| Rank | Release
| Genre
| Budget
| Running Time
| Gross | Theaters | Total Gross | Release Date | Distributor
| Estimated
|
|---|
| 1 | Crocodile Dundee | - | - | - | $61,837,065 | 1,495 | $174,803,506 | Sep 26 | Paramount Pictures | false |
| 2 | Top Gun | - | - | - | $31,027,978 | 1,531 | $176,781,728 | May 16 | Paramount Pictures | false |
| 3 | Stand by Me | - | - | - | $28,487,006 | 848 | $52,287,414 | Aug 8 | Columbia Pictures | false |
| 4 | The Color of Money | - | - | - | $22,587,541 | 1,205 | $52,293,982 | Oct 17 | Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures | false |
| 5 | Peggy Sue Got Married | - | - | - | $22,541,232 | 1,107 | $41,382,841 | Oct 10 | TriStar Pictures | false |
| 6 | Aliens | - | - | - | $19,882,424 | 1,454 | $85,160,248 | Jul 18 | Twentieth Century Fox | false |
| 7 | The Fly | - | - | - | $19,200,097 | 1,201 | $40,456,565 | Aug 15 | Twentieth Century Fox | false |
| 8 | Jumpin' Jack Flash | - | - | - | $19,174,753 | 1,085 | $29,844,101 | Oct 10 | Twentieth Century Fox | false |
| 9 | The Karate Kid Part II | - | - | - | $17,496,811 | 1,610 | $115,103,979 | Jun 20 | Columbia Pictures | false |
| 10 | Tough Guys | - | - | - | $17,077,615 | 1,266 | $21,458,229 | Oct 3 | Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures | false |
| 11 | Ruthless People | - | - | - | $12,494,826 | 1,114 | $71,624,879 | Jun 27 | Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures | false |
| 12 | Children of a Lesser God | - | - | - | $12,335,475 | 544 | $31,853,080 | Oct 3 | Paramount Pictures | false |
| 13 | Nothing in Common | - | - | - | $11,449,873 | 980 | $32,324,557 | Aug 1 | TriStar Pictures | false |
| 14 | Back to School | - | - | - | $11,437,302 | 1,751 | $91,258,000 | Jun 13 | Orion Pictures | false |
| 15 | Soul Man | - | - | - | $10,190,028 | 1,320 | $27,820,000 | Oct 24 | New World Pictures | false |
| 16 | Ferris Bueller's Day Off | - | - | - | $9,763,556 | 1,330 | $70,136,369 | Jun 11 | Paramount Pictures | false |
| 17 | Deadly Friend | - | - | - | $8,988,731 | 1,213 | $8,988,731 | Oct 10 | Warner Bros. | false |
| 18 | Extremities | - | - | - | $7,644,104 | 696 | $13,418,091 | Aug 22 | Atlantic Releasing Corporation | false |
| 19 | About Last Night | - | - | - | $6,679,095 | 887 | $38,702,310 | Jul 4 | TriStar Pictures | false |
| 20 | Trick or Treat | - | - | - | $5,739,394 | 1,267 | $6,797,218 | Oct 24 | De Laurentiis Entertainment Group (DEG) | false |
| 21 | The Boy Who Could Fly | - | - | - | $5,698,339 | 664 | $7,177,431 | Aug 15 | Twentieth Century Fox | false |
| 22 | Mona Lisa | - | - | - | $5,637,589 | 162 | $5,794,184 | Jun 13 | Island Pictures | false |
| 23 | Blue Velvet | - | - | - | $5,230,890 | 188 | $8,551,228 | Sep 19 | De Laurentiis Entertainment Group (DEG) | false |
| 24 | Avenging Force | - | - | - | $4,679,650 | 500 | $4,679,650 | Sep 12 | Cannon Film Distributors | false |
| 25 | Armed and Dangerous | - | - | - | $4,281,079 | 1,557 | $15,945,534 | Aug 15 | Columbia Pictures | false |
| 26 | The Name of the Rose | - | - | - | $3,750,390 | 176 | $7,153,487 | Sep 26 | Twentieth Century Fox | false |
| 27 | Flight of the Navigator | - | - | - | $3,302,686 | 1,024 | $18,564,613 | Jul 30 | Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures | false |
| 28 | That's Life! | - | - | - | $3,272,241 | 700 | $4,079,895 | Sep 26 | Columbia Pictures | false |
| 29 | The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 | - | - | - | $2,754,250 | 1,474 | $8,025,872 | Aug 22 | Cannon Film Distributors | false |
| 30 | Playing for Keeps | - | - | - | $2,669,366 | 1,148 | $2,669,366 | Oct 3 | Universal Pictures | false |
| 31 | The Men's Club | - | - | - | $2,556,361 | 532 | $2,556,361 | Sep 19 | Atlantic Releasing Corporation | false |
| 32 | One Crazy Summer | - | - | - | $2,128,365 | 984 | $13,431,806 | Aug 8 | Warner Bros. | false |
| 33 | Bullies | - | - | - | $1,928,460 | 1,005 | $2,995,527 | Aug 29 | Universal Pictures | false |
| 34 | Born American | - | - | - | $1,889,186 | 1,071 | $3,388,020 | Aug 29 | Palisades Pictures | false |
| 35 | Sky Bandits | - | - | - | $1,818,500 | 1,335 | $2,295,500 | Oct 31 | Galaxy International Releasing | false |
| 36 | Shanghai Surprise | - | - | - | $1,817,678 | 401 | $2,315,683 | Aug 29 | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) | false |
| 37 | Hannah and Her Sisters | - | - | - | $1,780,880 | 761 | $35,392,203 | Feb 7 | Orion Pictures | false |
| 38 | Link | - | - | - | $1,720,450 | 435 | $1,720,450 | Oct 3 | Cannon Film Distributors | false |
| 39 | Clockwise | - | - | - | $1,476,356 | 38 | $1,476,356 | Oct 10 | Universal Pictures | false |
| 40 | Howard the Duck | - | - | - | $1,470,828 | 1,563 | $16,295,774 | Aug 1 | Universal Pictures | false |
| 41 | From Beyond | - | - | - | $1,070,053 | 190 | $1,261,000 | Oct 24 | Empire Pictures | false |
| 42 | Touch and Go | - | - | - | $1,067,349 | 201 | $1,254,040 | Aug 22 | TriStar Pictures | false |
| 43 | The Transformers: The Movie | - | - | - | $449,111 | 990 | $5,849,647 | Aug 8 | De Laurentiis Entertainment Group (DEG) | false |
| 44 | 'night, Mother | - | - | - | $441,863 | 35 | $441,863 | Sep 12 | Universal Pictures | false |
| 45 | Weekend Warriors | - | - | - | $351,623 | 75 | $351,623 | Aug 29 | Moviestore Entertainment | false |
| 46 | Radioactive Dreams | - | - | - | $220,038 | 90 | $220,038 | Sep 19 | De Laurentiis Entertainment Group (DEG) | false |
| 47 | Hardbodies 2 | - | - | - | $78,068 | 46 | $78,068 | Sep 12 | Cinetel | false |
| 48 | Sid and Nancy | - | - | - | $75,604 | 43 | $2,826,523 | Oct 17 | The Samuel Goldwyn Company | false |
| 49 | The Mission | - | - | - | $72,570 | 730 | $17,218,023 | Oct 31 | Warner Bros. | false |
| 50 | 'Round Midnight | - | - | - | $38,644 | 50 | $3,272,593 | Oct 3 | Warner Bros. | false |
| 51 | The Gospel According to Vic | - | - | - | $15,117 | 11 | $267,249 | Oct 17 | Skouras Pictures | false |
