1987 Movies

To make this list a movie had to be made in 1987.  Obviously many movies made in 1986 earned box office dollars in 1987.  On the other side many movies made in 1987 made money in 1988 and later.   This page will looks at over 200 movies made in 1987.  The movies are listed in two massive tables that lets you rank the movies from Best to Worst in six different sortable columns of information.

Our UMR Top 50 of 1987

1987 Movies Can Be Ranked 6 Ways In This Table

The really cool thing about this table is that it is “user-sortable”. Rank the movies anyway you want.

  • Sort 1987 Movies by movie titles and movie trailers
  • Sort 1987 Movies by the stars or in some cases the director of the movie.
  • Sort 1987 Movies by domestic adjusted box office grosses using current movie ticket cost (in millions)
  • Sort 1987 Movies how they were received by critics and audiences.  60% rating or higher should indicate a good movie.
  • Sort by how many Oscar® nominations each 1987 Movies received and how many Oscar® wins each 1986 Movies received.
  • Sort 1987 Movies by Ultimate Movie Ranking Score (UMR).  Our UMR score puts box office, reviews and awards into a mathematical equation and gives each movie a score.

Detailed Table

Jump to mobile-friendly table.

 

Top earners in 1987 for Adjusted USA Box Office:

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35 thoughts on “1987 Movies”

  1. In 1987 I went to 200 1987 films! The following on your list I saw in a cinema back then.

    1, 3-16, 18-39, 41-44, 47,50,52,55,56,60,61,65-69,71,9, 82 , 86,87, 91,93-97, 100, 107, 109-111,116,120-124,129-131,133,136,138-141,144,,151-155,157, 161,162,168,169,171,172,174 (in London), 179,183,184,186-191,195,196,199-205,207-210,214-217,220,222 & 223.

    The following 52 1987 films I have seen since December 1992 when I had seen picture 8000 of my life. e, studio, date seen and source (DVD,tape, TV channel).

    4 ROBBERS (H.K.) 1987 2/18 2012 DVD
    84 CHARING CROSS ROAD 1987 COL ANNE BANCROFT ANTHONY HOPKINS 4/9 1998 STZ
    ANGEL (H.K.) 1987 WOLFSWORTH LTD. 1/31 1993 TAPE
    BETTER TOMORROW II (H.K.) 1987 CINEMA CITY 5/15 1993 TAPE
    BLACK COBRA 1987 11/12 2011 DVD
    BODY SLAM 1987 HEMDALE XXX XXX 2/3 1998 STZ
    BORDER RADIO 1987 INTL FILM MKTG 3/30 2013 TCM
    CHINESE GHOST STORY (H.K.) 1987 CINEMA CITY 4/10 1993 TAPE
    CITY IN PANIC 1987 TWE 10/19 2011 DVD
    CURSE OF THE BLUE LIGHTS 1987 BLUE LIGHTS 5/10 1997 55
    DEATH SPA 1987 MPI 5/31 1997 TAPE
    EASTERN CONDOR (H.K.) 1987 PARAGON 3/20 1993 TAPE
    EMMANUELLE 5 1987 NEW CLASSICS XXX XXX 11/7 2001 MMAX
    GABY: A TRUE STORY 1987 TRI 12/2 1995 TMC
    GARBAGE PAIL KIDS MOVIE 1987 ATLANTIC REL 11/24 2018 TCM
    GHOSTS CAN DO IT 1987 ATLAS 2/2 1994 TAPE
    GLASS MENAGERIE 1987 CINEPLEX ODEON JOANNE WOODWARD JOHN MALKOVICH 8/9 2006 SUND
    GOOD MORNING BABYLON 1987 VESTRON XXX XXX 7/7 1997 BRAVO
    HANGMEN 1987 SHAPIRO ENT 7/7 2016 DVD
    HANSEL AND GRETAL 1987 CANNON 6/18 2016 DVD
    HIGH STAKES (CAN.) 1987 PETER SIMPSON 12/15 1997 COM
    HOUSEKEEPING 1987 COL 10/2 1995 BRAVO
    INTERVISTA (IT.) 1987 CINECITTA 1/2 1996 BRAVO
    I’VE HEARD MERMAIDS SINGING (CAN.) 1987 ITC XXX XXX 10/5 1997 FLIX
    LILY C.A.T. (JAP) 1987 STREAMLINE 12/31 1995 SCI
    LONELY PASSION OF JUDITH HEARNE (U.K.) 1987 HEMDALE MAGGIE SMITH BOB HOSKINS 7/11 1998 BRAVO
    MAN OUTSIDE 1987 SAMUEL GOLDWYN 6/20 1996 11
    MIND KILLER 1987 PRISM 10/17 1994 TMC
    MONTH IN THE COUNTRY (U.K.) 1987 ORION CLASSICS COLIN FIRTH 4/26 1997 TMC
    NINJA DEATH (TAIWAN) 1987 3/13 2012 DVD
    NINJA PHANTOM HEROES (H.K.) 1987 PALMARK INTL. 1/19 2012 DVD
    ORPHANS 1987 LORIMAR 12/14 1997 FLIX
    PRICK UP YOUR EARS (U.K.) 1987 SAMUEL GOLDWYN 7/23 1994 BRAVO
    PRINCE OF THE SUN (H.K.) 1987 GOLDEN HARVEST/FIRST FILM 5/31 1993 TAPE
    PROMISED LAND 1987 VESTRON 1/23 2017 EPIX
    PUPPETOON MOVIE 1987 EXPANDED ENT. 10/13 2017 TCM
    ROBOT CARNIVAL (JAP.) 1987 STREAMLINE 5/1 1994 TBS
    RUSSKIES 1987 NEW CENTURY JOAQUIN PHOENIX 9/5 2004 ENC
    SAMMY AND ROSIE GET LAID (U.K.) 1987 CINECOM 4/24 1996 BRAVO
    SEPTEMBER 1987 ORI XXX XXX 3/6 2005 LOVE
    SLAMMER GIRLS 1987 PLATINUM 1/29 1995 USA
    SOUR GRAPES 1987 11/11 2004 ENC
    SOUTH OF RENO 1987 CASTLE HILL 12/3 1994 55
    SWIMMING TO CAMBODIA 1987 CINECOM SAM WATERSTON 4/14 1997 BRAVO
    TWISTER’S REVENGE 1987 12/28 2014 DVD
    VIRGIN QUEEN OF ST. FRANCIS HIGH 1987 CROWN INTL 6/24 2012 DVD
    WEEDS 1987 DEG 2/4 1995 11
    WHITE MISCHIEF (U.K.) 1987 COL 8/22 1995 BRAVO
    WHITE WATER SUMMER 1987 COL 5/18 2012 EFAM
    WIMPS 1987 VESTRON 6/19 1994 USA
    WISH YOU WERE HERE (U.K.) 1987 ATLANTIC 3/25 1995 11
    WITHNAIL AND I (U.K.) 1987 CINEPLEX ODEON 4/11 2012 TCM

    Reply

    2. Hey Dan…you are and were a movie watching machine. Here I am bragging about my 32 seen in theaters…..and you almost saw 7 times my amount. That is almost 4 movies a week in theaters. The benefit of being so close to all those movies being shown in New York City. I actually have records for my movies watched in 1987….a grand total of 343 for the entire year….includes movies from all years. That was my personal record for years, until my recent movie watching binge….seen 550 this year. Great feedback as always.

      Reply

      1. Where is husband of Cogerson? I saw about 890 in 1992 and 800 something in 1993 when I first had cable. I lost those totals but since 2003 the most I’ve seen all years is 764 in 2016. Last year I saw 727 but in 2005 it was only 380. Totals jump depending I guess on certain cable packages. I moved to Bayside, Queens in 1998 so I got TCM for the first time so the numbers were probably high in 1999 then got satellite in 2000 and the Encore channels (don’t have them now Western channel which added a lot for a few years. My total for this year is down and will be in the 600’s.

        Reply

        1. Hey Dan. All the Wife of Cogerson comments this morning were from me. Due to some weird scheduling circumstances I am ended up in New Jersey with 2 daughters, one grand daughter and WoC’s computer but no wife or car. She ended up in Maryland with daughter in law and grandson. We are back together in New Jersey now. New Jersey the state that seems to hate left turns.

          Reply

          1. Hey Dan. Looks like we will be in the same ballpark with movies watched in 2018. I have been reviewing all the movies I have seen for the last 5 years at Letterboxd.com. There are now 3,000 plus reviews there. In 2013, I watched an insane 1,418 movies. I do not think I will ever do that again. I have TCM and Net Flix yet rarely watch either one. 95% of the movies I watch are on DVD with the subtitles on, while I walk on a treadmill. Thanks for sharing your stellar movie watching tallies. Very impressive.

  2. Hello,
    I saw so many films ,my favorites are, Fatal attractions, Roboccop, Throw Momma , Bagdad café, Radio Days, Dirty Dancing, the Witches of Eastwick, Wall Street , etc but i am surprised to see some french actors in this page
    Christophe Lambert in the Sicilian, Isabelle Adjani in Ishtar ans i know it was a flop in 1987 in USA and in France too, and of courses Stephane Audran in the film Babette; she was the favorite actress of the french director Claude Chabrol and if my memory is good she was his wife too and they made a lot of films together.
    Michael Douglas and Glen Glose were on the top but my favorite part of Miss Glose is les Liaisons Dangereuses, in french;
    I read the name of Ted Danson, i was speaking of Steve Guttenberg some weeks ago but it is the same for him.
    I wish you a good time
    Pierre

    Reply

    1. Hey Pierre. Thanks for the feedback on our 1987 page. I was surprised that Steve Guttenberg topped our biggest box office stars list…..but he had a very good 1987. Probably the peak of his career. The 1990s were not too kind to him and his career. I like all the movies you listed as the ones you liked. I actually saw The Silician in theaters…it could have been so much better. Always good to hear from you. Happy New Year.

      Reply

  3. I have seen 24 movies from 1987.

    The HIGHEST rated movie I have seen is Moonstruck.

    The highest rated movie I have NOT seen is The Last Emperor.

    The LOWEST rated movie I have seen is The Whales of August.

    Top 10 Movies I Have Seen:

    Moonstruck
    Fatal Attraction
    Good Morning, Vietnam
    The Untouchables
    3 Men and a Baby
    Lethal Weapon

    Top 20 Movie I Have Seen:

    Stakeout
    Planes, Trains, and Automobiles
    The Witches of Eastwick
    Dirty Dancing
    La Bamba

    Top 30 Movies I Have Seen:

    The Living Daylights
    Roxanne
    Wall Street
    Throw Mama From the Train
    The Secret of My Success
    Outrageous Fortune
    Adventures in Babysitting

    Favourite 1987 Movies:

    Moonstruck
    Dirty Dancing
    Planes, Trains, and Automobiles
    Wings of Desire
    The Secret of My Success
    Fatal Attraction
    La Bamba
    Roxanne

    Reply

    1. Hey Flora….thanks for checking out our 1987 page. I have seen 22 of your 24 movies seen. I have not seen The Whales of August or Wings Of Desire. Of your favorites…I would say The Untouchables and Lethal Weapon would be in my Top 10. Moonstruck was my grandmother’s favorite current movie. When she passed away, her VHS collection was 3 movies: Moonstruck, The Wizard Of Oz and The African Queen. I still have all three of those VHS tapes at the house…even though we have not had a VCR in years. Good stuff!

      Reply

  4. I have seen 6 of the Top 12 biggest box office hits in the table above.It is possible that some of my fellow contributors to this site will most think of 1987 as the year that launched the Lethal Weapon franchise. I like that movie but my own very top 10 favourite 1987 movies overall are as follows in no particular order –

    1/The Untouchables
    2/Predator
    3/Dirty Dancing
    4/The Witches of Eastwick
    5/ Broadcast News
    6/ Planes Trains and Automobiles
    7/Wall Street
    8/Black Widow
    9/Cop
    10/ The Bedroom Window.

    The last two flicks are minor fare which I actually watched on video in the pre-DVD days but both have a “good” Cogerson rating of 64%.

    Cop stars James Woods whom I found very entertaining and back then I had high hopes for him as a major superstar but alas it was not to be. He did however have one lucky break when Brando fell ill and could not make 2001’s Scary Movie 2 so that James inherited Marlon’s cameo role and they paid Woods $1 million [The Great Mumbler had been reportedly offered $2 million]. By coincidence though a Marlon did appear in the cast of Scary movie 2 [Marlon Wayans]. James Woods has a reported net worth of $20 million. Last year he was accused of sexual misconduct by 3 females one of whom is the actress Elizabeth Perkins.

    This new page is another comprehensive summary of the movie marketplace in a given year and is welcomed with a “Vote Up”

    Reply

    1. Hey Bob.
      1. Good comment. Thanks for. stopping by.
      2. Wow…right this down…we agree on almost your entire comment.
      3. I really enjoyed Cop too. I used to have Cop and Best Seller on the same VHS tape…..and watched those two James Woods movies all the time.
      4. I liked Letal Weapon….but Predator is my favorite action movie of 1987.
      5. Planes, Trains and Automobiles is one of my all-time favorite movies..so glad to see it on your Top 10.
      6. Recently rewatched The Bedroom Window…it was not as intense as I remembered….and Guttenberg’s acting is suspect at times…but I really liked it back in 1987.
      7. I liked Black Widow…but it opened the same weekend as From The Hip….I could not believe it opened better than Judd’s best leading man role.
      Good feedback Bob…..thanks for sharing your movie thoughts.

      Reply

      1. HI BRUCE

        Thanks for your observations on my own comments.

        Black Widow was one of the thrillers that most entertained me in the 1980s. However when i look back on it now it’s a case of “bitter-sweet” because Winger and the lovely Theresa Russell just about reached their peak with that one and thereafter it was gradually down hill.

        The “curse of 39” also played havoc with the big screen careers of many lovely young women from the 1980s/1990s decades, two others who immediately spring to mind being Sharon Stone and Meg Ryan

        Reply

        1. Hey Bob. I agree , Black Widow was Winger and Russell on the downside of the mountain for both of them. Not thinking many realized that back then.

          Reply

  5. I have seen 116 of these movies. Including 32 I movie theaters. Some low ranked movies that I liked? The Hidden, From the Hip and Three O’Clock High. They go with high ranked movies like Predator, The Princess Bride, Planes,Trains and Automobiles, Lethal Weapon and RoboCop as my favorites. Good ole Bruce Willis, makes his first appearance on our yearly pages with his Blind Date.

    Reply

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