Do you remember the top films of 1986?

Some of these movies took our breath away.

Top images: Paramount Pictures, 20th Century Fox

Some movies get better with age, while some fall by the wayside. There's no better proof of this than the top ten films of 1986. There were some blockbuster comedies, epic war movies and strong sequels, but not all of them have held up 35 years later. We all remember Sigourney Weaver in the cargo loader fighting the queen in Aliens, but how many people recall the dancing Pepsi can in The Golden Child? Or Rodney Dangerfield going off a high dive?

Here are the top 10 films from 35 years ago. Which are your favorite?


1. Top Gun

Domestic Gross: $176 million

The "top" movie of the year took the audiences' breath away and solidified Tom Cruise's status as one of Hollywood's leading actors. There is still talk of a sequel. But will it be the same without Goose?

Image: movieposter.com 

2. "Crocodile" Dundee

Domestic gross: $174 million

The Australian comedy couldn't take a chomp out of Top Gun's success, and ended up missing out on the top spot by roughly $2 million. There was a second film, which replaced a lot of the Australian slang that international audiences couldn't understand. 

Image: movieposter.com

3. Platoon

Domestic gross: $138 million

The war film about Vietnam was written and directed by Oliver Stone, who himself was a veteran of the same war. The film won Best Picture at the Academy Awards in 1987, and Stone won for Best Director. 

Image: movieposter.com

4. The Karate Kid, Part II

Domestic gross: $115 million

Even though the sequel to 1984's The Karate Kid didn't get reviews as good as the first film, it raked in a lot more money at the box office. Despite being set in Japan, the movie was filmed in Hawaii. 

Image: Wikipedia

5. Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home

Domestic gross: $109 million

Not only did Leonard Nimoy reprise his role as Spock, he also reprised his role as director. Nimoy had also directed Star Trek III: The Search for Spock. 

Image: movieposter.com

6. Back to School

Domestic gross: $91 million

Rodney Dangerfield's college comedy didn't graduate top of its class at the box office in 1986, but it came close. One of the last shots of the opening montage shows Dangerfield's character golfing, which was taken directly from his other hit film Caddyshack

Image: movieposter.com

7. Aliens

Domestic gross: $86 million

Who knew Paul Reiser could play such a good villain? James Cameron showed that sequels could be brilliant and fresh in their own right.

Image: Wikipedia

8. The Golden Child

Domestic gross: $79 million

Eddie Murphy's follow-up to Beverly Hills Cop didn't match the same success, but it still managed to be one of the top films of the year. Bad reviews have kept this one from having the same legacy as other Murphy films from the 1980s. 

Image: movieposter.com

9. Ruthless People

Domestic gross: $71 million

The role of Barbara Stone almost went to Madonna, but she backed out due to artistic differences. Instead, Bette Midler got the part and was paired with Danny DeVito. 

Image: movieposter.com

10. Ferris Bueller's Day Off

Domestic gross: $70 million

Thirty years later, and this film is considered one of the classics from the 1980s. The film is so iconic, people are organizing a three-day festival in Chicago this summer to commemorate the anniversary.

Image: movieposter.com


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1 Comments

Nightshade1972 37 months ago
I was 14 in '86. Platoon was the first rated R film I actually saw in the theatre. My father's a Vietnam vet, and we both wanted to see it.
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