To make this list a movie had to be made in 1989. Obviously many movies made in 1988 earned box office dollars in 1989. On the other side many movies made in 1989 made money in 1990 and later. This page will looks at over 200 movies made in 1989. 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 1989
1989 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 1989 Movies by movie titles and movie trailers
- Sort 1989 Movies by the stars or in some cases the director of the movie.
- Sort 1989 Movies by domestic adjusted box office grosses using current movie ticket cost (in millions)
- Sort 1989 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 1988 Movies received and how many Oscar® wins each 1989 Movies received.
- Sort 1989 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.
I saw 57 including top 30. 10s and favorites: Indiana jones and last crusade, driving miss daisy, when harry met sally, field of dreams, parenthood, steel magnolias, always, the abyss. 10s not favorites: henry the fifth, dead poets society. 9s and favorites: say anything, uncle buck, major league. 9s not favorites: born on the fourth of july, glory, lethal weapon 2, war of the roses, lean on me, miss firecracker, January man. hidden gems:a dry white season, an innocent man, bill w., dream team, turner and hooch. great year, great page. congratulations on completing another decade. yea Cogerson, Yea UMR, Yea WoC. Yea commenters. I apologize for passing BERN 1960 on number of comments, she remains number one. Yea BERN1960.
I’ve watched 88 of the 212 films on the chart, maybe more I was renting a lot of videos back then. Looking at my files I have 81 movies from 1989 in my movie collection.
My favorites include –
Abyss ,The
Adventures of Baron Munchausen
All Dogs go to Heaven
Back to the Future II
Batman
Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure
Black Rain
Blind Fury
Burbs ,The
Earth Girls Are Easy
Fly II ,The
Fright Night 2
Ghostbusters II
Glory
Honey I Shrunk the Kids
Indiana Jones,and the Last Crusade
Innocent Man ,An
Lethal Weapon 2
Licence to Kill
Little Mermaid ,The
Millennium
National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
Parenthood
Road House
Sea of Love
Shocker
Society
Star Trek V – The Final Frontier
Tango & Cash
Uncle Buck
War of the Roses
Warlock.
zz-China – Killer ,The
zz-Japan – Godzilla Vs Biollante
zz-Japan Anime – Kiki’s Delivery Service
zz-Japan Anime – Legend of the Overfiend
zz-Japan Anime – Venus Wars
The year of the Bat. I remember all the hype for the new Batman movie and movie fans complaining about the star of Beetlejuice cast as Bruce Wayne / Batman. Well it was a massive success, even the critics liked it. And it was all filmed a few miles from where I lived in London. I remember that summer wearing a black t-shirt with the yellow Batman logo on it. Yep I was caught in the batmania too. 🙂
Batman was the years no.1 in the USA but Indiana Jones 3 box office ruled worldwide.
Another even bigger movie year page Bruce. Nicely done. Vote Up!
Hey Steve
1. Tally count…..Dan way too many to count, me at 112, you at 88 and Flora at 17.
2. I have seen all of your favorites except for the zz movies and Society and Shocker.
3. Good to see you list Earth Girls Are Easy….I really like that movie….though that club is very small…but good to see you are in there with me…lol.
4. I also remember how big Batman was back then….I remember it being sold out at theaters…and having to drive out of town to finally see the movie.
5. Before Heath Ledger’s Joker….Jack’s Joker was considered the best Joker performance
6. Indy 3 was huge overseas…..the power of Harrison, Sean, George and Steven.
Thanks for the feedback.
By your list the following 1989 films I saw in the theater, 1-15,17-27,29-43,46,48-50,52-54,56,58,60-64,68,69,72,73,75-78,80,81,83,88,90,92,93,95-99,102-105,109,115-117,119,123-130,132,137,138,141-143,146-152,154-156,158-161,163-166,169,170,173,174,177,178,180,183-186,189,192,193,195,196,200,202,205,206 & 210.
The following 54 1989 films I have seen since December 1992.
976-EVIL 1989 NL 1/27 1996 USA
ARENA 1989 TRANS WORLD 7/5 2010 ACTN
BEVERLY HILLS VAMP 1989 TRIMARK 1/8 2017 EPIX
BLACK CAT (IT.) 1989 21ST CENTURY 10/18 1995 SCI
BLACK RAINBOW (U.K.) 1989 MIRAMAX 6/13 1995 TMC
BLOOD AND SAND 1989 JOSE FRADE 3/4 1997 TAPE
BREAKING IN 1989 SAMUEL GOLDWYN BURT REYNOLDS 9/16 2001 IFC
BYE BYE BABY (IT.) 1989 PRISM ENT. 9/2 2010 DVD
CASABLANCA EXPRESS 1989 8/24 2010 DVD
CHINA WHITE (H.K.) 1989 IMPERIAL 1/19 1998 TAPE
COLD HEART 1989 HBO 11/22 2010 HBO2
CYBER-CHIC 1989 FITZGERALD 6/26 1995 USA
DANCE TO WIN 1989 MGM/UA 4/2 1996 TMC
DEVIL HUNTERS (H.K.) 1989 JIA’S MOTION PICTURE 6/21 1998 TAPE
DIGGIN’ UP BUSINESS 1989 CURB ESQUIRE 5/14 1997 55
DOMINION TANK POLICE FORCE PT 1 (JAP.) 1989 2/11 1995 TMC
DRUGSTORE COWBOY 1989 AVENUE 3/18 1995 TMC
DRY WHITE SEASON 1989 MGM 7/20 1996 TNT
EASY WHEELS 1989 NEW STAR 4/22 1995 7
EVERSMILE, NEW JERSEY 1989 12/5 1995 BRAVO
FAVORITE, THE 1989 ASCONA 12/20 1996 11
FOR ALL MANKIND (DOC.) 1989 10/10 2018 TCM
FRIGHT NIGHT PT. 2 1989 NEW CENTURY VISTA 5/6 1997 TMC
GEORGIA (AUSTRALIAN) 1989 JETHRO 7/4 1996 TMC
GODZILLA VS. BIOLLANTE (JAP.) 1989 TOHO 6/10 1995 TAPE
HORROR SHOW 1989 UA XXX XXX 12/26 2002 MYST
IN COUNTRY 1989 WB 10/30 1997 9
KILL ME AGAIN 1989 MGM XXX XXX 5/22 2006 MYST
KILLER ANGELS (H.K.) 1989 D&B 10/11 1998 TAPE
LAS VEGAS BLOOD BATH 1989 SCHWARTZ KILBY 10/24 2011 DVD
LASER MISSION 1989 AVALANCHE HOME ENT. 5/31 2012 DVD
MEET THE FEEBLES (N.Z.) 1989 GREYCAT XXX XXX 12/13 2001 SUND
MISS FIRECRACKER 1989 CORSAIR 4/9 1995 55
MYSTERY TRAIN 1989 ORI 3/15 1996 TMC
NIGHT CLUB 1989 CROWN INTL 5/10 2012 DVD
NIGHT SHADOW 1989 COHLAN/TEMPE PRODS. 4/30 2013 DVD
RESTORATION 1989 12/18 1995 TMC
RETURN OF SWAMP THING 1989 ITC 8/12 1995 USA
RETURN OF THE MUSKETEERS 1989 UNI 1/21 1995 USA
SEE YOU IN THE MORNING 1989 WB 2/3 1998 STZ
SINBAD OF THE SEVEN SEAS 1989 CANNON XXX XXX 12/22 2000 MAX
SING 1989 TRI LORRAINE BRACCO 7/26 2001 ENC
SLACKERS 1989 ORI CLASSICS 1/8 1996 BRAVO
SONNY BOY 1989 TRANS WORLD DAVID CARRADINE 8/17 2004 MAX
SPIES, LIES AND ALIBIS 1989 VESTRON 1/18 1996 11
SURVIVAL QUEST 1989 ,MGM 2/3 1997 TMC
TO DIE FOR 1989 GREG H. SIMS 1/13 1997 SCI
TORRENTS OF SPRING 1989 8/21 1996 55
TURN ON, THE 1989 CONCORDE 12/4 1995 TMC
VALMONT 1989 ORI 10/22 1995 BRAVO
WAIT UNTIL SPRING BANDINI 1989 ORI 11/25 1997 TMC
WHEN THE WHALES CAME (U.K.) 1989 FOX 12/14 2010 MAX
WICKED STEPMOTHER 1989 MGM 10/29 1995 TNT
WIZARD, THE 1989 UNI 6/6 2009 WAM
Field of Dreams was my best film of the year.
Hey Dan.
1. Bowing to your awesomeness in seeing movies made in 1989.
2. I have seen 112 of the movies…..but that is way behind you.
3. By my calculations I only saw 14 of these movies in theaters….so you destroy me there.
4. Back then I was not a Kevin Costner fan….so I was routing against Field of Dreams succeeding….however….when I finally saw the movie….I was won over….and realized it’s greatness.
5. Thanks as always for sharing this information.
I have seen 17 movies from 1989. Not all of them did I see when they were originally released, but when I was older.
The HIGHEST rated movie I have seen is Driving Miss Daisy.
The highest rated movie I did NOT see is The Little Mermaid. A lot of my friends saw it, but for some reason I was not interested in seeing it.
The LOWEST rated movie I have seen is Star Trek V: The Final Frontier.
Top 10 Movies I Have Seen:
Driving Miss Daisy
Dead Poets Society
Born on the Fourth of July (I was for a long time a big fan of Tom Cruise)
When Harry Met Sally
The War of the Roses
Batman (saw for Nicholson and had hoped that Adam West would have a cameo-no)
Top 20 Movies I Have Seen:
Field of Dreams
Back to the Future Part II
Steel Magnolias
My Left Foot
After that my percentage drops off dramatically.
Favourite Movies of 1989:
Back to the Future Part II
Driving Miss Daisy
Field of Dreams
Dead Poets Society
When Harry Met Sally
The Fabulous Baker Boys
Star Trek V: The Final Frontier
Other 1989 Movies I’ve Seen Not in the Top 20 or a Favourite:
Do The Right Thing
Major League
Always (prefer the original A Guy Named Joe)
Licence to Kill
Casualties of War (big fan of Michael J. Fox which is why I saw this)
Michael J. Fox has been in the news again for his deteriorating health. He’s had a spinal cord issue for which he had to have surgery and he has been falling. He recently broke his arm in a fall.
Hey Flora….thanks for the visit, tally and comment. This wraps up the 1980 decade…that is 6 full decades done….a long ways since we decided to do a 1946 yearly review back in our HubPages days. Overall, I have seen 112 of these movies. I would have guessed the under of 17 for you. By 1989….you were probably starting to make up your mind about the movies you wanted to see and those you had no interest in seeing.
Gotta admit, that I would have never guessed that you had not seen The Little Mermaid. I like you saw Star Trek 5…..the movie that almost killed the franchise…poor Billy Shatner….finally got to direct…glad you enjoyed it….I feel it is better than what many think. Of the ones you missed in the Top 20….Always would be my favorite….Dreyfuss, Hunter, Goodman, Hepburn and Spielberg….what a group of talented people.
Seen all of your favorites….Back To The Future is a fun movie…..just not as good as the first part. When Harry Met Sally is a comedy classic….and it is aging very well. Good stuff.
I saw the sad news about Michael J. Fox. Hopefully, things will get better for him.
HI BRUCE 1989 has always been a key movie year for me because that was the year in which, after a 9 year absence, The Great Mumbler crumbled under the pressure from guys like Joel and was shamed into returning to the screen to pay for his keep in the film A Dry White Season.*** You give the film a solid 75% rating but unfortunately don’t give the King of Method any credit for it in the table above even though he received a supporting actor nom for the movie.
***Followers of The Master should perhaps note that Mr Mumbles did not charge his usual exorbitant fee for Dry White but because he approved of the film’s political theme accepted instead a fee that was “to union scale for the average actor”.
I have seen almost 50% of the Top 30 best reviewed movies in the table – 13 to be precise – and these are the ones I liked best outside that Top 30:
Licence to Kill
Sex Lies and Videotape
Fabulous Baker Boys
Next of Kin
Scandal
Blue Steel
Dead Calm
Let it Ride
Relentless
The final-named movie is the last one that I can remember seeing our mutual favourite Judd Nelson appearing in.
“Voted Up!”
Hey Bob.
1. Great comment on our 1989 page.
2. Brando not listed on A Dry White Season….hmmmm…that was not done on purpose….currently the database is uploading (thank you Henry Hathaway)….so I can not fix that error….but I will try and remember to give Marlon his proper credit.
3. I liked Brando’s role in that movie….I wish it had been larger…..but you can not have everything.
4. I have seen 27 of the Top 30 reviewed movies.
5. Looking at your list of favorites…..I have seen them all….I really enjoyed Let It Ride and Relentless. Relentless was the last Nelson “starring role” I saw in theaters…..oh those were the days…lol.
6. My Top 10 for this year would include Dead Poets Society, Let It Ride, Parenthood, Tango and Cash (guilty pleasure), Glory, Indy 3, Say Anything, Batman, Christmas Vacation and The Burbs.
Good feedback.
HI BRUCE Thanks for your response to my own post and for sharing your personal 1989 faves with us. No way were they going to give Mr Mumbles that 1989 Oscar after the manner in which he threw the Godpop one in their face.
A joke at the time was that Bob Hope put it under his coat and ran off with it. This was a play on the 1949 Lemon Drop Kid in which Hope’s Damon Runyon con-man character, standing broke and freezing in the snow, steals the tiny fur coat of a posh little Asta type dog and uses it as a vest!
Also Leslie Townes Hope was always jokingly complaining about not getting Oscar Love and in fact there are photos on the internet of Hope and Brando playfully wrestling for possession of Marlon’s 1954 On the Waterfront Oscar.
In one episode of Bob’s TV show he is sleeping and clutching a vase which he’s dreaming is an Oscar and he twitches about clutching it and wrestling with an invisible opponent and says in his sleep “You can’t have it Marlon. You’ve got your own!”
I always thought it was sad what ultimately happened between Leslie and The Great Mumbler because they were once such friendly acquaintances, even appearing together at social functions but they ending up falling out and saying nasty things in the press about each other. I think that it was disagreement about politics that caused the rift, Bob being a Republican and Marlon perceived as “hard left” Democrat. Lesson, Teach – if you’ve a good friend with the opposite political persuasion to yours, don’t go there!
As you say about Judd Nelson those indeed were the days, but as another saying goes “Time waits for no man.” If the Breakfast Club was remade today with the same cast it would sadly have to be called The Darby and Joan Club!