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The following is an overview of events in 1985 in film, including the highest-grossing films, award ceremonies and festivals, a list of films released and notable births and deaths.

Highest-grossing films (U.S.)

See also: List of 1985 box office number-one films in the United States

The top ten 1985 released films by box office gross in North America are as follows:

Highest-grossing films of 1985[1]
Rank Title Distributor Box-office gross
1 Back to the Future Universal $210,609,762
2 Rambo: First Blood Part II TriStar / Carolco $150,415,432
3 Rocky IV MGM $127,873,716
4 The Color Purple Warner Bros. $94,175,854
5 Out of Africa Universal $87,071,205
6 Cocoon 20th Century Fox $76,113,124
7 The Jewel of the Nile $75,973,200
8 Witness Paramount $68,706,993
9 The Goonies Warner Bros. $61,389,680
10 Spies Like Us $60,088,980

Context

The year was considered an unsuccessful one for film. Despite a record number of film releases, many films failed at the box office, and ticket sales were down 17% compared with 1984.[2][3] Industry executives believed the problem, in part, was a lack of original concepts.[4] Films about fantasy and magic failed, as audiences leaned towards science-fiction.[5][3] Janet Maslin said the fault for this lay partly with Steven Spielberg, who had created such a successful template with films like E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial and Close Encounters of the Third Kind that many fantasy films had imitated them.[6] There was also a saturation of youth-oriented films targeted at those under 18. Executives were not fond of these films, but the financial rewards were too significant to ignore. The few films aimed at older audiences, like Cocoon, were surprise successes.[3][7] Only Back to the Future and Rambo: First Blood Part II were successful blockbusters, earning more than double the box office of Cocoon.[3] Films offering escapism and pro-America themes like Rambo: First Blood Part II and Rocky IV had also fared well.[7]

The glut of youth-targeted films like Return to Oz and The Black Cauldron, and science-fiction comedies like Weird Science, Real Genius, and My Science Project had resulted in a string of failures. Executives said that the films were all very similar and marketed in the same way, offering no variety for audiences.[3][5]

Events

Awards

Category/Organization 43rd Golden Globe Awards
January 24, 1986		 39th BAFTA Awards
March 16, 1986		 58th Academy Awards
March 24, 1986
Drama Musical or Comedy
Best Film Out of Africa Prizzi's Honor The Purple Rose of Cairo Out of Africa
Best Director John Huston
Prizzi's Honor		 N/A Sydney Pollack
Out of Africa
Best Actor Jon Voight
Runaway Train		 Jack Nicholson
Prizzi's Honor		 William Hurt
Kiss of the Spider Woman
Best Actress Whoopi Goldberg
The Color Purple		 Kathleen Turner
Prizzi's Honor		 Peggy Ashcroft
A Passage to India		 Geraldine Page
The Trip to Bountiful
Best Supporting Actor Klaus Maria Brandauer
Out of Africa		 Denholm Elliott
Defence of the Realm		 Don Ameche
Cocoon
Best Supporting Actress Meg Tilly
Agnes of God		 Rosanna Arquette
Desperately Seeking Susan		 Anjelica Huston
Prizzi's Honor
Best Screenplay, Adapted Woody Allen
The Purple Rose of Cairo		 Richard Condon and Janet Roach
Prizzi's Honor		 Kurt Luedtke
Out of Africa
Best Screenplay, Original Woody Allen
The Purple Rose of Cairo		 Earl W. Wallace, William Kelley and Pamela Wallace
Witness
Best Original Score John Barry
Out of Africa		 Maurice Jarre
Witness		 John Barry
Out of Africa
Best Original Song "Say You, Say Me"
White Nights		 N/A "Say You, Say Me"
White Nights
Best Foreign Language Film The Official Story Colonel Redl The Official Story

Palme d'Or (Cannes Film Festival):

When Father Was Away on Business (Otac na službenom putu), directed by Emir Kusturica, Yugoslavia

Golden Lion (Venice Film Festival):

Vagabond (Sans toit ni loi), directed by Agnès Varda, France / U.K.

Golden Bear (Berlin Film Festival):

Die Frau und der Fremde (The Woman and the Stranger), directed by Rainer Simon, East Germany
Wetherby, directed by David Hare, United Kingdom

1985 films

By country/region

By genre/medium

Births

Deaths

Month Date Name Age Country Profession Notable films
January 5 Robert Surtees 78 US Cinematographer
5 John Paxton 73 US Screenwriter
11 Edward Buzzell 89 US Director
12 Paul Luty 52 UK Actor
13 Carol Wayne 42 US Actress
14 Jetta Goudal 93 Netherlands Actress
18 Wilfrid Brambell 72 Ireland Actor
18 Georgie Stoll 82 US Composer, Musical Director
25 Paul J. Smith 78 US Composer
February 4 John Wexley 77 US Screenwriter
6 Neil McCarthy 52 UK Actor
10 Wanda Tuchock 86 US Screenwriter
11 Henry Hathaway 86 US Director
11 Heinz Roemheld 83 US Composer
12 Nicholas Colasanto 61 US Actor
19 Dorothy Black 85 South Africa Actress
20 Clarence Nash 80 US Voice Actor
21 Ina Claire 91 US Actress
21 Louis Hayward 75 South Africa Actor
22 Alexander Scourby 71 US Actor
24 Joseph C. Wright 92 US Art Director
27 J. Pat O'Malley 80 UK Actor
27 David Huffman 39 US Actor
March 1 Alfred Zeisler 92 US Producer, Director
3 Connie Gilchrist 89 US Actress
3 Noel Purcell 84 Ireland Actor
5 Thomas Little 98 US Set Decorator
8 Edward Andrews 70 US Actor
19 Anthony Nelson Keys 73 UK Producer
21 Michael Redgrave 77 UK Actor
21 Michael Trubshawe 79 UK Actor
April 16 Scott Brady 60 US Actor
21 John Welsh 70 Ireland Actor
23 Kent Smith 78 US Actor
25 Richard Haydn 80 UK Actor
26 Albert Maltz 76 US Screenwriter
May 1 George Pravda 68 Czech Republic Actor
4 Harry Earles 83 US Actor
7 Dawn Addams 54 UK Actress
8 Susan Morrow 53 US Actress
8 Dolph Sweet 64 US Actor
9 Edmond O'Brien 69 US Actor
13 Selma Diamond 64 Canada Actress
13 Leatrice Joy 91 US Actress
14 Frank Westmore 62 ?? Makeup Artist
16 Margaret Hamilton 82 US Actress
17 Hugh Burden 72 UK Actor
20 George Memmoli 46 US Actor
22 Wolfgang Reitherman 75 Germany Animator, Director
22 Gerald Case 80 UK Actor
25 Robert Nathan 91 US Screenwriter
26 Harold Hecht 77 US Producer
30 Talbot Jennings 90 US Screenwriter
June 1 Richard Greene 66 UK Actor
7 Gordon Rollings 59 UK Actor
8 Charles LeMaire 88 US Costume Designer
9 Clifford Evans 73 UK Actor
10 George Chandler 86 US Actor
12 Dominique Laffin 33 France Actress
17 John Boulting 71 UK Producer, Director
17 Georgia Hale 84 US Actress
24 Valentine Dyall 77 UK Actor
28 James Craig 73 US Actor
July 3 Nelson Leigh 80 US Actor
7 Ewen Solon 67 New Zealand Actor
8 Phil Foster 71 US Actor
8 Victor Rendina 68 US Actor
9 Rafael Campos 49 Dominican Republic Actor
10 Arthur J. Ornitz 68 US Cinematographer
16 Elsie Wagstaff 86 UK Actress
17 Margo 68 Mexico Actress
19 Henry Mollison 80 UK Actor
20 Estelle Evans 78 Bahamas Actress
21 Alvah Bessie 81 US Screenwriter
23 Mickey Shaughnessy 64 US Actor
23 Tom Waldman 63 US Screenwriter
27 Michel Audiard 65 France Screenwriter, Director
28 Grant Williams 53 US Actor
August 1 Al Overton 73 US Sound Engineer
1 Joseph Walker 92 US Cinematographer
2 Bob Holt 56 US Actor
2 Frank Faylen 79 US Actor
7 Grayson Hall 62 US Actress
8 Louise Brooks 78 US Actress
8 Milton H. Greene 63 US Producer
10 Kenny Baker 72 US Singer, Actor
12 Patrick Hines 55 US Actor
13 Marion Martin 77 US Actress
14 Gale Sondergaard 86 US Actress
15 Lester Cole 81 US Screenwriter
24 Morrie Ryskind 89 US Screenwriter
28 Ruth Gordon 88 US Actress, Screenwriter
29 Evelyn Ankers 67 Chile Actress
29 Patrick Barr 77 UK Actor
30 Tom Howard 75 UK Special Effects Artist
September 4 Isabel Jeans 93 UK Actress
4 George O'Brien 86 US Actor
6 Johnny Desmond 65 US Actor, Singer
6 Jane Frazee 67 US Actress, Singer
10 Alexa Kenin 23 US Actress
11 William Alwyn 79 UK Composer
14 Julian Beck 60 US Actor
23 Harvey Parry 85 US Stuntman
24 Paul Mann 71 Canada Actor
26 Frank Bracht 75 US Film Editor
27 Lloyd Nolan 83 US Actor
28 L. B. Abbott 77 US Special Effects Artist
29 Arthur Krams 73 US Set Decorator
30 Simone Signoret 64 France Actress
30 Floyd Crosby 85 US Cinematographer
October 2 Rock Hudson 59 US Actor
6 Nelson Riddle 64 US Composer
8 Theresa Harris 78 US Actress
10 Yul Brynner 65 Russia Actor
10 Orson Welles 70 US Actor, Director, Screenwriter
11 Elwood Ullman 82 US Screenwriter
13 Francesca Bertini 93 Italy Actress
16 Franklin Milton 78 US Sound Engineer
21 Diane Thomas 39 US Screenwriter
22 Stefano Satta Flores 48 Italy Actor
24 Masaichi Nagata 79 Japan Producer
28 William Bramley 57 US Actor
29 John Davis Lodge 82 US Actor
30 Kirby Grant 73 US Actor
30 David Oxley 64 UK Actor
November 1 Phil Silvers 74 US Actor
6 Sanjeev Kumar 47 India Actor
9 Helen Rose 81 US Costume Designer
19 Jimmy Ritz 81 US Actor
19 Stepin Fetchit 83 US Actor
27 Harry Harvey Sr. 84 US Actor
December 3 Sam Gilman 70 US Actor
5 Howard Rodman 73 US Screenwriter
8 Jack H. Skirball 89 US Producer
11 Kathleen Ryan 63 Ireland Actress
12 Anne Baxter 62 US Actress
12 Phil Karlson 77 US Director
14 Bruce Weintraub 33 US Set Decorator
17 Harry M. Leonard 85 US Sound Engineer
22 Lawrence Hauben 54 US Screenwriter
23 Gina Kaus 92 Austria Screenwriter
26 Margarete Schön 90 Germany Actress
28 Renato Castellani 72 Italy Director, Screenwriter
31 Ricky Nelson 45 US Actor, Singer
31 Sam Spiegel 84 Poland Producer

Film debuts

References

  1. ^ "1985 Domestic Grosses". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 7 April 2014.
  2. ^ Canby, Vincent (December 29, 1985). "Film View; Vivid Joys Among The Vast Array Of Failures". The New York Times. Archived from the original on November 26, 2017. Retrieved August 28, 2020.
  3. ^ a b c d e Harmetz, Aljean (September 2, 1985). "A Bleak Summer For Movie Makers". The New York Times. Archived from the original on November 23, 2017. Retrieved August 28, 2020.
  4. ^ Harmetz, Aljean (July 3, 1985). "'Pale Rider' Heads List In Theaters". The New York Times. Archived from the original on August 10, 2020. Retrieved August 27, 2020.
  5. ^ a b Canby, Vincent (September 8, 1985). "Film: Season Preview; Even Wands Can't Create Magic At The Box Office". The New York Times. Archived from the original on November 22, 2017. Retrieved August 28, 2020.
  6. ^ Maslin, Janet (July 21, 1985). "Film View; Maverick Tales Add Spice To Summer". The New York Times. Archived from the original on November 25, 2017. Retrieved August 27, 2020.
  7. ^ a b Harmetz, Aljean (January 15, 1986). "Christmas Film Sales Set Record". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 24, 2015. Retrieved August 28, 2020.
  8. ^ "UPI Almanac for Saturday, Jan. 11, 2020". United Press International. January 11, 2020. Archived from the original on January 12, 2020. Retrieved February 3, 2020. …actor Aja Naomi King in 1985 (age 35)
  9. ^ "Sidharth Malhotra turns 30, ready for 'action'". The Times of India. 16 January 2015. Retrieved 10 September 2015.
  10. ^ "Damien Chazelle | Biography, Movies, & Facts". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved May 7, 2019.
  11. ^ "Romain Cogitore". Télérama (in French). Retrieved 1 July 2023.
  12. ^ "Emile Davenport Hirsch 03/13/1985". California Birth Index. Retrieved January 30, 2014.
  13. ^ "Monitor". Entertainment Weekly. No. 1252. 29 March 2013. p. 30.
  14. ^ Hooli, Shekhar H. (27 March 2018). "Ram Charan birthday: Rana, Kajal, others wish, share Rangasthalm star's rare photos". International Business Times, India Edition. Retrieved 9 November 2019.
  15. ^ Vanessa Oswald (15 July 2019). Gal Gadot: A New Kind of Action Hero. Greenhaven Publishing LLC. p. 94. ISBN 978-1-5345-6778-8.
  16. ^ Pulver, Andrew (4 April 2015). "A special intensity: How Carey Mulligan quietly grabbed Hollywood's attention". The Guardian. Retrieved 28 January 2022.
  17. ^ "Sonam Kapoor". Hindustan Times. 23 July 2013. Archived from the original on 11 December 2014. Retrieved 12 November 2013.
  18. ^ Hiatt, Brian (July 18, 2014). "Lana Del Rey – The Saddest, Baddest Diva in Rock". Rolling Stone. No. 1212. p. 44.
  19. ^ "I am only 23: Asin". The Times of India. 21 April 2009. Archived from the original on 21 October 2013. Retrieved 4 August 2013.

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