The following is an overview of events in 1984 in film, including the highest-grossing films, award ceremonies and festivals, a list of films released and notable deaths.
The year's highest-grossing film in the United States and Canada was Beverly Hills Cop. Ghostbusters overtook it, however, with a re-release the following year. It was the first time in five years that the top-grossing film did not involve George Lucas or Steven Spielberg although Spielberg directed and Lucas executive produced/co-wrote the third placed Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom; Spielberg also executive produced the fourth placed Gremlins.[1]
U.S. box office grosses reached $4 billion for the first time and it was the first year that two films had returned over $100 million to their distributors with both Ghostbusters and Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom achieving this.[1]Beverly Hills Cop made it three for films released in 1984 after its performance during 1985 took it to rentals of $108 million.[2] Other popular films included The NeverEnding Story, which was the most expensive film produced in West Germany, The Karate Kid and Romancing the Stone. A high number of sci-fi/fantasy films were released in 1984.
August 25 - Ghostbusters becomes the biggest grossing comedy film of all time in the United States exceeding Tootsie's $177.2 million[23] going on to gross $229.2 million in its initial run.[24] It is overtaken by Beverly Hills Cop in summer 1985[25] but regains the record after its re-release in August 1985.[26] It also became the biggest grossing film released by Columbia Pictures.
September - Lawrence Gordon is promoted to president and chief operating officer of the Fox Entertainment Group
December 5 - Beverly Hills Cop is released. It will go on to become the 6th highest-grossing film of all time in the U.S. at the time, the highest grossing comedy of all time at the time, as well as the highest grossing R-Rated film of all time, a record it would hold for 19 years.
December 14 - Dune is released after over a year of hype and anticipation.
↑ Thomas, Bob (November 6, 1985). "The Karate Kid Returns". AP News. Associated Press. Retrieved 8 June 2020. It is the film location for Columbia Pictures' "Karate Kid II," a sequel to Hollywood's biggest sleeper of 1984. "The Karate Kid" surprised almost everyone by amassing a domestic gross of $100 million. That's phenomenal for a modest film with no stars and a title that sounded like a combination of Bruce Lee and a kidflick.
1 2 "'Gremlins' Hits In Int'l Marts". Daily Variety. February 15, 1985. p.43. highest-grossing film ever by WB in Iberia, taking in $4,255,642 $1,505,985 in five weeks of release, making it the highest-grossing film [in Brazil] in 1984
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