Cineliteracy: What You Need to Know about 1984 as Movie Year
Research in progress: June 26, 2025
The year’s highest-grossing film in the United States and Canada was Beverly Hills Cop. Ghostbusters overtook it, however, with rerelease the following year. It was the first time in 5 years that the top-grossing film did not involve Lucas or Spielberg although Spielberg directed and Lucas exec-produced the third placed Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom; Spielberg also exec-produced the fourth placed Gremlins.
U.S. box office grosses reached $4 billion for the first time, the first year that two films had returned over $100 million: Ghostbusters and Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. Beverly Hills Cop made it three for films released in 1984 after its performance during 1985 took it to rentals of $108 million.
Other popular films included The NeverEnding Story, the most expensive film produced in West Germany, The Karate Kid, Romancing the Stone.
Genre: Several sci-fi-fantasy films were released in 1984.
Top-Grossing Films of 1984
Rank Title Distributor Box-office gross
1 Beverly Hills Cop, Paramount, $234,760,478
2 Ghostbusters, Columbia, $229,242,989
3 Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom Paramount, $179,870,271
4 Gremlins Warner Bros. $153,083,102
5 The Karate Kid Columbia $90,815,558
6 Police Academy Warner Bros. $81,198,894
7 Footloose Paramount $80,035,402
8 Romancing the Stone 20th Century Fox $76,572,238
9 Star Trek III: The Search for Spock Paramount $76,471,076
10 Splash Buena Vista $69,821,334
Events:
February 15 –
Walt Disney Studios establishes Touchstone Pictures to release films with more mature subject matter than the traditional Disney banner.
March 30 –
Romancing the Stone propels Michael Douglas, Kathleen Turner, and Danny DeVito and director Robert Zemeckis to super-stardom. The film also gave Zemeckis his first box office hit, which led to his direction of Back to the Future.
April 6 – Tri-Star Pictures, joint venture of Columbia Pictures, HBO, and CBS, releases its first film, Where the Boys Are ’84.
May 4 – The first of year’s breakdancing musicals, Breakin’. It is soon followed by Beat Street and its sequel, Breakin’ 2: Electric Boogaloo.
July 1 –
The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) institutes PG-13 rating, a response to violent films like Gremlins and Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.
July 9 – Joe Wizan leaves as president of 20th Century Fox Productions, and Lawrence Gordon replaces him.
July 27 – Prince’s first film Purple Rain is released.
August 25 –
Ghostbusters, he biggest grossing comedy film of all time in the US, exceeding Tootsie’s $177.2 million, grossing $229.2 million in initial run. It is overtaken by Beverly Hills Cop in summer 1985, but regains the record after re-release in August 1985. It also became the biggest grossing film released by Columbia Pictures.
September – Lawrence Gordon promoted to president and COO of Fox Entertainment Group
September 22 –
Michael Eisner leaves Paramount to become head of Disney Productions, while Frank Wells became COO and Jeffrey Katzenberg was later named chair.
October 8 – Ned Tanen becomes president of Paramount Pictures group.
December 5 –
Beverly Hills Cop becomes the 6th highest-grossing film in the U.S., highest grossing comedy, as well as the highest grossing R-Rated film, a record it would hold for 19 years.
December 14 – Dune is released after much hype and anticipation.
My Oscar Book:
Awards
57th Academy (Oscars) Awards March 25, 1985
Best Film: Amadeus
Best Director: Miloš Forman, Amadeus
Best Actor: F. Murray Abraham, Amadeus
Best Actress: Sally Field, Places in the Heart
Best Supporting Actor: Haing S. Ngor, The Killing Fields
Best Supporting Actress: Peggy Ashcroft, A Passage to India
Best Screenplay, Adapted Amadeus, Peter Shaffer
Best Screenplay, Original Places in the Heart, Robert Benton
Best Original Score: Maurice Jarre
A Passage to India Ennio Morricone
Once Upon a Time in America Maurice Jarre
A Passage to India
Prince
Purple Rain
Best Original Song “I Just Called to Say I Love You,” The Woman in Red
Best Foreign Language Film: Dangerous Moves, Switzerland
Palme d’Or (Cannes Film Fest): Paris, Texas, Wim Wenders, France/W.Germany
Golden Lion (Venice Film Fest): A Year of the Quiet Sun, Krzysztof Zanussi, Poland
Golden Bear (Berlin Film Fest): Love Streams, Cassavetes, US
Births
Deaths
Month Date Name Age Country Profession Notable films
January 6 Ernest Laszlo 85 Hungary Cinematographer
Judgment at NurembergLogan’s Run
7 Walter Forde 85 UK Director
Chu Chin ChowThe Ghost Train
11 Jack La Rue 70 US Actor
A Farewell to ArmsThe Story of Temple Drake
20 Johnny Weissmuller 79 US Actor
Tarzan the Ape ManJungle Jim
29 Frances Goodrich 93 US Screenwriter
It’s a Wonderful LifeFather of the Bride
February 11 Arlette Marchal 82 France Actress
The Cat’s PajamasBlonde or Brunette
15 Ethel Merman 76 US Singer, Actress
It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad WorldThere’s No Business Like Show Business
17 Lucille Benson 69 US Actress
Little Fauss and Big HalsyMame
29 Kenneth Strickfaden 87 US Set Designer
FrankensteinYoung Frankenstein
March 1 Jackie Coogan 69 US Actor
The KidMillion Dollar Legs
1 Ronald Culver 83 UK Actor
Dead of NightDown to Earth
4 William E. Snyder 82 US Cinematographer
Creature from the Black LagoonThe Loves of Carmen
5 William Powell 91 US Actor
The Thin ManMy Man Godfrey
6 Henry Wilcoxon 78 Dominica Actor
The CrusadesSamson and Delilah
10 I. S. Johar 64 India Actor
Lawrence of ArabiaDeath on the Nile
18 Paul Francis Webster 76 US Lyricist
Calamity JaneLove Is a Many-Splendored Thing
20 Richard L. Van Enger 69 US Film Editor
Sands of Iwo JimaJohnny Guitar
21 Sam Leavitt 80 US Cinematographer
The Defiant OnesCape Fear
24 Sam Jaffe 93 US Actor
The Asphalt JungleGunga Din
27 Jack Donohue 75 US Director, Choreographer
Marriage on the RocksBabes in Toyland
27 Derek Francis 60 UK Actor
JabberwockyA Christmas Carol
28 Carmen Dragon 69 US Composer
Invasion of the Body SnatchersCover Girl
April 1 George Glass 73 US Producer
Guess Who’s Coming to DinnerOne-Eyed Jacks
2 William C. Thomas 80 US Producer, Director
The Big CaperThey Made Me a Killer
7 Samuel G. Engel 79 US Producer, Screenwriter
My Darling ClementineNight and the City
10 Ray Middleton 77 US Actor
I Dream of Jeanie1776
13 Richard Hurndall 73 UK Actor
I, MonsterThe Prince and the Pauper
14 Thorold Dickinson 80 UK Director, Film Editor
The Next of KinGaslight
15 Glen MacWilliams 85 US Cinematographer
LifeboatThe Clairvoyant
16 Byron Haskin 84 US Director
The War of the WorldsI Walk Alone
18 Francis de Wolff 71 UK Actor
From Russia with LoveThe Hound of the Baskervilles
18 John Lee Mahin 81 US Screenwriter
Show BoatHeaven Knows, Mr. Allison
25 Richard Benedict 64 Italy Actor
Ace in the HoleOcean’s 11
26 May McAvoy 84 US Actress
Ben-HurThe Jazz Singer
May 4 Diana Dors 52 UK Actress
Lady Godiva Rides AgainThe Unholy Wife
10 Robert Moore 57 US Director
Murder By DeathChapter Two
12 Ben Roberts 68 US Screenwriter
White HeatMan of a Thousand Faces
13 Antonio Castillo 75 Spain Costume Designer
Nicholas and AlexandraBeauty and the Beast
16 Andy Kaufman 35 US Actor
God Told Me ToHeartbeeps
16 Irwin Shaw 71 US Screenwriter
The Talk of the TownThe Young Lions
20 Peter Bull 72 UK Actor
Dr. StrangeloveThe African Queen
21 Andrea Leeds 72 US Actress
Stage DoorSwanee River
21 Ann Little 93 US Actress
The Roaring RoadThe Invaders
22 John Marley 76 US Actor
The GodfatherLove Story
28 D’Urville Martin 45 US Actor, Director
Black CaesarDolemite
June 1 Ruthelma Stevens 80 US Actress
The Night Club LadyThe Circus Queen Murder
15 Ned Glass 78 Poland Actor
CharadeWest Side Story
17 Leslie I. Carey 88 US Sound Engineer
The Glenn Miller StoryTouch of Evil
17 Nobuo Nakagawa 79 Japan Director, Screenwriter
JigokuVampire Moth
18 Luis Moglia Barth 81 Argentina Director, Screenwriter
¡Tango!Melodías porteñas
19 Sunny Johnson 30 US Actress
FlashdanceThe Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia
20 Estelle Winwood 101 UK Actress
Darby O’Gill and the Little PeopleThe Producers
22 Joseph Losey 75 US Director
The ServantAccident
24 William Keighley 94 US Director
The Man Who Came to DinnerEach Dawn I Die
26 Carl Foreman 69 US Screenwriter, Producer
High NoonThe Guns of Navarone
30 Lillian Hellman 79 US Screenwriter
The Little FoxesToys in the Attic
July 2 Lenore Coffee 87 US Screenwriter
Young at HeartCash McCall
7 Flora Robson 82 UK Actress
Fire Over EnglandSaratoga Trunk
11 Hugh Morton 81 UK Actor
Man of the MomentQuatermass and the Pit
14 Ernest Tidyman 56 US Screenwriter
The French ConnectionShaft
23 Lloyd Gough 76 US Actor
Sunset BoulevardEarthquake
23 Anthony Sharp 69 UK Actor
A Clockwork OrangeBarry Lyndon
24 Vincent Beck 59 US Actor
…And Justice for AllSanta Claus Conquers the Martians
25 Akihiko Hirata 56 Japan Actor
SanjuroGodzilla
26 Roger H. Lewis 66 US Producer
The SwimmerThe Pawnbroker
27 James Mason 75 UK Actor
North by NorthwestLolita
29 Woodrow Parfrey 61 US Actor
PapillonCharley Varrick
August 2 Quirino Cristiani 88 Argentina Director
El ApóstolPeludópolis
4 Walter Burke 75 US Actor
All the King’s MenSupport Your Local Sheriff!
4 Mary Miles Minter 82 US Actress
Anne of Green GablesNurse Marjorie
5 Richard Burton 58 UK Actor
Who Afraid of Virginia Woolf?Becket
5 Roland Kibbee 70 US Screenwriter
The Crimson PirateValdez Is Coming
8 Richard Deacon 63 US Actor
The Young PhiladelphiansThe Birds
14 J. B. Priestley 89 UK Screenwriter
Last HolidayThe Old Dark House
19 George Meeker 80 US Actor
Apache RoseSilver Trails
25 Truman Capote 59 US Screenwriter, Actor
The InnocentsBeat the Devil
25 Henry Lynn 89 US Director, Screenwriter
Shir Hashirim
29 Pina Menichelli 94 Italy Actress
Take Care of AmeliaA Woman’s Story
30 Emil Newman 73 US Composer
Sun Valley SerenadeHondo
September 3 Arthur Schwartz 83 US Composer, Producer
The Band WagonNight and Day
6 E. J. André 76 US Actor
The Ten CommandmentsPapillon
9 Yılmaz Güney 47 Stateless Director, Screenwriter, Actor
YolThe Herd
11 William Sands 61 US Film Editor
Funny GirlThe Only Game in Town
14
Janet Gaynor 77 US Actress, A Star Is Born, 7th Heaven
17 Richard Basehart 70 US Actor
Moby DickLa Strada
19 June Preisser 64 US Actress
Babes in ArmsSweater Girl
24 Neil Hamilton 85 US Actor
Laughing SinnersBatman
25 Walter Pidgeon 87 Canada Actor
Forbidden PlanetHow Green Was My Valley
October 9 Joan Young 84 UK Actress
Suddenly, Last SummerThe Fallen Idol
10 Leonard Rossiter 57 UK Actor
2001: A Space OdysseyBarry Lyndon
11 H. Bruce Humberstone 82 US Director
I Wake Up ScreamingCharlie Chan at the Olympics
16 Peggy Ann Garner 52 US Actress
A Tree Grows in BrooklynNob Hill
21 François Truffaut 52 France Director, Screenwriter, Actor
The 400 BlowsJules and Jim
23
Oskar Werner 61 Austria Actor, Fahrenheit 451, Ship of Fools
24 Walter Woolf King 84 US Actor
A Night at the OperaGo West
24 Edith Massey 66 US Actress
Pink FlamingosPolyester
25 Pascale Ogier 25 France Actress
Full Moon in ParisLe Pont du Nord
30 June Duprez 66 UK Actress
The Four FeathersAnd Then There Were None
31 Eduardo De Filippo 84 Italy Actor, Screenwriter, Director
The Gold of NaplesEverybody Go Home
November 1
Norman Krasna 74 US Screenwriter, Director
Who Was That Lady?Sunday in New York
3 Milo Anderson 75 US Costume Designer
The Adventures of Robin HoodTo Have and Have Not
7 George Mathews 73 US Actor
Gunfight at the O.K. CorralThe Last Wagon
13 Dorothy Arnold 66 US Actress
The Phantom CreepsThe House of Fear
20 Peter Welch 62 UK Actor
The Admirable CrichtonThe Secret Partner
December
7 Jeanne Cagney 65 US Actress, Yankee Doodle Dandy, Quicksand
8 Luther Adler 81 US Actor, House of Strangers, D.O.A.
11
Robert E. Kent 73 US Screenwriter, Rock Around the Clock, Fastest Guitar Alive
11 George Waggner 81 US Director, The Wolf Man. Horror Island
13 Margaret Livingston 89 US Actress, The Lady Refuses. What a Widow!
24 Peter Lawford 61 UK Actor, Good News, Ocean’s 11
24 Harry Waxman 72 UK Cinematographer, The Wicker Man, Swiss Family Robinson
28 Sam Peckinpah 59 US Director, The Wild Bunch, Straw Dogs
Film Debuts
Angélica Aragón – The Evil That Men Do
Marshall Bell – Birdy
Geoffrey Blake – The Last Starfighter
Jesse Bradford – Falling in Love
Ralph Brown – The Hit
Simon Callow – Amadeus
Jennifer Connelly – Once Upon a Time in America
Jon Cryer – No Small Affair
Isaach de Bankolé – Asphalt Warriors
Johnny Depp – A Nightmare on Elm Street
Gabino Diego – Bicycles Are for the Summer
Tate Donovan – No Small Affair
Richard Edson – Stranger Than Paradise
Troy Evans – Rhinestone
Rupert Everett – Another Country
Sherilyn Fenn – The Wild Life
Colin Firth – Another Country
Courtney Gains – Children of the Corn
Sarah Michelle Gellar – Over the Brooklyn Bridge
Bobcat Goldthwait – Massive Retaliation
Gilbert Gottfried – The House of God
Heather Graham – Mrs. Soffel
Seth Green – Billions for Boris
Arye Gross – Exterminator 2
Corey Haim – Firstborn
Josh Hamilton – Old Enough
Kadeem Hardison – Beat Street
John Hawkes – Police Academy
Val Kilmer – Top Secret!
Patrick Kilpatrick – The Toxic Avenger
John Leguizamo – Mixed Blood
Andie MacDowell – Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes
Kyle MacLachlan – Dune
Frances McDormand – Blood Simple
Olga Merediz – The Brother from Another Planet
Alyssa Milano – Old Enough
Connie Nielsen – Par où t’es rentré ? On t’a pas vu sortir
Lou Diamond Phillips – Interface
Clifton Powell – Alphabet City
Aidan Quinn – Reckless
Tim Robbins – Toy Soldiers
Tim Roth – The Hit
Emmanuelle Seigner – Year of the Jellyfish
Craig Sheffer – Voyage of the Rock Aliens
Alexander Skarsgård – Åke and His World
Ice-T – Breakin’
Brian Thompson – The Terminator
Jennifer Tilly – No Small Affair
Marisa Tomei – The Flamingo Kid
Ken Watanabe – MacArthur’s Children
Steven Weber – The Flamingo Kid
Alicia Witt – Dune
Michelle Yeoh – The Owl vs Bombo
