1975 Box Office Bonanza
Okay, so we've all seen Jaws. It was the highest-grossing movie of 1975 and the film that pretty much initiated the concept of the "blockbuster". But what about the other hit films released that year? (Did you know that there was another shark movie in theaters in '75?)
These are the 34 highest-grossing movies of 1975. How many of them have you seen (or even heard of)? Well, let's 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
There's a good chance that if you've seen The Rocky Horror Picture Show, it wasn't back in 1975. The film was released to negative reviews and—as you can tell by the $21,245 gross—middling 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 history—49 years).
20th Century Studios, The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)
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 don't hold a candle 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.
Stanley Bielecki Movie Collection, Getty Images
31: Farewell, My Lovely
Gross: $2,000,000
This neo-noir film, based on the similarly-titled novel by Raymond Chandler, 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).
30: Sharks' Treasure
Gross: $2,000,000
Yup, this is the other shark movie we referenced in the introduction. 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.
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).
Silver Screen Collection, Getty Images
28: Hard Times
Gross: $5,000,000
Charles Bronson is a mysterious drifter who gets into 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 Warriors, 48 Hrs).
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).
26: Bite The Bullet
Gross: $11,000,000
In case you thought Westerns weren't popular anymore by the 1970s, here is yet another film 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—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.
Gene Hackman - clips from all his movies by NZSachse
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.
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.
Twentieth Century, French Connection II (1975)
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 (1975) | Movie Trailer | Full HD | 1080p, MOVIE PREDICTOR
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.
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 Dancekings. Dancekings 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 Dancekings (Re-Mastered Burt Reynolds Classic), GATOR McKLUSKY 🐊
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.
Warner, Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974)
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.
Michael Ochs Archives, Getty Images
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 Sting. The 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.
SDASM Archives, Wikimedia Commons
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".
Warner Bros., Barry Lyndon (1975)
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 (Woody Allen, 1975) - The Execution [sub. espanol], Oskar G. Herrera
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.
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.
Gene Hackman - clips from all his movies by NZSachse
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?"
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 sequels: The Further Adventures of the Wilderness Family and Mountain Family Robinson.
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) | Official Trailer | MGM, Amazon MGM Studios
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).
Walt Disney Productions, The Apple Dumpling Gang (1975)
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 1975 Trailer HD, Screenbound Pictures
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 Sky. Based 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 Mountain (1975) ORIGINAL TRAILER, Unseen Trailers
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 (1975) Trailer #1, Rotten Tomatoes Classic Trailers
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.
Three Days of the Condor, Paramount Pictures
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).
Michael Ochs Archives, Getty Images
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.
Warner Bros., Dog Day Afternoon (1975)
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.
Shampoo (1975), Columbia Pictures
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.
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975), United Artists
1: Jaws
Gross: $260,000,000
Well, we all knew this was coming. 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).
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