The Top-Grossing Movies Of 1975—Number 1 Was A Game-Changer

The Top-Grossing Movies Of 1975—Number 1 Was A Game-Changer


May 26, 2025 | Jesse Singer

The Top-Grossing Movies Of 1975—Number 1 Was A Game-Changer


Big At The Box Office In 1975

1975 was an important year in the history of film. Starting in '75, movies got bigger and bolder and one movie in particular changed the industry forever. But how many of these hits do you actually remember?

These are the 34 highest-grossing movies of 1975. How many of them have you seen (or even heard of)? Well, there's only one way to find out...

Note: The box-office grosses listed here are just what the film made in 1975.

33: The Rocky Horror Picture Show    

Gross: $21,245

To be fair, while lots of people have seen The Rocky Horror Picture Show—it probably wasn't back in 1975 though. The film was released to negative reviews and—as indicated by the $21,245 gross—not great ticket sales. However, the film picked up steam with midnight showings in 1976 and has become a cult classic that still plays in limited release (making it the longest-running theatrical release in film history49 years).

A screenshot of the movie The Rocky Horror Picture Show20th Century Studios, The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)

Advertisement

32: At Long Last Love   

Gross: $1,500,000   

Burt Reynolds and Cybill Shepherd starred in this Cole Porter jukebox musical written and directed by Peter Bogdanovich. And if you thought the initial reviews for Rocky Horror were bad—they look like high praise when compared to the awful things folks said about this one. It was so bad, Bogdanovich went so far as to take out ads in the newspaper apologizing for the movie.

Actors Burt Reynolds and Cybill Shepherd on the set of the movie 'At Long Last Love', 1975.Stanley Bielecki Movie Collection, Getty Images

Advertisement

31: Farewell, My Lovely    

Gross: $2,000,000

This neo-noir film, based on the Raymond Chandler novel, sees Robert Mitchum in the lead role as private detective Philip Marlowe (yes, the same Philip Marlowe character that Humphrey Bogart played in The Big Sleep almost 30 years earlier).

Fahr Zur Hoelle, Liebling, 1970er, 1970s, Farewell My Lovely, Film, Kriminalfilm, crime, Fahr Zur Hoelle, Liebling, 1970er, 1970s, Farewell My Lovely, Film, Kriminalfilm, crime, Robert Mitchum, Charlotte Rampling Detektiv Philip Marlowe (Robert Mitchum) soll im Auftrag von Mrs. Velmy Grayle (Charlotte Rampling) einen Mord aufklaeren., 1975. United Archives, Getty Images

Advertisement

30: Sharks' Treasure

Gross: $2,000,000

We are going to assume this isn't the shark movie most people remember from 1975. 

The film was written, produced, directed by, and starred Cornel Wilde—who supposedly had the idea for the film all the way back in 1969. However, he was unable to get anyone to finance the film until the success of Jaws.

But, unlike Jaws, Wilde's shark movie didn't become a Hollywood classic. Although, the Los Angeles Times did call it "crude, violent, energetic and usual". So, that's something.

Sharks' Treasure, US lobbycard, from left: Cornel Wilde, Yaphet Kotto, John Neilson, 1975LMPC, Getty Images

Advertisement

29: The Stepford Wives   

Gross: $4,000,000    

The film received mixed reviews at the time of its release, but has since become a cult classic and stands at a respectable 71% on Rotten Tomatoes (as compared to the 26% score for the 2004 remake starring Nicole Kidman).

American actresses Paula Prentiss (left), as Bobbie Markowe, and Katharine Ross as Joanna Eberhart, in 'The Stepford Wives', directed by Bryan Forbes, 1975.Silver Screen Collection, Getty Images

Advertisement

28: Hard Times

Gross: $5,000,000    

Charles Bronson is a mysterious drifter who enters the world of illegal bare-knuckle boxing during the Great Depression in this action sports drama that was also the directorial debut of Walter Hill (The guy who would go on to direct The Warriors and 48 Hrs).

Charles Bronson FactsHard Times, Columbia Pictures

Advertisement

27: Rooster Cogburn 

Gross: $8,000,000      

Did you know there was a Western starring John Wayne and Katharine Hepburn? Well, there is—and Rooster Cogburn is it. As movie buffs might've picked up on, Rooster Cogburn is the character Wayne played in his Oscar-winning performance in 1969's True Grit. This movie is a sequel to that film—although it was very much not as well received (Roger Ebert gave it a 1-star review). 

Rooster Cogburn 1975Rooster Cogburn Official Trailer - John Wayne, Katharine Hepburn Western Movie (1975) HD, Classic Movie Trailers

Advertisement

26: Bite The Bullet

Gross: $11,000,000    

In case you thought Westerns weren't popular anymore by the 1970s, here is yet another movie to prove you wrong. Starring Gene Hackman, Candice Bergen, and James Coburn, Bite the Bullet centers on a 700-mile cross-country horse race in 1906. 

Critics didn't all agree on this one—but most could agree on the amazing cinematography by Harry Stradling Jr—although when it came to the Academy Awards, they only nominated it for Best Sound and Best Music, Original Score.

Bite The Bullet (1975)Gene Hackman - clips from all his movies by NZSachse

Advertisement

25: Race With The Devil

Gross: $12,000,000    

Horror, action, and car chases—that's what audiences got with Race with the Devil, starring Peter Fonda, about two couples on the run from a satanic cult. The film cost less than $2 million to produce and was a modest success at the box office.

Kino. Vier im rasenden Sarg aka. Race with the Devil, USA, 1975 Regie: Jack Starrett Darsteller: Peter Fonda, Warren Oates, Loretta Swit. United Archives, Getty Images

Advertisement

24: French Connection II

Gross: $12,000,000    

Four years after the first one, Gene Hackman was back as Detective Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle in French Connection II—this time, under the direction of John Frankenheimer (the first film was directed by William Friedkin). 

While not as good as the first movie, French Connection II still earned mostly positive reviews and holds an 82% score on Rotten Tomatoes. And Hackman's performance is, once again, brilliant.

Screenshot from the film French Connection II (1975)Twentieth Century, French Connection II (1975)

Advertisement

23: The Eiger Sanction

Gross: $14,200,000 

While you've probably seen a whole bunch of movies directed by Clint Eastwood...have you seen The Eiger Sanction? Eastwood directed and starred in this action film about a former secret government assassin blackmailed into returning for one last gig.

The Eiger Sanction 1975THE EIGER SANCTION (1975) | Movie Trailer | Full HD | 1080p, MOVIE PREDICTOR

Advertisement

22: Breakout

Gross: $16,000,000

Charles Bronson had a nice year back in '75 with two films in the top 30. This vigilante action film starring Bronson was actually released in May of 1975, while the previously discussed Hard Times came out in October.

Charles Bronson FactsBreakout, Columbia Pictures

Advertisement

21: W.W. And The Dixie Dancekings

Gross: $17,000,000

When most film lovers think of a movie starring Burt Reynolds and Ned Beatty, there is only one film that comes right to mind...and it isn't W.W. and the Dixie DancekingsDancekings is not even close to as good a movie as 1972's Deliverance—but, to quote Burt Reynolds himself: "[the film] turned out wrong but it made a lot of money".

W.W. and the Dixie DancekingsW.W. And The Dixie Dancekings (Re-Mastered Burt Reynolds Classic), GATOR McKLUSKY 🐊

Advertisement

20: Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore

Gross: $17,600,000    

Martin Scorsese's follow-up to Mean Streets competed for the Palme D'Or at Cannes before being released across the country later in the year. The film earned Best Supporting Actress and Best Original Screenplay Oscar nominations, and Ellen Burstyn won Best Actress for her great performance as a mother traveling across the country looking for a better life for her and her son.

Portrait Photo of the American Actress Ellen Burstyn from the Movie Alice Doesn't Live Here AnymoreWarner, Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974)

Advertisement

19: The Adventure Of Sherlock Holmes' Smarter Brother

Gross: $20,000,000    

This musical comedy starred the great Gene Wilder as Sigerson Holmes (the titular "smarter brother"). Wilder also wrote the script and directed the film (his directorial debut). Considering that the film was a success, and how beloved Wilder was (and still is)—it's a little surprising how completely forgotten this movie is.

Gene Wilder points something out to Marty Feldman in a scene from the film 'The Adventure Of Sherlock Holmes' Smarter Brother', 1975Michael Ochs Archives, Getty Images

Advertisement

18: The Great Waldo Pepper

Gross: $20,000,000    

When it comes to collaborations between actor Robert Redford and director George Roy Hill, we all know, and love, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and The StingThe Great Waldo Pepper, on the other hand, is one that didn't get the same kind of love when it was released and hasn't picked up any steam in the decades since either.  

File:Redford in The Great Waldo Pepper.jpgSDASM Archives, Wikimedia Commons

Advertisement

17: Barry Lyndon

Gross: $20,000,000    

To quote Roger Ebert: "Stanley Kubrick's Barry Lyndon, received indifferently in 1975, has grown in stature in the years since and is now widely regarded as one of the master's best. It is certainly in every frame a Kubrick film: technically awesome, emotionally distant, remorseless in its doubt of human goodness". 

A visually captivating still taken from a pivotal moment in the film Barry Lyndon (1975)Warner Bros., Barry Lyndon (1975)

Advertisement

16: Love And Death

Gross: $20,123,742    

Woody Allen's satire on Russian literature comedy might not be one that most film goers think of when they think of his oeuvre, but it did okay at the 1975 box office and it has a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Love and Death 1975Love and Death (Woody Allen, 1975) - The Execution [sub. espanol], Oskar G. Herrera

Advertisement

15: Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs

Gross: $23,300,000

Disney re-released the film in theatres multiple times over the years—including in 1975. And even almost 40 years after its initial release, it still ended up one of the top-grossing movies of the year.

Bizarre eventsFlickr

Advertisement

14: Lucky Lady

Gross: $24,441,725    

Again, audiences got to enjoy Gene Hackman and Burt Reynolds, this time together—along with Liza Minnelli in the Stanley Donen-directed prohibition era comedy, Lucky Lady.

Lucky Lady (1975)Gene Hackman - clips from all his movies by NZSachse

Advertisement

13: The Hindenburg

Gross: $27,945,225 

The film holds a 33% Rotten Tomatoes score—and to quote from Roger Ebert's 1-Star review: "The Hindenburg is a disaster picture, all right. How else can you describe a movie that cost $12 million and makes people laugh out loud at all the wrong times?"

George Scott with others in a scene from the film 'The Hindenburg', 1975.Archive Photos, Getty Images

Advertisement

12: The Adventures Of The Wilderness Family

Gross: $28,819,175    

This family adventure movie sees Skip Robinson and his family move out of Los Angeles, California to a new home in the Rocky Mountains—where he builds a log cabin and the kids befriend wild animals. The film was successful enough that they made two sequelsThe Further Adventures of the Wilderness Family and Mountain Family Robinson.

The Adventures Of The Wilderness Family, poster, Robert Logan (rear), Susan Damante (front), 1975. LMPC, Getty Images

Advertisement

11: Rollerball

Gross: $30,000,000    

Director John McTiernan remade two Norman Jewison films. The first was an excellent remake of The Thomas Crown Affair. The second was a mediocre version of Rollerball. Although, to be fair—Jewison's Thomas Crown Affair was better than his Rollerball as well.

Rollerball 1975 ROLLERBALL (1975) | Official Trailer | MGM, Amazon MGM Studios

Advertisement

10: The Apple Dumpling Gang

Gross: $31,916,500

One review called The Apple Dumpling Gang"as cheerful and indistinguishable as rice pudding". Honestly we're not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing. But it does kinda put us in the mood for some rice pudding (if not the comedy-Western film itself).

Screenshot of Theodore and Amos from - The Apple Dumpling Gang (1975)Walt Disney Productions, The Apple Dumpling Gang (1975)

Advertisement

9: Tommy

Gross: $34,251,525

The Who's rock opera about a deaf, mute, and blind boy who becomes a pinball champion and religious leader was a hit on Broadway in 1969 and a hit at the theaters six years later. Starring Roger Daltrey and featuring Elton John, Eric Clapton, Jack Nicholson, Robert Powell, and Tina Turner—this is a must see for rock fans who somehow missed it all those years ago.

Tommy 1975Tommy 1975 Trailer HD, Screenbound Pictures

Advertisement

8: The Other Side Of The Mountain

Gross: $34,673,100 

If you're in the UK, you would know this movie as A Window to the SkyBased on the story of real-life ski racing champion Jill Kinmont—who had an accident during a race that changed her life forever—the film was nominated for a Golden Globe and inspired a 1978 sequel, The Other Side of the Mountain Part 2.

The Other Side of the MountainThe Other Side of the Mountain (1975) ORIGINAL TRAILER, Unseen Trailers

Advertisement

7: Funny Lady

Gross: $40,055,897

1968s Funny Girl is one of the greatest musicals of all time. The sequel is not. However, it still stars the brilliant Barbra Streisand and as The New York Times wrote,  "As long as Miss Streisand as Fanny is singing the blues, or singing anything else, Funny Lady is superb entertainment".

Funny Lady 1975Funny Lady (1975) Trailer #1, Rotten Tomatoes Classic Trailers

Advertisement

6: Three Days Of The Condor 

Gross: $41,509,797    

Robert Redford and Faye Dunaway starred in this political thriller that thrilled audiences to the tune of more than $40 million on just a $7 million budget. It also picked up an Oscar nomination for the editing and is rocking an 87% Rotten Tomatoes score.

Faye Dunaway FactsThree Days of the Condor, Paramount Pictures

Advertisement

5: The Return Of The Pink Panther

Gross: $41,833,347

Peter Sellers as Inspector Clouseau is one of the all-time greatest comedic characters in the history of cinema—and in this fourth film in the series, he's still going strong (after starring in the first two films, Sellers had turned down the role in the previous instalment, but came back for this movie).

Actors Peter Sellers and Christopher Plummer with actress Catherine Schell on set of the United Artists movie Michael Ochs Archives, Getty Images

Advertisement

4: Dog Day Afternoon

Gross: $46,665,856

While the highest grossing films of the year aren't always the best movies the year had to offer—in 1975, the audience got it right, at least with a couple of the ones they spent the most money going to see. One of those being the brilliant Dog Day Afternoon, which earned multiple Oscar nominations: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Film Editing.

Screenshot of John Cazale looking at side scared from - Dog Day Afternoon (1975)Warner Bros., Dog Day Afternoon (1975)

Advertisement

3: Shampoo

Gross: $49,407,734

Warren Beatty produced, co-wrote, and starred in this movie about a Los Angeles hairdresser juggling a number of female partners on Election Day 1968. The film picked up a Best Original Screenplay nomination—and, as you can see, took in the third highest box office of the year.

Warren Beatty factsShampoo (1975), Columbia Pictures

Advertisement

2: One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest

Gross: $108,981,275

Only two films grossed over $100 million in 1975—and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest was one of them. It also took home the Oscar for: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, and Best Screenplay–Adapted from Other Material.

Michael Douglas factsOne Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975), United Artists

Advertisement

1: Jaws

Gross: $260,000,000

Well, you probably knew this was coming. The film that pretty much created the term, "Blockbuster." Assuming Spielberg kept his money on a boat—he was going to need a bigger one after the smashing success of Jaws (sorry, I had to).

Screenshot of the movie Jaws (1975)Universal, Jaws (1975)

 


READ MORE

Nepo Internal
January 23, 2024 Eul Basa

These Nepo Babies Are Hollywood's Next Big Stars

With every generation of celebrities, the limelight will always shine on "nepo babies" first—these people were born into money, with their paths paved by the reputations of their distinguished relatives.
Musicianswithoscars Internal
January 24, 2024 Peter Kinney

From Stage To Screen: Musicians with Oscars

Though most people identify the Academy Awards with an actor’s accomplishments in film, several musicians have also won the coveted golden statuette.
Bloopers Internal
February 16, 2024 Eul Basa

10 Famous Movie Bloopers That Made The Final Cut

Sometimes, bloopers end up being unanticipated treasures that actually improve a film and add an element of realness to an otherwise cut-and-dry story.
Oscars Internal
February 20, 2024 Sammy Tran

10 Most Awkward Moments At The Oscars

The Oscars may be Hollywood's biggest night, but even it is not immune to shocking moments.
February 21, 2024 Sammy Tran

These 15 Films Were Behind-The-Scenes Disasters

From Toy Story 2 to Apocalypse Now to Titanic, some of the greatest films of all time have been behind-the-scenes disasters.
Thewiz Internal
February 22, 2024 Matthew Burke

The Dark Behind-The-Scenes Secrets Of "The Wizard Of Oz"

"The Wizard of Oz" is a timeless, cross-generational classic. But did you know that behind the film's bright and colorful scenes, there are some rather dark and hidden secrets?