| Rank | Release
| Genre
| Budget
| Running Time
| Gross | Max Th | Opening | % of Total
| Open Th | Open | Close | Distributor
| Estimated
|
|---|
| 1 | Kramer vs. Kramer | - | - | - | $106,260,000 | 898 | - | - | - | Dec 19 | - | Columbia Pictures | false |
| 2 | The Amityville Horror | - | - | - | $86,432,000 | 748 | $7,843,467 | 9.1% | 748 | Jul 27 | - | American International Pictures (AIP) | false |
| 3 | Rocky II | - | - | - | $85,182,160 | 780 | $6,390,537 | 7.5% | 780 | Jun 15 | - | United Artists | false |
| 4 | Star Trek: The Motion Picture | - | - | - | $82,258,456 | 1,002 | $11,926,421 | 14.5% | 857 | Dec 7 | - | Paramount Pictures | false |
| 5 | Alien | - | - | - | $78,944,891 | 757 | $3,527,881 | 4.5% | 91 | May 25 | - | Twentieth Century Fox | false |
| 6 | Apocalypse Now | - | - | - | $78,784,010 | 3 | $118,558 | 0.2% | 3 | Aug 15 | - | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) | false |
| 7 | 10 | - | - | - | $74,865,517 | 706 | $3,526,692 | 4.7% | 706 | Oct 5 | - | Warner Bros. | false |
| 8 | The Jerk | - | - | - | $73,691,419 | 525 | $5,935,025 | 8.1% | 525 | Dec 14 | - | Universal Pictures | false |
| 9 | Moonraker | - | - | - | $70,308,099 | 788 | $7,108,344 | 10.1% | 788 | Jun 29 | - | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) | false |
| 10 | The Muppet Movie | - | - | - | $65,200,000 | - | - | - | - | Jun 22 | - | - | false |
| 11 | The Electric Horseman | - | - | - | $61,801,971 | - | - | - | - | Dec 21 | - | Columbia Pictures | false |
| 12 | The China Syndrome | - | - | - | $51,718,367 | - | - | - | - | Mar 16 | - | Columbia Pictures | false |
| 13 | Meatballs | - | - | - | $43,046,003 | 7 | $77,170 | 0.2% | 7 | Jun 29 | - | Paramount Pictures | false |
| 14 | Escape from Alcatraz | - | - | - | $43,000,000 | 815 | $5,306,354 | 12.3% | 815 | Jun 22 | - | Paramount Pictures | false |
| 15 | The Main Event | - | - | - | $42,800,000 | - | - | - | - | Jun 22 | - | Warner Bros. | false |
| 16 | Manhattan | - | - | - | $39,946,780 | 29 | $485,734 | 1.2% | 29 | Apr 25 | - | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) | false |
| 17 | All That Jazz | - | - | - | $37,823,676 | 5 | $86,229 | 0.2% | 5 | Dec 20 | - | Twentieth Century Fox | false |
| 18 | The Black Stallion | - | - | - | $37,799,643 | - | - | - | - | Oct 17 | - | United Artists | false |
| 19 | The Black Hole | - | - | - | $35,841,901 | - | - | - | - | Dec 21 | - | Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures | false |
| 20 | Starting Over | - | - | - | $35,649,012 | - | - | - | - | Oct 5 | - | Paramount Pictures | false |
| 21 | And Justice for All | - | - | - | $33,300,000 | - | - | - | - | Oct 19 | - | Columbia Pictures | false |
| 22 | 1941 | - | - | - | $31,755,742 | 325 | $2,701,898 | 8.5% | 325 | Dec 14 | - | Universal Pictures | false |
| 23 | The Champ | - | - | - | $30,441,738 | 563 | $1,972,684 | 6.5% | 563 | Apr 4 | - | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) | false |
| 24 | Being There | - | - | - | $30,177,511 | - | - | - | - | Dec 21 | - | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) | false |
| 25 | The Rose | - | - | - | $29,174,648 | 44 | $793,063 | 2.7% | 44 | Nov 7 | - | Twentieth Century Fox | false |
| 26 | Going in Style | - | - | - | $26,869,286 | 731 | $1,781,164 | 6.6% | 731 | Dec 25 | - | Warner Bros. | false |
| 27 | North Dallas Forty | - | - | - | $26,079,312 | - | - | - | - | Aug 1 | - | Paramount Pictures | false |
| 28 | The Warriors | - | - | - | $22,490,039 | 551 | $3,529,675 | 15.7% | 551 | Feb 9 | - | Paramount Pictures | false |
| 29 | Norma Rae | - | - | - | $22,228,000 | 48 | $262,778 | 1.2% | 48 | Mar 2 | - | Twentieth Century Fox | false |
| 30 | Buck Rogers in the 25th Century | - | - | - | $21,671,241 | 934 | - | - | 934 | Mar 30 | - | Universal Pictures | false |
| 31 | National Lampoon's Animal House 1979 Re-release | - | - | - | $21,508,877 | 40 | $201,747 | 0.9% | 40 | Sep 21 | - | Universal Pictures | false |
| 32 | The Apple Dumpling Gang Rides Again | - | - | - | $20,931,111 | - | - | - | - | Jun 27 | - | Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures | false |
| 33 | La Cage aux Folles | - | - | - | $20,424,259 | 5 | $18,709 | <0.1% | 5 | Mar 30 | - | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) | false |
| 34 | Dracula | - | - | - | $20,158,970 | 395 | $3,141,281 | 15.6% | 395 | Jul 20 | - | Universal Pictures | false |
| 35 | When a Stranger Calls | - | - | - | $20,149,106 | - | - | - | - | Sep 28 | - | Columbia Pictures | false |
| 36 | Same Time, Next Year | - | - | - | $19,703,082 | - | - | - | - | Feb 1 | - | Universal Pictures | false |
| 37 | The Seduction of Joe Tynan | - | - | - | $19,595,168 | - | - | - | - | Aug 17 | - | Universal Pictures | false |
| 38 | Life of Brian | - | - | - | $19,398,164 | 5 | $140,034 | 0.7% | 5 | Aug 17 | - | Warner Bros. | false |
| 39 | One Hundred and One Dalmatians 1979 Re-release | - | - | - | $19,000,000 | - | - | - | - | Jan 1 | - | Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures | false |
| 40 | Prophecy | - | - | - | $18,389,402 | - | - | - | - | Jun 15 | - | Paramount Pictures | false |
| 41 | Breaking Away | - | - | - | $16,424,918 | 95 | $17,702 | 0.1% | 1 | Jul 13 | - | Twentieth Century Fox | false |
| 42 | Hair | - | - | - | $15,284,643 | - | - | - | - | Mar 14 | - | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) | false |
| 43 | More American Graffiti | - | - | - | $15,014,674 | - | - | - | - | Aug 3 | - | Universal Pictures | false |
| 44 | Roller Boogie | - | - | - | $13,253,715 | 478 | $767,854 | 5.8% | 478 | Dec 19 | - | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) | false |
| 45 | The Great Train Robbery | - | - | - | $13,027,857 | 54 | $391,942 | 3% | 54 | Feb 2 | - | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) | false |
| 46 | The Concorde... Airport '79 | - | - | - | $13,015,688 | - | - | - | - | Aug 3 | - | Universal Pictures | false |
| 47 | Phantasm | - | - | - | $11,988,469 | - | - | - | - | Jun 1 | - | AVCO Embassy Pictures | false |
| 48 | The Promise | - | - | - | $11,606,005 | - | - | - | - | Jan 1 | - | Universal Pictures | false |
| 49 | The Legacy | - | - | - | $11,364,985 | - | - | - | - | Sep 14 | - | Universal Pictures | false |
| 50 | Fiddler on the Roof 1979 Re-release | - | - | - | $10,404,330 | 456 | $1,726,942 | 16.6% | 456 | Nov 7 | - | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) | false |
| 51 | The Onion Field | - | - | - | $9,890,597 | - | - | - | - | Sep 19 | - | AVCO Embassy Pictures | false |
| 52 | The Frisco Kid | - | - | - | $9,346,177 | 26 | $160,292 | 1.7% | 26 | Jul 13 | - | Warner Bros. | false |
| 53 | Meteor | - | - | - | $8,400,000 | 575 | $2,250,000 | - | 575 | Oct 19 | - | American International Pictures (AIP) | true |
| 54 | The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh | - | - | - | $8,281,246 | 1 | $12,922 | 0.2% | 1 | Nov 2 | - | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) | false |
| 55 | Bloodline | - | - | - | $8,218,695 | - | - | - | - | Jun 29 | - | Paramount Pictures | false |
| 56 | The Prisoner of Zenda | - | - | - | $7,650,600 | 417 | $2,425,315 | 31.7% | 417 | May 25 | - | Universal Pictures | false |
| 57 | Agatha | - | - | - | $7,500,000 | - | - | - | - | Feb 9 | - | Warner Bros. | false |
| 58 | Americathon | - | - | - | $6,171,763 | - | - | - | - | Aug 10 | - | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) | false |
| 59 | Running | - | - | - | $6,012,556 | - | - | - | - | Nov 2 | - | Universal Pictures | false |
| 60 | Cuba | - | - | - | $5,610,280 | 331 | $527,540 | 9.4% | 331 | Dec 21 | - | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) | false |
| 61 | Butch and Sundance: The Early Days | - | - | - | $5,136,913 | 689 | $1,522,351 | 29.6% | 689 | Jun 15 | - | Twentieth Century Fox | false |
| 62 | Players | - | - | - | $4,896,094 | - | - | - | - | Jun 8 | - | Paramount Pictures | false |
| 63 | The Great Santini | - | - | - | $4,702,575 | 87 | $83,527 | 1.8% | 87 | Oct 26 | - | Warner Bros. | false |
| 64 | Yanks | - | - | - | $3,931,010 | - | - | - | - | Sep 19 | - | Universal Pictures | false |
| 65 | Lost and Found | - | - | - | $3,223,197 | 382 | $1,022,374 | 31.7% | 382 | Jun 22 | - | Columbia Pictures | false |
| 66 | Hanover Street | - | - | - | $3,000,000 | - | - | - | - | May 18 | - | Columbia Pictures | false |
| 67 | Voices | - | - | - | $2,631,244 | 2 | $21,040 | 0.8% | 2 | Mar 14 | - | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) | false |
| 68 | Wanda Nevada | - | - | - | $2,411,145 | - | - | - | - | Jun 1 | - | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) | false |
| 69 | Sunburn | - | - | - | $2,410,776 | - | - | - | - | Aug 10 | - | Paramount Pictures | false |
| 70 | Rich Kids | - | - | - | $1,856,122 | 5 | $53,064 | 2.9% | 5 | Aug 17 | - | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) | false |
| 71 | Walk Proud | - | - | - | $1,675,040 | - | - | - | - | Jan 1 | - | Universal Pictures | false |
| 72 | Last Embrace | - | - | - | $1,537,125 | 266 | $376,896 | 24.5% | 266 | May 2 | - | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) | false |
| 73 | Goldengirl | - | - | - | $1,247,376 | - | - | - | - | Jun 15 | - | AVCO Embassy Pictures | false |
| 74 | The Passage | - | - | - | $1,101,186 | 17 | $70,461 | 6.4% | 17 | Mar 9 | - | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) | false |
| 75 | Winter Kills | - | - | - | $1,083,799 | - | - | - | - | May 18 | - | AVCO Embassy Pictures | false |
| 76 | City on Fire | - | - | - | $784,181 | - | - | - | - | Sep 14 | - | AVCO Embassy Pictures | false |
| 77 | A Man, a Woman and a Bank | - | - | - | $683,353 | - | - | - | - | Sep 28 | - | AVCO Embassy Pictures | false |
| 78 | Five Days from Home | - | - | - | $641,768 | - | - | - | - | Jan 1 | - | Universal Pictures | false |
| 79 | Fast Charlie... the Moonbeam Rider | - | - | - | $444,334 | - | - | - | - | Jan 1 | - | Universal Pictures | false |
| 80 | The Human Factor | - | - | - | $376,050 | - | - | - | - | Dec 18 | - | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) | false |
| 81 | Real Life | - | - | - | $364,642 | - | - | - | - | Mar 2 | - | Paramount Pictures | false |
| 82 | An Almost Perfect Affair | - | - | - | $85,493 | - | - | - | - | Apr 27 | - | Paramount Pictures | false |
| 83 | Nest of Vipers | - | - | - | $27,182 | - | - | - | - | Sep 7 | - | Paramount Pictures | false |
