Domestic Box Office For 1979
Limited releases are those released in fewer than 600 theaters.
Key:Estimated
| Rank | Release | Gross | Max Th | Opening | % of Total | Open Th | Open | Close | Distributor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kramer vs. Kramer | $106,260,000 | 898 | - | - | - | Dec 19 | - | Columbia Pictures |
| 2 | Apocalypse Now | $78,784,010 | 3 | $118,558 | 0.2% | 3 | Aug 15 | - | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) |
| 3 | The Jerk | $73,691,419 | 525 | $5,935,025 | 8.1% | 525 | Dec 14 | - | Universal Pictures |
| 4 | Meatballs | $43,046,003 | 7 | $77,170 | 0.2% | 7 | Jun 29 | - | Paramount Pictures |
| 5 | Manhattan | $39,946,780 | 29 | $485,734 | 1.2% | 29 | Apr 25 | - | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) |
| 6 | All That Jazz | $37,823,676 | 5 | $86,229 | 0.2% | 5 | Dec 20 | - | Twentieth Century Fox |
| 7 | 1941 | $31,755,742 | 325 | $2,701,898 | 8.5% | 325 | Dec 14 | - | Universal Pictures |
| 8 | The Champ | $30,441,738 | 563 | $1,972,684 | 6.5% | 563 | Apr 4 | - | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) |
| 9 | The Rose | $29,174,648 | 44 | $793,063 | 2.7% | 44 | Nov 7 | - | Twentieth Century Fox |
| 10 | The Warriors | $22,490,039 | 551 | $3,529,675 | 15.7% | 551 | Feb 9 | - | Paramount Pictures |
| 11 | Norma Rae | $22,228,000 | 48 | $262,778 | 1.2% | 48 | Mar 2 | - | Twentieth Century Fox |
| 12 | National Lampoon's Animal House 1979 Re-release | $21,508,877 | 40 | $201,747 | 0.9% | 40 | Sep 21 | - | Universal Pictures |
| 13 | La Cage aux Folles | $20,424,259 | 5 | $18,709 | <0.1% | 5 | Mar 30 | - | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) |
| 14 | Dracula | $20,158,970 | 395 | $3,141,281 | 15.6% | 395 | Jul 20 | - | Universal Pictures |
| 15 | Monty Python's Life of Brian | $19,398,164 | 5 | $140,034 | 0.7% | 5 | Aug 17 | - | Warner Bros. |
| 16 | Breaking Away | $16,424,918 | 95 | $17,702 | 0.1% | 1 | Jul 13 | - | Twentieth Century Fox |
| 17 | Roller Boogie | $13,253,715 | 478 | $767,854 | 5.8% | 478 | Dec 19 | - | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) |
| 18 | The Great Train Robbery | $13,027,857 | 54 | $391,942 | 3% | 54 | Feb 2 | - | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) |
| 19 | Fiddler on the Roof 1979 Re-release | $10,404,330 | 456 | $1,726,942 | 16.6% | 456 | Nov 7 | - | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) |
| 20 | The Frisco Kid | $9,346,177 | 26 | $160,292 | 1.7% | 26 | Jul 13 | - | Warner Bros. |
| 21 | Meteor | $8,400,000 | 575 | $2,250,000 | - | 575 | Oct 19 | - | American International Pictures (AIP) |
| 22 | The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh | $8,281,246 | 1 | $12,922 | 0.2% | 1 | Nov 2 | - | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) |
| 23 | The Prisoner of Zenda | $7,650,600 | 417 | $2,425,315 | 31.7% | 417 | May 25 | - | Universal Pictures |
| 24 | Cuba | $5,610,280 | 331 | $527,540 | 9.4% | 331 | Dec 21 | - | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) |
| 25 | The Great Santini | $4,702,575 | 87 | $83,527 | 1.8% | 87 | Oct 26 | - | Warner Bros. |
| 26 | Lost and Found | $3,223,197 | 382 | $1,022,374 | 31.7% | 382 | Jun 22 | - | Columbia Pictures |
| 27 | Voices | $2,631,244 | 2 | $21,040 | 0.8% | 2 | Mar 14 | - | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) |
| 28 | Rich Kids | $1,856,122 | 5 | $53,064 | 2.9% | 5 | Aug 17 | - | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) |
| 29 | Last Embrace | $1,537,125 | 266 | $376,896 | 24.5% | 266 | May 2 | - | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) |
| 30 | The Passage | $1,101,186 | 17 | $70,461 | 6.4% | 17 | Mar 9 | - | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) |
