POTD: Summer 1985 Was A Great Time At The Movies
July 4th weekendis always a bankable one at the box office. There’s always some kind of major release hitting the big screen to get people as they enjoy some time off for Independence Day, and people flock to theaters to see stuff they missed from the previous weeks or just to see something again with their friends and family.
This past weekend,Jurassic Worlddominated the box office for a fourth weekend in a row, edging out Pixar’sInside Outagain and keepingMagic Mike XXLandTerminator: Genisysdown as well. Those are some big offerings, but back in thesummerof1985, the line-up of movies available in theaters, according to a newspaper clipping, was both impressive and much different as far as the variety of offerings.
See the listing of 1985 summer movies below the jump!
The following clipping comes fromHouston Chronicle’sBayou City History blog(viaThe Verge):
It’s 1985 and it’s the July 4th weekend. What are we gonna see? And where?pic.twitter.com/vRd7Yj0Y0T
— BayouCityHistory (@BayouCtyHistory)July 21, 2025
As you can see, there were plenty of typical blockbusters in theaters, includingBack to the Future(which just celebrated its 30th anniversary this past weekend) andThe Goonies(both with the hand ofSteven Spielbergguiding them).Sylvester Stallonehad a sequel in theaters withFirst Blood: Part IIand his action colleagueArnold SchwarzeneggerhadRed Sonja. EvenJames Bondwas around withA View to a Killplaying at one theater.
On the non-action side, there’s also the single comedyFletch, featuring then massive comedy starChevy Chase, and the teen-gearedSt. Elmo’s Fire, which had only been in theaters for a week.
But then there’s some oddballs likeCocoon, Pale Rider, Prizzi’s HonorandEmerald Forest. These are the kind of movies that you don’t really see in wide release during the summer anymore.Prizzi’s Honorwent on to be an Oscar contender,Emerald Forestwon some BAFTAs andCocoonjust isn’t blockbuster material. As forPale Rider, it’s a Clint Eastwood movie, which likely had summer appeal in 1985, but westerns just aren’t made for that packed blockbuster season anymore.
This little clip just goes to show you how the box office and theatrical game has changed. Rambo, Fletch and James Bond had been in theaters since late May, and in blockbuster season today, those films would be gone, maybe only sitting in second-run theaters. There’s just so many more movies now each weekend, and screen space runs out quickly during the summer.
Summer didn’t used to be so overwhelming and crazy, and sometimes I miss the days when movies didn’t come and go so quickly from theaters. It used to take months for a film to leave the local multiplex, even during the summer, and now that’s just not the case. Now indies find themselves pushed out so a studio project can take over five screens, and that’s just show business. Just like Marty McFly, I think we need to get back to 1985.
