Domestic Box Office For 1985
Limited releases are those released in fewer than 600 theaters.
| Rank | Release | Gross | Max Th | Opening | % of Total | Open Th | Open | Close | Distributor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Color Purple | $94,175,854 | 1,109 | $1,710,333 | 1.8% | 192 | Dec 20 | - | Warner Bros. |
| 2 | Murphy's Romance | $30,867,525 | 1,046 | $47,906 | 0.2% | 2 | Dec 27 | - | Columbia Pictures |
| 3 | A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge | $29,999,213 | 614 | $2,865,475 | 9.6% | 522 | Nov 1 | - | New Line Cinema |
| 4 | Kiss of the Spider Woman | $17,005,229 | 204 | $55,962 | 0.3% | 1 | Jul 26 | - | Island Alive |
| 5 | Tomboy | $14,100,000 | 409 | $1,723,935 | 12.2% | 409 | Jan 25 | - | Crown |
| 6 | Compromising Positions | $12,531,831 | 574 | $3,014,756 | 24.1% | 570 | Aug 30 | - | Paramount Pictures |
| 7 | Krush Groove | $11,052,713 | 519 | $2,905,293 | 26.3% | 519 | Oct 25 | - | Warner Bros. |
| 8 | The Purple Rose of Cairo | $10,631,333 | 419 | $114,095 | 1.1% | 3 | Mar 1 | Jul 25 | Orion Pictures |
| 9 | After Hours | $10,609,321 | 503 | $45,435 | 0.4% | 1 | Sep 13 | - | Warner Bros. |
| 10 | Lost in America | $10,179,000 | 315 | $154,877 | 1.5% | 6 | Mar 15 | - | Warner Bros. |
| 11 | Brazil | $9,929,135 | 173 | $30,099 | 0.3% | 1 | Dec 18 | - | Universal Pictures |
| 12 | The Journey of Natty Gann | $9,708,373 | 362 | $490,318 | 5.1% | 163 | Sep 27 | - | Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures |
| 13 | Fantasia 1985 Re-release | $8,194,726 | 225 | $980,798 | 12% | 169 | Feb 8 | - | Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures |
| 14 | The Trip to Bountiful | $7,491,903 | 1 | $8,387 | 0.1% | 1 | Dec 20 | - | Island Pictures |
| 15 | Plenty | $6,148,000 | 228 | $436,266 | 7.1% | 24 | Sep 19 | - | Twentieth Century Fox |
| 16 | Avenging Angel | $5,622,787 | 525 | $1,755,264 | 31.2% | 525 | Jan 11 | - | New World Pictures |
| 17 | Day of the Dead | $5,000,000 | 168 | $1,700,000 | 34% | 168 | Jul 19 | - | - |
| 18 | Godzilla 1985 | $4,116,395 | 235 | $509,502 | 12.4% | 235 | Aug 23 | - | New World Pictures |
| 19 | Fraternity Vacation | $3,333,306 | 348 | $1,023,186 | 30.7% | 348 | Apr 12 | - | New World Pictures |
| 20 | A Private Function | $2,527,088 | 40 | $25,333 | 1% | 1 | Mar 1 | Oct 3 | Island Alive |
| 21 | Marie | $2,507,995 | 465 | $241,423 | 9.6% | 103 | Sep 27 | - | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) |
| 22 | The Quiet Earth | $2,123,135 | 1 | $9,825 | 0.5% | 1 | Oct 18 | - | Skouras Pictures |
| 23 | Re-Animator | $2,023,414 | 185 | $543,728 | 26.9% | 129 | Oct 18 | Nov 7 | Empire Pictures |
| 24 | Bring on the Night | $1,890,571 | 409 | $1,132,112 | 59.9% | 409 | Nov 8 | - | The Samuel Goldwyn Company |
| 25 | American Flyers | $1,420,355 | 5 | $78,345 | 5.5% | 5 | Aug 16 | - | Warner Bros. |
| 26 | The Perils of Gwendoline in the Land of the Yik Yak | $1,337,274 | 500 | $1,337,274 | 100% | 500 | Jan 25 | - | The Samuel Goldwyn Company |
| 27 | The Aviator | $1,304,192 | 342 | - | - | - | Mar 1 | - | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) |
| 28 | Wetherby | $1,299,985 | 30 | $37,283 | 2.9% | 2 | Jul 19 | - | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) |
| 29 | Dreamchild | $1,215,923 | 3 | $5,425 | 0.4% | 1 | Oct 4 | - | Universal Pictures |
| 30 | DEFCON-4 | $1,057,064 | 54 | $210,904 | 20% | 54 | Mar 15 | - | New World Pictures |
| 31 | Fool for Love | $836,156 | 57 | $55,637 | 6.7% | 2 | Dec 6 | Feb 13 | Cannon Film Distributors |
| 32 | Code Name: Emerald | $561,548 | 195 | $241,108 | 42.9% | 195 | Sep 27 | - | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) |
| 33 | Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters | $437,547 | 14 | - | - | - | Sep 13 | Oct 31 | Warner Bros. |
| 34 | The Holcroft Covenant | $393,825 | 73 | $151,627 | 38.5% | 73 | Oct 18 | - | Universal Pictures |
| 35 | Subway | $390,659 | 5 | $11,332 | 2.9% | 1 | Nov 6 | - | Island Alive |
| 36 | Sylvester | $385,687 | 35 | $172,814 | 44.8% | 35 | Mar 15 | - | Columbia Pictures |
| 37 | Movers & Shakers | $372,438 | 13 | $9,580 | 2.6% | 1 | May 3 | - | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) |
| 38 | Revolution | $358,574 | 30 | $52,755 | 14.7% | 4 | Dec 25 | Jan 30 | Warner Bros. |
| 39 | Private Resort | $331,816 | 102 | $163,704 | 49.3% | 102 | May 3 | May 16 | TriStar Pictures |
| 40 | Eleni | $305,102 | 4 | $27,875 | 9.1% | 1 | Nov 1 | Dec 12 | Warner Bros. |
| 41 | The New Kids | $199,108 | 102 | $199,108 | 100% | 102 | Jan 18 | - | Columbia Pictures |
| 42 | Fandango | $91,666 | 27 | $50,437 | 55% | 27 | Jan 25 | - | Warner Bros. |
| 43 | The Official Story | $29,426 | 1 | $29,426 | 100% | 1 | Nov 8 | Nov 14 | Almi Pictures |
| 44 | Trouble in Mind | $19,632 | 1 | $16,029 | 81.6% | 1 | Dec 11 | - | Alive Films |
| 45 | Smooth Talk | $16,785 | 2 | $16,785 | 100% | 2 | Nov 15 | - | International Spectrafilm |
| 46 | When Father Was Away on Business | $16,131 | 1 | $11,614 | 72% | 1 | Oct 11 | Oct 17 | Cannon Film Distributors |
| 47 | Colonel Redl | $2,357 | 1 | $2,357 | 100% | 1 | Oct 4 | - | Orion Classics |
