r/boxoffice • u/SanderSo47 A24 • Sep 10 '22
Original Analysis CinemaScore Analysis – 1987 Edition
Link to the previous editions:
1980s: 1982 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989
1990s: 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999
2000s: 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009
2010s: 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019
2020s: 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023
In this post, I kept track of every 1987 movie's CinemaScore (at least, the ones that got it). I plan to post for each subsequent year until 2022, all posted during the weekends. My intention is to see the evolution of each year and how the grades can either help or damage a movie's legs.
I plan to delve into each year and each movie that got a grade. While CinemaScore was founded in 1979, we didn't get a grade until 1982 and we didn't get full information until 1986.
Before starting, some notes:
This list is based on multipliers/legs. In this case, domestic total/domestic opening weekend = multiplier/legs.
The opening weekend is based on its first wide release (600+ theaters).
If a movie never makes it past 600 theaters, then its biggest weekend number will be used.
The figures are all taken from The Numbers and Box Office Mojo.
Despite that, there's some missing data on the number of weeks a movie spent in theaters. Some movies here stopped reporting weekend totals after just 2 weeks or even just one. Thankfully, their domestic totals are still intact so we still have their final domestic number. Just note that the amount of weeks do not fully represent the movie's run.
In 1987, 103 movies received CinemaScores (1986 had 95). How did it go?
A+
Only one movie (0.97%) managed to get the rare A+. Generally, this indicates exceptional word of mouth and guarantees a long and healthy run. Of course, the bigger a movie opens, the weaker legs will turn out to be. This movie averaged a 6.89x multiplier. In comparison, 1986 had one movie with a 6.50x average multiplier.
| No. | Movie | Date | Studio | Domestic Opening | Domestic Total | Budget | Weeks in theaters | Multiplier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Princess Bride | Sep/25 | Fox | $4,480,140 | $30,857,000 | $16M | 12 | 6.89x |
A
8 movies (7.76%) managed to get the grade. A step down from the rare A+, but it still indicates strong word of mouth. These movies averaged a 9.96x multiplier. In comparison, 1986 had 8 movies with a 13.07x average multiplier.
| No. | Movie | Date | Studio | Domestic Opening | Domestic Total | Budget | Weeks in theaters | Multiplier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fatal Attraction | Sep/18 | Paramount | $7,602,740 | $156,645,693 | $14M | 30 | 20.60x |
| 2 | Hope and Glory | Oct/16 | Columbia | $760,653 | $10,021,120 | $9.3M | 26 | 13.17x |
| 3 | La Bamba | Jul/24 | Columbia | $5,651,990 | $54,215,416 | $6.5M | 13 | 9.59x |
| 4 | Lethal Weapon | Mar/6 | Warner Bros. | $6,829,949 | $65,192,350 | $15M | 13 | 9.54x |
| 5 | Roxanne | Jun/19 | Columbia | $4,582,398 | $39,148,164 | $12M | 15 | 8.54x |
| 6 | Cry Freedom | Nov/6 | Universal | $802,235 | $5,899,797 | $29M | 16 | 7.35x |
| 7 | Nuts | Dec/11 | Warner Bros. | $4,606,083 | $28,866,028 | $25M | 10 | 6.27x |
| 8 | The Living Daylights | Jul/31 | MGM | $11,051,284 | $51,185,000 | $40M | 10 | 4.63x |
A–
21 movies (20.38%) managed to get the grade. Generally, word of mouth will be good and indicates audiences like the movie, their expectations were met and nothing more. These movies averaged a 9.46x multiplier. In comparison, 1986 had 13 movies with a 9.54x average multiplier.
| No. | Movie | Date | Studio | Domestic Opening | Domestic Total | Budget | Weeks in theaters | Multiplier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dirty Dancing | Aug/21 | Vestron Pictures | $3,900,000 | $63,892,689 | $4.5M | 29 | 16.38x |
| 2 | Three Men and a Baby | Nov/25 | Disney | $10,384,392 | $167,780,960 | $11M | 27 | 16.15x |
| 3 | Moonstruck | Dec/18 | MGM | $5,069,508 | $80,640,528 | $15M | 27 | 15.90x |
| 4 | Overboard | Dec/18 | MGM | $1,880,006 | $26,713,187 | $22M | 6 | 14.20x |
| 5 | The Last Emperor | Nov/20 | Columbia | $3,398,662 | $43,984,987 | $23.8M | 28 | 12.94x |
| 6 | Stakeout | Aug/7 | Disney | $5,170,403 | $65,673,233 | $14.5M | 14 | 12.70x |
| 7 | Adventures in Babysitting | Jul/3 | Disney | $2,901,297 | $33,790,923 | N/A | 14 | 11.64x |
| 8 | Good Morning, Vietnam | Dec/23 | Disney | $11,752,913 | $123,922,370 | $13M | 26 | 10.54x |
| 9 | Radio Days | Jan/23 | Orion Pictures | $1,522,423 | $14,792,779 | $16M | 7 | 9.71x |
| 10 | Broadcast News | Dec/16 | Fox | $5,449,920 | $51,249,404 | $15M | 17 | 9.40x |
| 11 | Outrageous Fortune | Jan/30 | Disney | $6,404,783 | $52,864,741 | N/A | 10 | 8.25x |
| 12 | The Untouchables | Jun/3 | Paramount | $10,023,094 | $76,270,454 | $25M | 18 | 7.61x |
| 13 | Harry and the Hendersons | Jun/5 | Universal | $4,154,740 | $29,760,613 | $10M | 5 | 7.16x |
| 14 | RoboCop | Jul/17 | Orion Pictures | $8,008,721 | $53,424,681 | $13.7M | 18 | 6.67x |
| 15 | Can't Buy Me Love | Aug/14 | Disney | $4,754,732 | $31,623,833 | N/A | 8 | 6.65x |
| 16 | The Lost Boys | Jul/31 | Warner Bros. | $5,236,318 | $32,222,567 | $8.5M | 10 | 6.15x |
| 17 | Summer School | Jul/22 | Paramount | $6,012,274 | $35,114,428 | N/A | 11 | 5.84x |
| 18 | Beverly Hills Cop II | May/20 | Paramount | $26,348,555 | $153,665,036 | $27M | 20 | 5.83x |
| 19 | Project X | Apr/17 | Fox | $3,309,985 | $18,532,286 | $18M | 5 | 5.60x |
| 20 | Some Kind of Wonderful | Feb/17 | Paramount | $3,486,701 | $18,553,948 | N/A | 5 | 5.32x |
| 21 | Innerspace | Jul/1 | Warner Bros. | $4,739,913 | $19,816,619 | $27M | 3 | 4.18x |
B+
24 movies (23.30%) managed to get the grade. This is where things get interesting. Generally, it indicates average word of mouth. The audience didn't love it, but didn't hate it. For some niche movies, this should be a fine score. But for IP-driven movies, this should be concerning as fans are more biased to the movie itself. These movies averaged a 5.47x multiplier. In comparison, 1986 had 16 movies with a 6.05x average multiplier.
| No. | Movie | Date | Studio | Domestic Opening | Domestic Total | Budget | Weeks in theaters | Multiplier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Batteries Not Included | Dec/18 | Universal | $3,326,530 | $32,945,797 | $25M | 6 | 9.90x |
| 2 | Baby Boom | Oct/9 | MGM | $2,929,340 | $26,712,476 | $15M | 16 | 9.11x |
| 3 | The Secret of My Success | Apr/10 | Universal | $7,766,452 | $66,995,000 | $12M | 11 | 8.63x |
| 4 | No Way Out | Aug/14 | Orion Pictures | $4,259,460 | $35,509,515 | $15M | 13 | 8.33x |
| 5 | Empire of the Sun | Dec/11 | Warner Bros. | $2,914,509 | $22,238,696 | $25M | 7 | 7.63x |
| 6 | Full Metal Jacket | Jun/26 | Warner Bros. | $6,079,963 | $45,015,999 | $16.5M | 15 | 7.40x |
| 7 | Planes, Trains and Automobiles | Nov/25 | Paramount | $7,009,482 | $49,509,935 | $15M | 16 | 7.06x |
| 8 | The Witches of Eastwick | Jun/12 | Warner Bros. | $9,454,238 | $63,749,955 | $22M | 16 | 6.74x |
| 9 | Mannequin | Feb/13 | Fox | $6,001,208 | $38,018,000 | $7.9M | 8 | 6.34x |
| 10 | Tin Men | Mar/6 | Disney | $4,006,579 | $25,411,386 | $11M | 7 | 6.34x |
| 11 | Ironweed | Dec/18 | TriStar Pictures | $1,399,655 | $7,393,346 | $27M | 11 | 5.28x |
| 12 | Predator | Jun/12 | Fox | $12,031,638 | $59,735,548 | $18M | 15 | 4.96x |
| 13 | Like Father, Like Son | Oct/2 | TriStar Pictures | $7,189,452 | $34,377,585 | $10.5M | 11 | 4.78x |
| 14 | Best Seller | Sep/25 | Orion Pictures | $905,399 | $4,278,150 | N/A | 2 | 4.73x |
| 15 | The Running Man | Nov/13 | TriStar Pictures | $8,117,465 | $38,122,000 | $27M | 11 | 4.70x |
| 16 | Suspect | Oct/23 | TriStar Pictures | $4,152,015 | $18,782,400 | $14.5M | 8 | 4.52x |
| 17 | Burglar | Mar/20 | Warner Bros. | $4,509,754 | $16,337,355 | $12.5M | 4 | 3.62x |
| 18 | From the Hip | Feb/6 | De Laurentiis Entertainment Group | $2,645,437 | $9,518,342 | $9M | 4 | 3.60x |
| 19 | Someone to Watch Over Me | Oct/9 | Columbia | $2,908,796 | $10,278,549 | $12.8M | 5 | 3.53x |
| 20 | Hiding Out | Nov/6 | De Laurentiis Entertainment Group | $2,062,120 | $7,019,441 | $7M | 6 | 3.40x |
| 21 | Gardens of Stone | May/8 | TriStar Pictures | $1,645,588 | $5,262,047 | $13M | 4 | 3.20x |
| 22 | Over the Top | Feb/13 | Warner Bros. | $5,149,200 | $16,057,580 | $25M | 5 | 3.12x |
| 23 | Three O'Clock High | Oct/9 | Universal | $1,506,975 | $3,685,862 | $5M | 2 | 2.45x |
| 24 | The Monster Squad | Aug/14 | TriStar Pictures | $1,920,678 | $3,769,990 | $12M | 2 | 1.96x |
B
15 movies (14.56%) managed to get the grade. Another step down, which indicates word of mouth to be below average or middling. It could still hold on pretty well, but it's not guaranteed. These movies averaged a 4.90x multiplier. In comparison, 1986 had 21 movies with a 5.20x average multiplier.
| No. | Movie | Date | Studio | Domestic Opening | Domestic Total | Budget | Weeks in theaters | Multiplier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wall Street | Dec/11 | Fox | $4,104,611 | $43,848,100 | $16.5M | 8 | 10.68x |
| 2 | Raising Arizona | Mar/13 | Fox | $2,451,750 | $22,847,564 | $5.5M | 12 | 9.31x |
| 3 | Maid to Order | Jul/31 | New Century | $1,162,491 | $9,868,521 | N/A | 6 | 8.48x |
| 4 | The Big Easy | Aug/21 | Columbia | $3,027,308 | $17,685,307 | $8.5M | 7 | 5.84x |
| 5 | Blind Date | Mar/27 | TriStar Pictures | $7,531,273 | $39,321,000 | N/A | 10 | 5.22x |
| 6 | Fatal Beauty | Oct/30 | MGM | $2,693,714 | $12,046,526 | N/A | 3 | 4.47x |
| 7 | The Bedroom Window | Jan/16 | De Laurentiis Entertainment Group | $2,921,000 | $12,640,385 | $8.3M | 4 | 4.33x |
| 8 | Hamburger Hill | Aug/28 | Paramount | $3,360,705 | $13,839,404 | N/A | 6 | 4.12x |
| 9 | The Principal | Sep/15 | TriStar Pictures | $4,697,710 | $19,214,194 | $11M | 8 | 4.09x |
| 10 | Critical Condition | Jan/16 | Paramount | $5,715,701 | $20,240,502 | $14M | 4 | 3.54x |
| 11 | Prince of Darkness | Oct/23 | Universal | $4,657,401 | $14,182,000 | $3M | 3 | 3.05x |
| 12 | Who's That Girl | Aug/7 | Warner Bros. | $2,548,205 | $7,305,000 | $17M | 5 | 2.87x |
| 13 | No Man's Land | Oct/23 | Orion Pictures | $1,088,273 | $2,877,571 | $8M | 2 | 2.64x |
| 14 | Nadine | Aug/7 | TriStar Pictures | $2,188,857 | $5,669,831 | $12M | 2 | 2.59x |
| 15 | Wanted: Dead or Alive | Jan/16 | New World Pictures | $2,845,826 | $6,454,953 | $4.5M | 3 | 2.27x |
B–
16 movies (15.53%) managed to get the grade. Word of mouth is now extremely below average and indicates audiences are more disliking it. These movies averaged a 4.12x multiplier. In comparison, 1986 had 14 movies with a 4.67x average multiplier.
| No. | Movie | Date | Studio | Domestic Opening | Domestic Total | Budget | Weeks in theaters | Multiplier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Black Widow | Feb/6 | Fox | $3,426,831 | $25,205,460 | $10.5M | 8 | 9.71x |
| 2 | Spaceballs | Jun/24 | MGM | $6,613,837 | $38,119,483 | $22.7M | 11 | 5.76x |
| 3 | Dragnet | Jun/26 | Universal | $10,542,669 | $57,387,000 | $20M | 15 | 5.44x |
| 4 | Angel Heart | Mar/6 | TriStar Pictures | $3,688,721 | $17,185,000 | $18M | 5 | 4.66x |
| 5 | The Believers | Jun/10 | Orion Pictures | $4,347,732 | $18,753,438 | $13M | 2 | 4.31x |
| 6 | Born in East L.A. | Aug/21 | Universal | $4,359,040 | $17,355,263 | N/A | 4 | 3.98x |
| 7 | Creepshow 2 | May/1 | New World Pictures | $3,584,077 | $14,000,000 | $3.5M | 6 | 3.91x |
| 8 | The Hidden | Oct/30 | New Line Cinema | $2,492,618 | $9,747,988 | N/A | 7 | 3.91x |
| 9 | Back to the Beach | Aug/7 | Paramount | $3,265,660 | $12,208,754 | $12M | 5 | 3.74x |
| 10 | Hello Again | Nov/6 | Disney | $5,712,892 | $20,419,446 | N/A | 6 | 3.57x |
| 11 | The Fourth Protocol | Aug/28 | Rank Film | $3,636,831 | $12,423,831 | $6M | 6 | 3.42x |
| 12 | Police Academy 4: Citizens on Patrol | Apr/3 | Warner Bros. | $8,482,487 | $28,061,343 | $17M | 4 | 3.31x |
| 13 | Hot Pursuit | May/8 | Paramount | $1,507,645 | $4,215,859 | $4M | 3 | 2.80x |
| 14 | Made in Heaven | Nov/6 | Lorimar | $1,678,154 | $4,572,845 | $13M | 3 | 2.72x |
| 15 | Surrender | Oct/9 | Warner Bros. | $2,256,557 | $5,711,976 | $15M | 2 | 2.53x |
| 16 | Malone | May/1 | Orion Pictures | $1,377,691 | $3,000,000 | $10M | 2 | 2.18x |
C+
6 movies (5.82%) managed to get the grade. This is where generally horror movies get their ratings. For non-horror movies tho, you better hope it has a compelling premise or it will heavily drop. These movies averaged a 4.07x multiplier. In comparison, 1986 had 8 movies with a 3.65x average multiplier.
| No. | Movie | Date | Studio | Domestic Opening | Domestic Total | Budget | Weeks in theaters | Multiplier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Throw Momma From the Train | Dec/11 | Orion Pictures | $7,318,878 | $53,380,796 | $14M | 9 | 7.29x |
| 2 | Less Than Zero | Nov/6 | Fox | $3,008,987 | $12,396,383 | $8M | 6 | 4.12x |
| 3 | Ernest Goes to Camp | May/22 | Disney | $6,171,957 | $23,509,382 | $3.5M | 5 | 3.81x |
| 4 | Ishtar | May/15 | Columbia | $4,331,817 | $14,375,181 | $51M | 4 | 3.32x |
| 5 | House II: The Second Story | Aug/28 | New World Pictures | $2,573,934 | $7,800,000 | $3M | 2 | 3.03x |
| 6 | Wisdom | Jan/2 | Fox | $1,994,197 | $5,715,174 | $6.5M | 5 | 2.87x |
C
8 movies (7.76%) managed to get the grade. Even worse word of mouth, but these movies had some middling to outright terrible response. These movies averaged a 2.60x multiplier. In comparison, 1986 had 6 movies with a 3.90x average multiplier.
| No. | Movie | Date | Studio | Domestic Opening | Domestic Total | Budget | Weeks in theaters | Multiplier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Extreme Prejudice | Apr/24 | TriStar Pictures | $3,498,957 | $11,307,844 | $22M | 3 | 3.23x |
| 2 | The Pick-Up Artist | Sep/18 | Fox | $4,455,516 | $13,290,368 | $15M | 5 | 2.98x |
| 3 | Light of Day | Feb/6 | TriStar Pictures | $3,536,309 | $10,489,617 | N/A | 6 | 2.97x |
| 4 | Revenge of the Nerds II: Nerds in Paradise | Jul/10 | Fox | $7,900,879 | $22,642,033 | $10M | 3 | 2.87x |
| 5 | Superman IV: The Quest for Peace | Jul/24 | Warner Bros. | $5,683,122 | $14,522,355 | $17M | 3 | 2.56x |
| 6 | Dead of Winter | Feb/6 | MGM | $951,548 | $2,413,427 | N/A | 3 | 2.53x |
| 7 | Heat | Mar/13 | New Century | $1,354,375 | $2,793,214 | $12M | 2 | 2.06x |
| 8 | The Squeeze | Jul/20 | TriStar Pictures | $1,380,800 | $2,228,951 | $22M | 2 | 1.61x |
C–
3 movies (2.91%) managed to get the grade. The future is not bright here. These movies averaged a 2.94x multiplier. In comparison, 1986 had 5 movies with a 4.46x average multiplier.
| No. | Movie | Date | Studio | Domestic Opening | Domestic Total | Budget | Weeks in theaters | Multiplier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Sicilian | Oct/23 | Fox | $1,720,351 | $5,406,879 | $16.5M | 3 | 3.14x |
| 2 | Jaws: The Revenge | Jul/17 | Universal | $7,154,890 | $20,763,013 | $23M | 3 | 2.90x |
| 3 | Flowers in the Attic | Nov/20 | New World Pictures | $5,020,317 | $14,000,000 | N/A | 4 | 2.79x |
D+
Only one movie (0.97%) managed to get the grade. Even for horror movie standards, this is outright toxic word of mouth. This movie averaged a 3.50x multiplier. In comparison, 1986 had 3 movies with a 3.17x average multiplier.
| No. | Movie | Date | Studio | Domestic Opening | Domestic Total | Budget | Weeks in theaters | Multiplier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Leonard Part 6 | Dec/18 | Columbia | $1,316,337 | $4,615,255 | $24M | 3 | 3.50x |
1987 DOMESTIC TOP TEN
| No. | Movie | Date | Studio | Domestic Opening | Domestic Total | Budget | Grade | Multiplier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Three Men and a Baby | Nov/25 | Disney | $10,384,392 | $167,780,960 | $11M | A– | 16.15x |
| 2 | Fatal Attraction | Sep/18 | Paramount | $7,602,740 | $156,645,693 | $14M | A | 20.60x |
| 3 | Beverly Hills Cop II | May/20 | Paramount | $26,348,555 | $153,665,036 | $27M | A– | 5.83x |
| 4 | Good Morning, Vietnam | Dec/23 | Disney | $11,752,913 | $123,922,370 | $13M | A– | 10.54x |
| 5 | Moonstruck | Dec/18 | MGM | $5,069,508 | $80,640,528 | $15M | A– | 15.90x |
| 6 | The Untouchables | Jun/3 | Paramount | $10,023,094 | $76,270,454 | $25M | A– | 7.61x |
| 7 | The Secret of My Success | Apr/10 | Universal | $7,766,452 | $66,995,000 | $12M | B+ | 8.63x |
| 8 | Stakeout | Aug/7 | Disney | $5,170,403 | $65,673,233 | $14.5M | A– | 12.70x |
| 9 | Lethal Weapon | Mar/6 | Warner Bros. | $6,829,949 | $65,192,350 | $15M | A | 9.54x |
| 10 | The Witches of Eastwick | Jun/12 | Warner Bros. | $9,454,238 | $63,749,955 | $22M | B+ | 6.74x |
See you tomorrow for the 1988 Edition.
10
u/Chaisa Sep 10 '22
It's interesting that the one A+ underperformed at the BO. Of course it became a major cult classic, but yeah I would've expected a much higher gross from The Princess Bride given the CinemaScore.
2
u/JediJones77 Amblin Sep 10 '22
I'm guessing because of the title it was perceived as a chick flick. Like Supergirl in 1984, boys wouldn't be caught dead going to a movie with a female lead back then. You could not get away with showing up to school and talking about how you loved a movie called Princess Bride.
6
Sep 10 '22
Interesting the A movies averaged more than double the multiplier of the lone A+. I’m also shocked Dirty Dancing got an A-.
3
u/JediJones77 Amblin Sep 10 '22
You wrote that Princess Bride averaged a 4.21x multiplier, but the grid says 6.89x.
In theaters I saw The Living Daylights, Project X, Batteries Not Included and Spaceballs. Pretty early in the home video run, I saw Roxanne, Three Men and a Baby, Adventures in Babysitting, The Untouchables, Summer School, Innerspace, Baby Boom, Planes, Trains and Automobiles and Predator.
3
u/coldbluelights Sep 10 '22 edited Sep 10 '22
Flowers in the Attic (1987) deviated from the book too much. If I remember elements were removed/toned down and the ending was different. Didn't realize it was that disliked on its release though.
3
u/SlidePocket Sep 10 '22
Another C+ graded film managed to beat expectations following opening weekend in Throw Momma from the Train.
4
u/JediJones77 Amblin Sep 10 '22
I was really surprised how low that and Wall Street scored. They had huge cultural impact at the time. Everyone heard of those films.
0
Sep 10 '22 edited Sep 10 '22
If you are doing a domestic top 10, you could also include highest grossing films by Cinemascore, sorted by box office.
The current top 10 includes 8 "A" range movies and 2 "B" range movies. Both "B" movies have a B+ score. Of the "A" range movies, none of them are A+, 2 are A, and 6 are A-
•
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