because unlike everyone until now, we knew exactly how to announce “the big” success of each year. When we go back 35 years, it is very likely that many fans point to blockbusters like The Predator, Robocop – The Policeman of the Future or Lethal Weapon as the possible box office champion. But the truth is that the very first position belonged to Three Men and a Baby, an iconic comedy of the decade. Did you imagine? And how about second place, the thriller Fatal Attraction. If you think that the year still saw hits like Dirty Dancing – Hot Rhythm, The Intouchables, Good Morning Vietnam and Empire of the Sun, everything becomes even more confusing. Ah yes, in terms of horror, the representative is the fun The Lost Boys.

In the penultimate year of the 80s, we have some heavy hitters that may confuse fans as to which one was the biggest hit in 1988. Perhaps the first two that come to mind for moviegoers are action icon Die Hard and comedy sensation Eddie Murphy, A Prince in New York. Both were hugely successful, but standing on the podium as the biggest hits of their respective years is the groundbreaking Who framed Roger Rabbit, either mixing real actors with animation like never before, or by obtaining the rights to characters from Disney, Warner and Universal, such as Mickey, Perna Longa and Pica-Pau, and merge them into a single film. Today would be like mixing Marvel and DC. In second place, another very famous film, this one an always very appreciated drama, Rain Man, with Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman. 1988 also brought the comedies Run, the Police Are Coming, Quero Ser Grande and Os Fantasmas se Divertem (Beetlejuice), the terror Child’s Play (introducing the Chucky doll to the world), the maximum combat film The Great White Dragon and the drama Italian cult cinema Paradiso.

In the late 1980s, we can quote star Sylvester Stallone’s phrase to define what was to come next for entertainment cinema. With the release of the Batman phenomenon – 1989’s No. 1 movie that wasn’t a sequel – Stallone predicted the end of the age of stars and the birth of brands. What he may have foreseen was the era of characters, namely comic book heroes, who succeed no matter who plays them. But Tim Burton’s Batman hasn’t had it easy, as no less than four hit movie sequels have followed in its wake, to name only the most famous. These are Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Back to the Future 2, Ghostbusters 2 and Karate Kid 3. Apart from that, Disney was back with everything in the spotlight, whether in the area of ​​entertainment, with The Little Mermaid, or live. -action, with Chérie, I shrunk the children. But 1989 still had room for a few dramas that would be big hits, see Dead Poets Society, Driving Miss Daisy and Do the Right Thing.

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