| Rank | Release
| Genre
| Budget
| Running Time
| Gross | Theaters | Total Gross | Release Date | Distributor
| Estimated
|
|---|
| 1 | The Color Purple | - | - | - | $55,144,289 | 1,109 | $94,175,854 | Dec 20 | Warner Bros. | false |
| 2 | Out of Africa | - | - | - | $45,857,242 | 1,102 | $87,071,205 | Dec 20 | Universal Pictures | false |
| 3 | The Jewel of the Nile | - | - | - | $42,076,332 | 1,490 | $75,973,200 | Dec 13 | Twentieth Century Fox | false |
| 4 | Down and Out in Beverly Hills | - | - | - | $35,739,651 | 1,084 | $62,134,225 | Jan 31 | Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures | false |
| 5 | Rocky IV | - | - | - | $33,421,835 | 2,254 | $127,873,716 | Nov 27 | United Artists | false |
| 6 | Iron Eagle | - | - | - | $24,159,872 | 1,129 | $24,159,872 | Jan 17 | TriStar Pictures | false |
| 7 | Spies Like Us | - | - | - | $21,298,999 | 1,700 | $60,088,980 | Dec 6 | Warner Bros. | false |
| 8 | One Hundred and One Dalmatians 1985 Re-release | - | - | - | $19,219,482 | 1,185 | $33,049,729 | Dec 20 | Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures | false |
| 9 | Murphy's Romance | - | - | - | $18,733,429 | 1,046 | $30,867,525 | Dec 27 | Columbia Pictures | false |
| 10 | White Nights | - | - | - | $16,127,766 | 1,064 | $42,160,849 | Nov 22 | Columbia Pictures | false |
| 11 | Wildcats | - | - | - | $15,921,096 | 1,062 | $26,285,544 | Feb 14 | Warner Bros. | false |
| 12 | Youngblood | - | - | - | $15,448,384 | 1,354 | $15,448,384 | Jan 31 | United Artists | false |
| 13 | The Delta Force | - | - | - | $13,235,247 | 1,720 | $17,768,900 | Feb 14 | Cannon Film Distributors | false |
| 14 | F/X | - | - | - | $13,159,077 | 914 | $20,603,715 | Feb 7 | Orion Pictures | false |
| 15 | A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge | - | - | - | $11,368,941 | 614 | $29,999,213 | Nov 1 | New Line Cinema | false |
| 16 | Hannah and Her Sisters | - | - | - | $10,148,798 | 761 | $35,392,203 | Feb 7 | Orion Pictures | false |
| 17 | Brazil | - | - | - | $9,842,217 | 173 | $9,929,135 | Dec 18 | Universal Pictures | false |
| 18 | Back to the Future | - | - | - | $9,836,363 | 1,550 | $212,326,307 | Jul 3 | Universal Pictures | false |
| 19 | The Best of Times | - | - | - | $7,790,931 | 872 | $7,790,931 | Jan 31 | Universal Pictures | false |
| 20 | House | - | - | - | $7,580,453 | 1,440 | $19,444,631 | Feb 28 | New World Pictures | false |
| 21 | Pretty in Pink | - | - | - | $7,496,186 | 1,117 | $40,471,663 | Feb 28 | Paramount Pictures | false |
| 22 | Quicksilver | - | - | - | $6,897,703 | 1,253 | $7,634,909 | Feb 14 | Columbia Pictures | false |
| 23 | 9½ Weeks | - | - | - | $6,735,922 | 28 | $6,735,922 | Feb 21 | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) | false |
| 24 | Black Moon Rising | - | - | - | $6,637,565 | 902 | $6,637,565 | Jan 10 | New World Pictures | false |
| 25 | Runaway Train | - | - | - | $6,595,761 | 965 | $7,683,620 | Dec 6 | Cannon Film Distributors | false |
| 26 | Young Sherlock Holmes | - | - | - | $6,428,339 | 1,502 | $19,739,575 | Dec 6 | Paramount Pictures | false |
| 27 | A Chorus Line | - | - | - | $6,394,917 | 680 | $14,202,899 | Dec 13 | Columbia Pictures | false |
| 28 | Enemy Mine | - | - | - | $5,577,623 | 713 | $12,303,411 | Dec 20 | Twentieth Century Fox | false |
| 29 | Troll | - | - | - | $5,450,815 | 959 | $5,450,815 | Jan 17 | Empire Pictures | false |
| 30 | Clue | - | - | - | $5,152,615 | 1,022 | $14,643,997 | Dec 13 | Paramount Pictures | false |
| 31 | Eliminators | - | - | - | $4,601,256 | 993 | $4,601,256 | Jan 31 | Empire Pictures | false |
| 32 | Kiss of the Spider Woman | - | - | - | $4,368,455 | 204 | $17,005,229 | Jul 26 | Island Alive | false |
| 33 | My Chauffeur | - | - | - | $3,988,208 | 1,253 | $4,781,448 | Jan 24 | Crown | false |
| 34 | The Hitcher | - | - | - | $3,914,877 | 794 | $5,844,868 | Feb 21 | TriStar Pictures | false |
| 35 | Power | - | - | - | $3,800,000 | 770 | $3,800,000 | Jan 31 | Twentieth Century Fox | false |
| 36 | Head Office | - | - | - | $3,393,807 | 907 | $3,393,807 | Jan 3 | TriStar Pictures | false |
| 37 | Twice in a Lifetime | - | - | - | $3,142,075 | 436 | $8,402,424 | Oct 25 | Bud Yorkin Productions | false |
| 38 | Hey There, It's Yogi Bear | - | - | - | $2,438,233 | 346 | $2,438,233 | Jan 17 | Atlantic Releasing Corporation | false |
| 39 | The Clan of the Cave Bear | - | - | - | $1,953,732 | 106 | $1,953,732 | Jan 17 | Warner Bros. | false |
| 40 | Ran | - | - | - | $1,383,538 | 30 | $3,607,393 | Sep 27 | Orion Classics | false |
| 41 | The Adventures of the American Rabbit | - | - | - | $1,268,443 | 242 | $1,268,443 | Jan 17 | Atlantic Releasing Corporation | false |
| 42 | The Adventures of Mark Twain | - | - | - | $849,915 | 221 | $849,915 | Jan 17 | Atlantic Releasing Corporation | false |
| 43 | La Cage aux Folles 3: The Wedding | - | - | - | $815,752 | 49 | $345,280 | Feb 14 | TriStar Pictures | false |
| 44 | Fool for Love | - | - | - | $755,061 | 57 | $836,156 | Dec 6 | Cannon Film Distributors | false |
| 45 | Dream Lover | - | - | - | $502,237 | 171 | $502,237 | Feb 21 | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) | false |
| 46 | Santa Claus | - | - | - | $414,658 | 1,585 | $23,717,291 | Nov 27 | TriStar Pictures | false |
| 47 | TerrorVision | - | - | - | $320,256 | 256 | $320,256 | Feb 14 | Empire Pictures | false |
| 48 | Lady Jane | - | - | - | $277,646 | 14 | $277,646 | Feb 7 | Paramount Pictures | false |
| 49 | The Boy in Blue | - | - | - | $275,000 | 44 | $275,000 | Jan 17 | Twentieth Century Fox | false |
| 50 | Revolution | - | - | - | $225,318 | 30 | $358,574 | Dec 25 | Warner Bros. | false |
| 51 | Stripper | - | - | - | $90,000 | 1 | $90,000 | Jan 31 | Twentieth Century Fox | false |
| 52 | Turtle Diary | - | - | - | $48,751 | 40 | $2,156,772 | Feb 14 | The Samuel Goldwyn Company | false |
