| Rank
| Release
| Genre
| Budget
| Running Time
| Gross | Max Theaters | Total Gross | % of Total | Release Date | Distributor
|
|---|
| 1 | Alien Nation | - | - | - | $20,948,375 | 1,436 | $25,216,243 | 83.1% | Oct 7, 1988 | Twentieth Century Fox |
| 2 | Gorillas in the Mist | - | - | - | $17,212,594 | 1,085 | $24,720,479 | 69.6% | Sep 23, 1988 | Universal Pictures |
| 3 | Punchline | - | - | - | $16,089,773 | 917 | $21,042,667 | 76.5% | Sep 30, 1988 | Columbia Pictures |
| 4 | The Accused | - | - | - | $15,285,537 | 930 | $32,078,318 | 47.7% | Oct 14, 1988 | Paramount Pictures |
| 5 | Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers | - | - | - | $14,301,398 | 1,692 | $17,768,757 | 80.5% | Oct 21, 1988 | Galaxy International Releasing |
| 6 | Cocktail | - | - | - | $12,026,876 | 1,462 | $78,222,753 | 15.4% | Jul 29, 1988 | Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures |
| 7 | Big | - | - | - | $11,694,219 | 1,419 | $114,968,774 | 10.2% | Jun 3, 1988 | Twentieth Century Fox |
| 8 | A Fish Called Wanda | - | - | - | $8,275,496 | 1,223 | $62,493,712 | 13.2% | Jul 15, 1988 | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) |
| 9 | Young Guns | - | - | - | $8,013,306 | 1,416 | $45,661,556 | 17.5% | Aug 12, 1988 | Twentieth Century Fox |
| 10 | Crossing Delancey | - | - | - | $7,927,733 | 303 | $16,262,415 | 48.7% | Aug 26, 1988 | Warner Bros. |
| 11 | Die Hard | - | - | - | $7,366,580 | 1,713 | $83,008,852 | 8.9% | Jul 15, 1988 | Twentieth Century Fox |
| 12 | Who Framed Roger Rabbit | - | - | - | $5,840,223 | 1,598 | $156,452,370 | 3.7% | Jun 24, 1988 | Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures |
| 13 | Elvira: Mistress of the Dark | - | - | - | $5,300,873 | 627 | $5,596,267 | 94.7% | Sep 30, 1988 | New World Pictures |
| 14 | A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master | - | - | - | $5,169,533 | 1,767 | $49,369,899 | 10.5% | Aug 19, 1988 | New Line Cinema |
| 15 | Heartbreak Hotel | - | - | - | $5,139,297 | 1,414 | $5,509,417 | 93.3% | Sep 30, 1988 | Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures |
| 16 | Dead Ringers | - | - | - | $4,256,679 | 1,048 | $8,038,508 | 53% | Sep 23, 1988 | Twentieth Century Fox |
| 17 | Imagine: John Lennon | - | - | - | $3,753,977 | 561 | $3,753,977 | 100% | Oct 7, 1988 | Warner Bros. |
| 18 | Memories of Me | - | - | - | $3,583,303 | 723 | $3,965,604 | 90.4% | Sep 30, 1988 | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) |
| 19 | Things Change | - | - | - | $3,527,886 | 99 | $3,527,886 | 100% | Oct 21, 1988 | Columbia Pictures |
| 20 | Betrayed | - | - | - | $3,457,214 | 1,101 | $25,816,139 | 13.4% | Aug 26, 1988 | United Artists |
| 21 | Clara's Heart | - | - | - | $3,406,299 | 315 | $5,194,491 | 65.6% | Oct 7, 1988 | Warner Bros. |
| 22 | Mystic Pizza | - | - | - | $3,340,769 | 440 | $12,793,213 | 26.1% | Oct 21, 1988 | The Samuel Goldwyn Company |
| 23 | Without a Clue | - | - | - | $2,792,963 | 491 | $8,539,181 | 32.7% | Oct 21, 1988 | Orion Pictures |
| 24 | Bat*21 | - | - | - | $2,687,824 | 516 | $3,966,256 | 67.8% | Oct 21, 1988 | TriStar Pictures |
| 25 | A World Apart | - | - | - | $2,291,025 | 42 | $2,326,860 | 98.5% | Jun 17, 1988 | Atlantic Releasing Corporation |
| 26 | Pumpkinhead | - | - | - | $2,132,666 | 353 | $3,385,516 | 63% | Oct 14, 1988 | United Artists |
| 27 | Running on Empty | - | - | - | $1,878,228 | 238 | $2,835,116 | 66.2% | Sep 9, 1988 | Warner Bros. |
| 28 | Feds | - | - | - | $1,835,007 | 850 | $3,838,793 | 47.8% | Oct 28, 1988 | Warner Bros. |
| 29 | The Last Temptation of Christ | - | - | - | $1,532,640 | 123 | $8,373,585 | 18.3% | Aug 12, 1988 | Universal Pictures |
| 30 | Kansas | - | - | - | $606,066 | 847 | $2,432,536 | 24.9% | Sep 23, 1988 | Trans World Entertainment (TWE) |
| 31 | Track 29 | - | - | - | $376,700 | 13 | $429,028 | 87.8% | Sep 9, 1988 | Island Pictures |
| 32 | Tapeheads | - | - | - | $343,786 | 138 | $343,786 | 100% | Oct 21, 1988 | Avenue Pictures Productions |
| 33 | Madame Sousatzka | - | - | - | $251,083 | 123 | $3,548,238 | 7.1% | Oct 14, 1988 | Universal Pictures |
| 34 | Another Woman | - | - | - | $115,962 | 24 | $1,562,749 | 7.4% | Oct 14, 1988 | Orion Pictures |
| 35 | Salaam Bombay! | - | - | - | $44,672 | 27 | $2,080,046 | 2.1% | Oct 7, 1988 | Cinecom Pictures |
| 36 | Bird | - | - | - | $36,684 | 93 | $2,181,286 | 1.7% | Sep 30, 1988 | Warner Bros. |
| 37 | The Lair of the White Worm | - | - | - | $33,762 | 32 | $1,189,315 | 2.8% | Oct 21, 1988 | Vestron Pictures |
