7 Hit Movies That Ruled the Box Office in the '70s
The 1970s transformed American cinema, producing everything from horror classics to space adventures to epic crime dramas to retro musicals. Let's take a look at the seven most popular movies of the decade, ranked by worldwide box office earnings.
1. 'Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope' (1977) — $775.4 million
Far and away the highest-grossing film of the 1970s, the original "Star Wars" launched one of the biggest franchises in film history. Actors Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, and Harrison Ford formed an unlikely trio to fight against an evil empire in the depths of outer space.
This epic space opera won a whopping seven Academy Awards®, including Best Visual Effects and Best Original Score.
Did you know?
- The iconic opening text crawl was filmed simply by slowly moving the camera over yellow letters positioned on a black background.
- The studio originally hired Harrison Ford as an on-set carpenter — not an actor — before realizing he perfectly embodied the character of Han Solo and giving him a life-changing promotion.
2. 'Jaws' (1975) — $477.2 million
Certainly, no movie ever terrified a generation of swimmers the way "Jaws" did. When the summer blockbuster hit the big screen on June 20, 1975, audiences watched in horrified delight as a giant man-eating shark terrorized a New England beach town and shark hunters set out to capture the giant beast.
"Jaws" went on to win three Oscars®, including Best Film Editing and Best Original Score.
Did you know?
- Young director Steven Spielberg had a particularly scary mishap while filming — at one point, a boat pinned him to the bottom of the ocean. He nearly drowned.
- The mechanical shark, "Bruce," malfunctioned constantly during filming, causing great stress to the directors, cast, and crew in this pre-CGI age.
3. 'The Exorcist' (1973) — $441.3 million
Premiering in 1973, this classic supernatural horror film starred Linda Blair as a possessed little girl. As two priests attempted to exorcise the demon inside her, audiences hid their eyes as the girl writhed, twisted, and spun her head — truly unlike anything movie-goers had seen on the big screen before.
"The Exorcist" ended up winning two Academy Awards, including Best Adapted Screenplay.
Did you know?
- The movie was deemed so scary that some movie theaters actually provided "Exorcist barf bags" for patrons.
- If Linda Blair's bedroom looks cold in the movie, that's because it really was. The studio kept the bedroom set at near-freezing temperatures to simulate a realistic situation.
4. 'Grease' (1978) — $396.2 million
In 1978, this 1950s romantic-comedy musical sent a shockwave across radio waves, as well as the big screen, with its killer soundtrack. Audiences fell in love with cool greaser Danny (John Travolta) and good girl Sandy (Olivia Newton-John), as they sang and danced their way through the ups and downs of high-school romance, struggling to reconcile their differences.
Although "Grease" never won an Oscar, it did earn a Golden Globe® for Best Original Song ("Grease").
Did you know?
- In the final carnival scene, Olivia Newton-John wears skin-tight vintage 1950s leather pants. The 20-plus-year-old zipper broke, so Newton-John had to be sewn into the pants for every take.
- During the movie's slumber party scene, Rizzo (Stockard Channing) references Elvis in her song "Look at Me, I'm Sandra Dee." Ironically, the cast filmed that scene on Aug. 16, 1977 — the day Elvis died.
5. 'Close Encounters of the Third Kind' (1977) — $306.8 million
In 1977, five simple musical notes attracted an ordinary man (Richard Dreyfuss) to visit a mysterious mountain. In the same way, director Steven Spielberg attracted audiences in droves to this science fiction film about humans coming into contact with UFOs — and if you've seen this movie, we bet you can sing those five notes right now.
"Close Encounters" walked away with two Academy Awards, including Best Cinematography.
Did you know?
- Although the movie's iconic five-note musical theme sounds simple, it actually took months to compose.
- "Close Encounters" popularized the famous camera shot now called the "Spielberg face," which is a close-up shot showing a character in awe.
6. 'Superman' (1978) — $300.4 million
In 1978, Christopher Reeve stole the screen in his iconic dual role as Clark Kent/Superman. When a young orphan boy from Krypton lands on Earth after his planet explodes, no one suspects he will grow up to become a superhero. Movie patrons loved watching Superman teach Lois Lane (Margot Kidder) how to fly and then save the world from the dastardly deeds of the evil Lex Luthor (Gene Hackman).
The Academy nominated "Superman" for three Oscars, including Best Original Score by John Williams — but it resulted in no Oscar wins.
Did you know?
- Christopher Reeve had to put on 30 pounds of muscle to play Superman.
- Marlon Brando, who played the small cameo of Superman's father Jor-El, spent only 12 days filming on set — for which the studio paid him a whopping $3.7 million.
7. 'The Godfather' (1972) — $250.3 million
On March 14, 1972, director Francis Ford Coppola introduced the world to the Corleone family in his powerful mafia crime drama. With a sweeping musical score and epic overtones, this now-classic movie gave audiences a front-row seat as the aging patriarch of a crime dynasty transferred power to his reluctant son.
The Academy loved "The Godfather" and awarded the movie three Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Actor (Marlon Brando).
Did you know?
- The word "mafia" is actually never mentioned in the movie.
- Marlon Brando achieved the notable facial structure of Don Corleone by stuffing cotton balls in his cheeks.
Not only did these films dominate the box office in the 1970s; they continue to endure today as must-see classics, emphasizing their cinematic brilliance and timeless appeal.
References: 50 best movies from the 1970s | Top Lifetime Grosses | The 140 Essentials 1970s Movies | The 25 Greatest Movies of the 1970s, Ranked | Grease Trivia
