| Rank
| Release
| Genre
| Budget
| Running Time
| Gross | Max Theaters | Total Gross | % of Total | Release Date | Distributor
|
|---|
| 1 | Top Gun | - | - | - | $67,401,834 | 1,531 | $176,781,728 | 38.1% | May 16, 1986 | Paramount Pictures |
| 2 | Cobra | - | - | - | $43,525,855 | 2,131 | $49,042,224 | 88.8% | May 23, 1986 | Warner Bros. |
| 3 | Poltergeist II: The Other Side | - | - | - | $34,841,206 | 1,599 | $40,996,665 | 85% | May 23, 1986 | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) |
| 4 | Short Circuit | - | - | - | $33,556,385 | 1,310 | $40,697,761 | 82.5% | May 9, 1986 | TriStar Pictures |
| 5 | The Money Pit | - | - | - | $32,330,931 | 1,193 | $37,499,651 | 86.2% | Mar 28, 1986 | Universal Pictures |
| 6 | Back to School | - | - | - | $27,207,522 | 1,751 | $91,258,000 | 29.8% | Jun 13, 1986 | Orion Pictures |
| 7 | Police Academy 3: Back in Training | - | - | - | $26,207,785 | 1,788 | $43,579,163 | 60.1% | Mar 21, 1986 | Warner Bros. |
| 8 | Ferris Bueller's Day Off | - | - | - | $22,424,939 | 1,330 | $70,136,369 | 32% | Jun 11, 1986 | Paramount Pictures |
| 9 | The Karate Kid Part II | - | - | - | $20,014,510 | 1,610 | $115,103,979 | 17.4% | Jun 20, 1986 | Columbia Pictures |
| 10 | Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life Is Calling | - | - | - | $18,034,150 | 1,203 | $18,034,150 | 100% | May 2, 1986 | Columbia Pictures |
| 11 | Gung Ho | - | - | - | $17,894,195 | 1,175 | $36,611,610 | 48.9% | Mar 14, 1986 | Paramount Pictures |
| 12 | Legend | - | - | - | $15,502,112 | 1,187 | $15,502,112 | 100% | Apr 18, 1986 | Universal Pictures |
| 13 | Pretty in Pink | - | - | - | $15,091,897 | 1,117 | $40,471,663 | 37.3% | Feb 28, 1986 | Paramount Pictures |
| 14 | Sweet Liberty | - | - | - | $14,205,021 | 1,238 | $14,205,021 | 100% | May 16, 1986 | Universal Pictures |
| 15 | Raw Deal | - | - | - | $14,011,454 | 1,733 | $16,209,459 | 86.4% | Jun 6, 1986 | De Laurentiis Entertainment Group (DEG) |
| 16 | Out of Africa | - | - | - | $12,940,030 | 1,102 | $87,071,205 | 14.9% | Dec 20, 1985 | Universal Pictures |
| 17 | Critters | - | - | - | $12,540,457 | 633 | $13,167,232 | 95.2% | Apr 11, 1986 | New Line Cinema |
| 18 | Legal Eagles | - | - | - | $12,425,498 | 1,248 | $49,851,591 | 24.9% | Jun 20, 1986 | Universal Pictures |
| 19 | The Color Purple | - | - | - | $11,909,540 | 1,109 | $94,175,854 | 12.6% | Dec 20, 1985 | Warner Bros. |
| 20 | Hannah and Her Sisters | - | - | - | $11,181,688 | 761 | $35,392,203 | 31.6% | Feb 7, 1986 | Orion Pictures |
| 21 | Murphy's Law | - | - | - | $9,947,631 | 1,260 | $9,947,631 | 100% | Apr 18, 1986 | Cannon Film Distributors |
| 22 | April Fool's Day | - | - | - | $9,841,825 | 1,202 | $12,947,763 | 76% | Mar 28, 1986 | Paramount Pictures |
| 23 | Down and Out in Beverly Hills | - | - | - | $9,078,218 | 1,084 | $62,134,225 | 14.6% | Jan 31, 1986 | Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures |
| 24 | Sleeping Beauty 1986 Re-release | - | - | - | $8,387,913 | 1,159 | $15,120,195 | 55.5% | Mar 7, 1986 | Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures |
| 25 | SpaceCamp | - | - | - | $8,166,851 | 1,024 | $9,697,739 | 84.2% | Jun 6, 1986 | Twentieth Century Fox |
| 26 | Wise Guys | - | - | - | $7,327,956 | 424 | $8,475,466 | 86.5% | Apr 18, 1986 | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) |
| 27 | Lucas | - | - | - | $7,128,947 | 629 | $8,200,000 | 86.9% | Mar 28, 1986 | Twentieth Century Fox |
| 28 | Blue City | - | - | - | $6,947,787 | 1,050 | $6,947,787 | 100% | May 2, 1986 | Paramount Pictures |
| 29 | Invaders from Mars | - | - | - | $4,884,663 | 1,212 | $4,884,663 | 100% | Jun 6, 1986 | Cannon Film Distributors |
| 30 | Band of the Hand | - | - | - | $4,865,912 | 930 | $4,865,912 | 100% | Apr 11, 1986 | TriStar Pictures |
| 31 | Off Beat | - | - | - | $4,842,778 | 1,127 | $4,842,778 | 100% | Apr 11, 1986 | Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures |
| 32 | Violets Are Blue... | - | - | - | $4,743,287 | 654 | $4,743,287 | 100% | Apr 11, 1986 | Columbia Pictures |
| 33 | Fire with Fire | - | - | - | $4,636,169 | 1,000 | $4,636,169 | 100% | May 9, 1986 | Paramount Pictures |
| 34 | No Retreat, No Surrender | - | - | - | $3,978,884 | 371 | $4,662,137 | 85.3% | May 2, 1986 | New World Pictures |
| 35 | My Little Pony: The Movie | - | - | - | $3,655,670 | 1,003 | $5,958,456 | 61.4% | Jun 6, 1986 | De Laurentiis Entertainment Group (DEG) |
| 36 | The Manhattan Project | - | - | - | $3,430,234 | 834 | $3,900,000 | 88% | Jun 13, 1986 | Twentieth Century Fox |
| 37 | Care Bears Movie II: A New Generation | - | - | - | $3,196,005 | 1,476 | $8,540,346 | 37.4% | Mar 7, 1986 | Columbia Pictures |
| 38 | A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge | - | - | - | $2,992,099 | 614 | $29,999,213 | 10% | Nov 1, 1985 | New Line Cinema |
| 39 | P.O.W. the Escape | - | - | - | $2,497,233 | 476 | $2,497,233 | 100% | Apr 4, 1986 | Cannon Film Distributors |
| 40 | Dangerously Close | - | - | - | $2,390,525 | 827 | $2,390,525 | 100% | May 9, 1986 | Cannon Film Distributors |
| 41 | At Close Range | - | - | - | $2,347,000 | 83 | $2,347,000 | 100% | Apr 18, 1986 | Orion Pictures |
| 42 | Turtle Diary | - | - | - | $2,108,021 | 40 | $2,156,772 | 97.7% | Feb 14, 1986 | The Samuel Goldwyn Company |
| 43 | Jake Speed | - | - | - | $1,943,751 | 795 | $1,943,751 | 100% | May 30, 1986 | New World Pictures |
| 44 | 8 Million Ways to Die | - | - | - | $1,305,114 | 215 | $1,305,114 | 100% | Apr 25, 1986 | TriStar Pictures |
| 45 | Water | - | - | - | $1,256,862 | 248 | $1,256,862 | 100% | Apr 18, 1986 | Atlantic Releasing Corporation |
| 46 | Absolute Beginners | - | - | - | $930,211 | 4 | $930,211 | 100% | Apr 18, 1986 | Orion Pictures |
| 47 | Ginger & Fred | - | - | - | $817,745 | 1 | $837,623 | 97.6% | Mar 28, 1986 | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) |
| 48 | Desert Bloom | - | - | - | $416,393 | 15 | $416,393 | 100% | Apr 18, 1986 | Columbia Pictures |
| 49 | Mona Lisa | - | - | - | $156,595 | 162 | $5,794,184 | 2.7% | Jun 13, 1986 | Island Pictures |
| 50 | Three Men and a Cradle | - | - | - | $39,594 | 32 | $2,052,466 | 1.9% | Apr 25, 1986 | The Samuel Goldwyn Company |
| 51 | Crimewave | - | - | - | $5,101 | 7 | $5,101 | 100% | Apr 25, 1986 | Columbia Pictures |
