Once assumed to be a time of year where it was difficult to bring in a larger audience, the rise of the summer season as the place to release many of the biggest blockbuster movie hopefuls of the year rose up in the 1970s thanks to the massive success of both Jaws and Star Wars, and became standard operating procedure through the 1980s. Huge hits like Raiders of the Lost Ark, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Ghostbusters, Back to the Future, and Top Gun were all summer releases, opening amongst an increasing onslaught of new movies throughout the summer months. And naturally, as franchise fever increased at the studios, there was also a fair amount of summer sequels included in the mix, such as Rocky III and IV, Aliens and multiple new entries for Star Wars and Superman.
But Summer 1989 brought things to a whole new level, as the amount of sequels released between May and August hit the double digits. And while some were small scale, like Fright Night Part 2 or Eddie and the Cruisers II: Eddie Lives!, several were huge releases, intended for – and in many cases achieving – blockbuster status. Even the very biggest movie of the summer, both in pre-release hype and eventual box office, while technically a “Part 1,” was also essentially continuing a franchise and reimagining it in a way that also would set the stage for what was to come in terms of familiar IP getting countless new versions. (We’re talking about Tim Burton’s Batman, folks.)
Summer 1989 brought things to a whole new level, as the amount of sequels released between May and August hit the double digits.
With the 35th anniversary of the Mega-Summer of 1989 here, we’re taking a look back at the biggest 25 films from that epic time, examining where the franchises on the list stood at the time and where they’ve gone since – both the ones already well underway and the series that began with a successful movie that summer. As you’ll see, there’s also a very healthy share of non-IP driven titles in the mix here as well, since this was a time where mid-budget, star-driven comedies and dramas were also thriving in a way that, regretfully, both studios and audiences have resisted in recent years by and large, especially in the streaming era.
Note that for box office, we’re focusing on domestic totals, not worldwide, because the international market was much more limited back then for many of these films. Also, it’s worth noting that back in 1989, the summer movie season was typically seen as kicking off Memorial Day weekend with a big movie – like, say, one about an archaeologist who carries a whip with him – though we’re going to include any movies that opened in May through August that year.
Batman
Release Date: June 23, 1989
Domestic Box Office Total: $251,188,924 (Adjusted for inflation: $635,159,554)
At the time: Directed by Tim Burton and starring Michael Keaton, Batman is a pivotal movie when it comes to comic book adaptations and the future it foretold for that medium providing such prime source material. But while, yes, this was the first movie in this particular Batman series, it’s also worth noting it was also pretty much an earlier version of a concept that has since become very normalized and expected: the reboot. Before 1989, not only was the 1960s Adam West Batman TV series the definitive live-action version, but West had starred in a feature film spinoff of the show in 1966, so Burton’s film was in fact the second Batman movie. And what a sensation it was, with one of the shrewdest marketing campaigns in history going over like gangbusters – a movie so cool, its early trailers and posters didn’t need to give you the title or any other text information except a familiar bat logo and the opening date: June 23. “Batmania” went wild and the risky venture of putting the director and star of Beetlejuice onto Batman worked out better than Warner Bros. could have hoped, becoming the year’s biggest film in the process.
What’s happened since: Three sequels to the 1989 movie would follow, with a revolving door of actors playing Batman, and Joel Schumacher taking over for Tim Burton for the final two installments. Of course, Batman was hardly finished on the big screen after that, returning in an even more successful Christopher Nolan trilogy starring Christian Bale, the ever-debated Zack Snyder/Ben Affleck version, and now a new incarnation starring Robert Pattinson from Matt Reeves, and yet another new version, set in James Gunn and Peter Safran’s new DCU, which is on the way in the Brave and The Bold movie. Batman Forever indeed.
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
Release Date: May 24, 1989
Domestic Box Office Total: $197,171,806 (Adjusted for inflation: $498,571,172)
At the time: Come on, it’s Indiana Jones! This was the third movie in an instantly beloved franchise with a title indicating you shouldn’t miss what sounded like the final installment (…never trust those titles). It also was very well received, with many feeling it was a return to form after the more polarizing aspects of the second film, 1984’s Temple of Doom. Audiences turned out in droves.
What’s happened since: George Lucas would bring the character to television in the 1990s for The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles (since not only retitled but drastically re-edited, in classic George Lucas style, into The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones). But the character would finally make his way back to the big screen years later in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, which was another big hit, yet a far more divisive movie than anything the series had experienced before, often mocked in the years that followed. Then, after another very long break, Harrison Ford would don the fedora one more time, now for what he absolutely insisted was the last time, for 2023’s Dial of Destiny – a genuine box office bomb in relation to its massive budget.
Lethal Weapon 2
Release Date: July 7, 1989
Domestic Box Office Total: $147,253,986 (Adjusted for inflation: $372,348,329)
At the time: A notable example of a breakout sequel, Lethal Weapon 2 followed up 1987’s hit original with a notably crowd-pleasing installment, getting a bit lighter and adding a popular new character (Joe Pesci’s Leo Getz) into the mix to bounce off of buddy-cop duo Riggs (Mel Gibson) and Murtaugh (Danny Glover). The result was a movie that more than doubled the box office of the first film. The film’s tagline – “The Magic is Back” – was a bit odd given the gritty action background of Lethal Weapon, but Warner Bros. found that box office pretty dang magical indeed.
What’s happened since: While Lethal Weapon 2 would remain the biggest hit in the series, two more hit sequels would follow in the next decade. There was also a three-season TV series version from 2016-2019, amongst continual talk that a fifth film with the original cast could happen. But between the passing of series director Richard Donner and Mel Gibson still being a risky proposition for a major studio film to center on, it feels like that’s on shaky ground, even with Gibson saying in recent years he planned to direct Lethal Weapon 5 himself.
Honey, I Shrunk the Kids
Release Date: June 23, 1989
Domestic Box Office Total: $130,724,172 (Adjusted for inflation: $330,550,828)
At the time: People thought Disney were making a huge mistake opening their family sci-fi comedy against the obvious juggernaut that was Batman, and yet Honey, I Shrunk the Kids proved there was room for another big hit that same weekend. And it, surprisingly, would be the most successful movie of the summer for the very busy Rick Moranis, despite him also having a big sequel out in theaters at the same time (as seen below).
What’s happened since: Though there was only one theatrical sequel, 1992’s Honey, I Blew Up the Kid, Honey, I Shrunk the Kids was a pretty viable title for Disney for years, including a third film with Moranis made for video, a theme park attraction, and a TV series with a different cast. More recently, there was going to be a legacy sequel series for Disney+, Shrunk, starring Josh Gad, that would also have seen Moranis return, but after many delays, the project was put on indefinite hold.
Ghostbusters II
Release Date: June 16, 1989
Domestic Box Office Total: $112,494,738 (Adjusted for inflation: $284,455,646)
At the time: Considering how popular Ghostbusters was, it was surprising it took five years to get a sequel, but it finally happened in 1989 – and it was another hit to be sure. But still, the response was mixed, and considering how much the Ghostbusters ruled 1984, the follow-up felt like a bit of an also-ran compared to much of what opened that summer. Still, cast member Rick Moranis probably had no complaints given one of the movies that overtook Ghosbusters II that summer was the one he was the main star in.
What’s happened since: Though there were appearances via animation and a video game (which include voice work from much of the original cast), the Ghostbusters would remain offscreen in terms of in live-action for many years… until 2016’s polarizing female-led reboot, which made money but not enough to justify its high budget. With a much lower budget, 2021’s return to the original continuity, the legacy sequel Ghostbusters: Afterlife, was profitable, leading to the recent Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire.
Dead Poets Society
Release Date: June 2, 1989
Domestic Box Office Total: $95,860,116 (Adjusted for inflation: $242,393,126)
At the time: The first of many “yeah, this would probably be a streaming movie now” entries on this list, Dead Poets Society had a big star in Robin Williams, but it was hardly the kind of movie he was best known for, and as an emotional coming-of-age drama – complete with a notably tragic third-act plot point – it’s not the kind of film you’d expect to be one of the summer’s biggest successes. But in 1989, those prep school kids and their inspiring teacher had folks lined up at theaters.
What’s happened since: As we know, this film kicked off the DPSCU, which we are now 52 movies into. Oh wait, no, that didn’t happen. But there was a stage adaptation of Dead Poets Society in 2016, starring Jason Sudeikis. Also, that Ethan Hawke kid has done pretty well for himself.
Parenthood
Release Date: August 2, 1989
Domestic Box Office Total: $95,527,843 (Adjusted for inflation: $241,552,936)
At the time: Remember when there were hit comedy movies playing in theaters all the time? No? Well, it’s true! And you’re about to see a bunch of them on this list, starting with this popular family-centric film, starring Steve Martin and directed by Ron Howard. A terrific ensemble cast – including Keanu Reeves fresh off the first Bill & Ted and a very young Joaquin Phoenix – also boasted Rick Moranis. Yes, the same Rick Moranis who was also in Honey, I Shrunk the Kids and Ghostbusters II. 1989 was the Summer of Moranis and all was right in the world.
What’s happened since: Universal soon looked to capitalize on Parenthood’s success with a 1990 half-hour TV series, but it was quickly canceled – though it is notable for including some familiar names from the future, with Joss Whedon in the writer’s room and Leonardo DiCaprio in the cast. They’d try again with an hour-long TV series in 2010 from Friday Night Lights’ Jason Katims, which would be much more successful and acclaimed, running for six years.
When Harry Met Sally…
Release Date: July 14, 1989
Domestic Box Office Total: $92,823,546 (Adjusted for inflation: $234,714,816)
At the time: There was no internet yet, but director Rob Reiner’s romantic comedy When Harry Met Sally… felt like a movie going viral before that was a thing, with its extremely endearing two leads (Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan) and memorable, truly funny and oft-repeated quotes like “I’ll have what she’s having.” Adored by critics and audiences alike, When Harry Met Sally… expertly used a platform release, adding more theaters as the weeks went on and letting the tremendously positive word of mouth turn it into a long-term blockbuster.
What’s happened since: Meg Ryan became a big movie star into the ’90s thanks to When Harry Met Sally… and screenwriter Nora Ephron would turn director and have a string of hits herself, a couple reteaming her with Ryan. But as for When Harry Met Sally… itself, only a 2004 stage production (starring Luke Perry and Alyson Hannigan) has ever done anything new with the material. But a remake, whether as a film or series, feels inevitable, as it’s too popular a title for it not to happen at some point.
Turner & Hooch
Release Date: July 28, 1989
Domestic Box Office Total: $71,079,915 (Adjusted for inflation: $179,733,590)
At the time: It was 1989, and Tom Hanks + Dog + Crimes = Profit. A memorable but easy to mock concept and title made this one the target of plenty of jokes from the get go, but despite a troubled set – during which clashes between Hanks and original director Henry Winkler (!) led to Winker being replaced mid-production – and weak reviews, the Disney-released Turner & Hooch was a big hit. Which is especially crazy, given this was a silly “cop teams up with a dog” buddy comedy that (spoiler alert!) ended with the dog being shot and killed by the bad guy!
What’s happened since: Like Parenthood, Turner & Hooch was instantly adapted for TV, with Disney producing a pilot in 1990 (with Back to the Future’s Tom Wilson in the Hanks role) that was passed on, though it did air as a TV movie. Decades later, in 2021, a Turner & Hooch series would debut on Disney+, this one a legacy sequel starring Josh Peck as the son of Hanks’ Turner – who we learned has passed away, as everyone behind the scenes must have accepted Hanks wouldn’t be guest-starring. The show was canceled after a single season and then removed from Disney+ in 2023, along with other underperforming titles during the recent purge so many streaming services have done with their own programs.
Uncle Buck
Release Date: August 18, 1989
Domestic Box Office Total: $66,758,538 (Adjusted for inflation: $168,806,500)
At the time: A nice dog days of summer hit for the late, great John Candy, this John Hughes comedy, about a wacky uncle taking care of his nieces and nephew, also introduced the world to a very talented child actor named Macaulay Culkin. Uncle Buck also stands out as one of the last films Hughes would direct himself after a string of iconic ’80s hits, as he stuck to writing and producing on most subsequent projects except for 1991’s Curly Sue.
What’s happened since: Hughes and Culkin would soon re-team, and find themselves with a genuine blockbuster, for Home Alone the following year. Meanwhile, Uncle Buck would be yet another example of a quick push for a series adaptation off a summer 1989 hit ending in failure, with the 1990-1991 CBS sitcom version, starring Kevin Meany, best remembered as a TV footnote thanks to the minor controversy around it including the phrase “You suck!” on network television for the first time. In 2016, Mike Epps would star in another TV series version, this one for ABC, which also was quick to be canceled. It seems the Buck stops with John Candy.
The Abyss
Release Date: August 11, 1989
Domestic Box Office Total: $54,222,310 (Adjusted for Inflation: $137,107,232)
At the time: Going in, 20th Century Fox had high hopes that lightning would strike for the third time for James Cameron’s follow-up to The Terminator and Aliens, centered on the discovery of alien life beneath the sea. But while certainly not a bomb, The Abyss was not the sensation Fox hoped for – especially following a notoriously difficult shoot which saw the film going over budget and over schedule and Cameron clashing with cast members and crew alike over his meticulous approach in the midst of long, nighttime shoots that were quite literally keeping everyone involved submerged underwater.
What’s happened since: Time has been kind to The Abyss, which has found a more appreciative audience as the years have passed, finally getting a long-desired 4K restoration in recent months, while solidifying the Special Edition that Cameron oversaw in the 1990s, which restored his original ending, as his preferred version. Time has been even kinder, of course, to Cameron himself and his career, as he rebounded from the hiccup of having his one “not really a big hit compared to cost” moment with The Abyss by following it with the smash hit Terminator 2: Judgment Day. Cameron would then go on to repeatedly reinforce that The Abyss unlocked a singular passion for filming massive scale, especially complex and difficult to make movies that are set on and under the water – except he’s now managing to turn them into some of the biggest hits in motion picture history.
Star Trek V: The Final Frontier
Release Date: June 9, 1989
Domestic Box Office Total: $52,210,049 (Adjusted for Inflation: $132,019,003)
At the time: With Star Trek: The Next Generation having found success on TV and the movie series, starring the original cast, coming off their biggest hit yet with Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, things were looking pretty good for Trek in 1989. But unfortunately, there would be a bump in the road with that summer’s Star Trek V. After Leonard Nimoy had done so well directing the third and fourth films, William Shatner wanted his turn in the director’s chair, and, well, things didn’t go so great for the man behind James T. Kirk. Critics and fans alike had issues with the film’s wildly uneven tone and broad humor, as well as its notably weaker effects than those in previous entries, and The Final Frontier ended up as the lowest-grossing film for the series at that time.
What’s happened since: Thankfully, the original cast would get the chance to return for a final installment, 1991’s far better received Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, before passing the torch to the Next Generation cast to take over the films for four adventures. Star Trek of course has continued on as a pop-culture juggernaut, with many additional TV series, plus another trio of films produced by J.J. Abrams that rebooted and recast the original series crew after the final Next Generation cast movie, 2003’s disappointing Star Trek: Nemesis, managed to dethrone Star Trek V as the lowest-grossing Trek film. (Fortunately, Star Trek: Picard Season 3 eventually gave that crew their own redemption as well.)
See No Evil, Hear No Evil
Release Date: May 12, 1989
Domestic Box Office Total: $46,908,987 (Adjusted for Inflation: $118,614,669)
At the time: Gene Wilder and Richard Pryor were long-time comedy royalty on their own, but by the point See No Evil, Hear No Evil opened, they had also established themselves as a dependable onscreen pairing, with the film marking their third team-up. This one featured Pryor as a blind man and Wilder as a deaf man who run afoul of murderous criminals and was, let’s just say, not very nuanced in its approach. Panned by critics, it was still a hit.
What’s happened since: Wilder and Pryor would do one more film together, 1991’s Another You, but this time the audience failed to show up.
The Karate Kid Part III
Release Date: June 30, 1989
Domestic Box Office Total: $38,956,288 (Adjusted for Inflation: $98,505,372)
At the time: Though 1984’s The Karate Kid was a big hit and its 1986 sequel made even more money, 1989’s The Karate Kid Part III felt like a bridge too far for many, with the trailer being greeted with unintended chuckles, perhaps because Ralph Macchio, then pushing 30, was still playing a teenager. Though it didn’t lose money, given its budget, it still dropped precariously from the previous films, and received notably harsh reviews for a series that had begun with an Academy Award nomination for Pat Morita’s performance.
What’s happened since: It was time for Macchio to hang up his headband – for the moment – but Sony would attempt a revival just five years later with Morita returning for The Next Karate Kid, joined by future Academy Award-winner Hilary Swank as his new student. After that movie bombed, a 2010 Karate Kid reboot with Jaden Smith and Jackie Chan would find much better success and prove the title still had life in it. But it was the 2018 debut of the series Cobra Kai that would really underline Karate Kid was here to stay. A legacy sequel to the original films, with Macchio and William Zabka joined by a young cast as the next generation of San Fernando Valley karate students, Cobra Kai would become a big hit, especially after it moved from YouTube to Netflix, bringing with it an entirely new crop of fans. Now, an upcoming 2025 Karate Kid film will not only once more have Macchio playing Daniel LaRusso, but also seemingly retcon the reboot into the original continuity (yes, that’s a bit confusing) as Jackie Chan’s Mr. Han will join Daniel to train a new Kid, played by Ben Wang.
License to Kill
Release Date: July 14, 1989
Domestic Box Office Total: $34,667,015 (Adjusted for Inflation: $87,659,461)
At the time: Already on its sixteenth installment, the long-running James Bond franchise was struggling more than usual in 1989, with Timothy Dalton’s second time as Bond still making money yet also standing out as the least profitable entry in the franchise – an undesired label it retains today.
What’s happened since: Though Dalton has his share of defenders for his brief run as James Bond – who often note he was somewhat ahead of his time, playing a darker and more brooding version in line with what Daniel Craig would do with the role to great success – the lukewarm reception of License to Kill would be followed by a then-unprecedented six-year break between entries due to legal disputes over the rights. By the time those issues were resolved, Dalton’s contract for a third movie had lapsed and he declined to return. When moviegoers next saw 007, in 1995, it was now Pierce Brosnan playing the role, finding a much larger audience from the get-go with GoldenEye. Four Brosnan films and five Daniel Craig films later, fans now wait to see who will take on the iconic role next.
Weekend at Bernie’s
Release Date: July 7, 1989
Domestic Box Office Total: $30,218,387 (Adjusted for Inflation: $76,410,603)
At the time: Critics scoffed but audiences turned up for the high-concept dark comedy Weekend at Bernie’s, which was about two guys (Andrew McCarthy and Jonathan Silverman) who find their boss’ dead body and then pretend he’s still alive for various wacky reasons. Hijinks ensue, with Terry Kiser giving a pretty fantastic physical performance as a dead man being turned into a prop. Doubling its budget, Weekend at Bernie’s was a low-budget success.
What’s happened since: Though the sequel, the cleverly titled Weekend at Bernie’s II, wouldn’t open until four years later, it picks up immediately after the original, with our heroes once more needing Bernie’s body for even more various hijink-related reasons – a body they then bring to the Virgin Islands, while once more pretending the perpetually grinning Bernie is still alive. As innately goofy as Weekend at Bernie’s is, the sequel took things to even broader places – Bernie becomes animated by voodoo! – in a manner that was too much even for those who loved the first, and this time it bombed, ending any chance for a Weekend at Bernie’s III. Which is probably for the best, given the title character is, if you’ll recall, a rotting corpse.
Road House
Release Date: May 19, 1989
Domestic Box Office Total: $30,050,028 (Adjusted for Inflation: $75,984,888)
At the time: A decent hit at the time – internationally it made about the same as in the US, ultimately quadrupling its relatively modest budget – the Patrick Swayze-led Road House wasn’t exactly a movie many were talking about in summer 1989. But the story of Dalton, the best damn bouncer you’ve ever met, did its job as far as giving action fans what they wanted…
What’s happened since: However, it was on VHS and cable that Road House would really find its audience and become a cult favorite. As the years went on, the fanbase around the film and an appreciation for its oh-so memorable dialogue – “Pain don’t hurt” – and action sequences would continue to grow. A 2006 direct-to-DVD sequel would focus on Dalton’s son before a 2024 reboot film from Amazon, from director Doug Liman (The Bourne Identity, Edge of Tomorrow), cast Jake Gyllenhaal as Dalton, with the action moved from Missouri to the Florida Keys.
Sex, Lies, and Videotape
Release Date: August 4, 1989
Domestic Box Office Total: $24,741,667 (Adjusted for Inflation: $62,562,098)
At the time: The first film from writer-director Steven Soderbergh, the decidedly adult-aimed and decidedly low-budget indie Sex, Lies, and Videotape was never the kind of movie you’d expect to find summer success, but an initial tiny release would eventually lead to it making a very healthy profit. Strong reviews and word of mouth propelled it into more theaters, with audiences looking to find out just what James Spader’s character is being told by the women he films talking about their sex life and fantasies.
What’s happened since: Soderbergh of course has had a fantastic and acclaimed career, jumping back and forth between independent fare and mainstream films like Ocean’s Eleven. Sex, Lies, and Videotape was also an important early film for its distributor, Miramax, helping prove their ability to find a larger audience for independent films – along with love from the Academy (Soderbergh was nominated for an Oscar for his screenplay), which would only solidify throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, before Harvey Weinstein’s awful actions were revealed to the world and lead to a monumental fall from grace for someone who once had so much power in Hollywood. In 2020, Soderbergh revealed he’d written a Sex, Lies, and Videotape sequel, which would have Andie MacDowell and Laura San Giacomo reprise their roles from the film, though there hasn’t been any public movement on it since.
A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child
Release Date: August 11, 1989
Domestic Box Office Total: $22,168,359 (Adjusted for Inflation: $56,055,198)
At the time: Freddymania had truly exploded in the mid-’80s, and just a year before The Dream Child opened, 1988’s A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master had ended the summer movie season as the number one film in America – for three weeks in a row! But what goes up must come down and the combination of oversaturation and an installment that was not nearly as well received or engaging as the third and fourth entries led A Nightmare on Elm Street 5 to lose more than half the audience of the previous installment, ultimately becoming the lowest-grossing film in the series to date, albeit still making a profit thanks to its low budget and a core loyal audience.
What’s happened since: Despite being labeled The House that Freddy Built within the industry – given how the series had elevated their status and shown they were capable of playing in the big leagues – New Line Cinema decided to put the Elm Street franchise to rest two years later with the sixth film, Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare. Of course, that wasn’t really the end, with a decidedly meta, real world-set sequel from returning series creator Wes Craven in 1994, a long-awaited team-up/fight movie with Jason Voorhees in 2003 and the requisite A Nightmare on Elm Street reboot in 2010 following… before Freddy went on the long hiatus he remains on to this day. Come back, Freddy. We miss you.
Lock Up
Release Date: August 4, 1989
Domestic Box Office Total: $22,099,847 (Adjusted for Inflation: $55,881,958)
At the time: In the midst of a career filled with tremendous highs and lows, Sylvester Stallone was still releasing hits like Rambo III and Tango & Cash in the late ’80s. Yet little attention was paid to the prison-set film he released between those two, which failed to make back its budget, much less turn a profit.
What’s happened since: Stallone would later speak dismissively of Lock Up, essentially agreeing with its poor reviews and audience reaction. However, it seems he still liked the idea of doing a prison film, since he’d return to the setting in 2013 for Escape Plan, which teamed him up with Arnold Schwarzenegger. Stallone would go on to make two straight-to-video Escape Plan sequels.
Casualties of War
Release Date: August 18, 1989
Domestic Box Office Total: $18,671,317 (Adjusted for Inflation: $47,212,533)
At the time: Highlighted by Best Picture winner Platoon and Stanley Kubrick’s Full Metal Jacket, there was a notable onslaught of movies about the Vietnam War released in the late 1980s. Often overlooked from that era, Casualties of War had a powerhouse director in Brian De Palma and an interesting and unlikely pairing onscreen with Sean Penn and Michael J. Fox – with the latter looking to show his more dramatic side in this horrific true story of a squad of US soldiers, led by Penn, who kidnap, rape, and murder a Vietnamese woman, and the member of the squad (Fox) who first tries to stop it and then attempts to inform others of what happened, putting himself at risk in the process. Despite strong reviews, Casualties at War did not make back its budget, which perhaps isn’t too surprising considering its tough subject matter and that the lovable Fox (then at the peak of his Alex P. Keaton / Marty McFly stardom) was not an actor movie audiences necessarily wanted to see at the center of such a project.
What’s happened since: Failing to receive any hoped for Academy Award nominations, despite a lot of buzz for Penn’s performance, Casualties of War was seen as a disappointment at the time, also coming under fire for some factual inaccuracies. It’s found some new admirers as time has gone on though, including Quentin Tarantino, who has named it the greatest film ever made about the Vietnam War.
No Holds Barred
Release Date: June 2, 1989
Domestic Box Office Total: $16,093,651 (Adjusted for Inflation: 40,694,613)
At the time: The WWE’s (then WWF) first foray into movies, No Holds Barred was also the first attempt to make Hulk Hogan into a bonafide movie star, following a cameo in Rocky III, with the wrestler playing “Rip,” a thinly veiled variation on his familiar in-ring person who comes into conflict with a nefarious TV network owner (Kurt Fuller) and his imposing muscle, Zeus (Tiny Lister). Savaged – but not Randy Savaged – by critics, No Holds Barred did manage to double its budget and Vince McMahon, who financed the film, was said to have essentially broke even thanks to distribution fees.
What’s happened since: Hogan would star in a handful of other films in the ’90s, while WWE would eventually produce many other movies – mainly straight-to-video projects starring their own wrestlers but also, a bit randomly, more eclectic projects like Mike Flanagan’s terrific Oculus. The most amusing reverberation to No Holds Barred though came shortly after it opened, when Tiny Lister would briefly become involved in on-air WWE storylines while billed as Zeus, as though the movie character had somehow come into the real world to face Hulk Hogan, even though Hogan was not pretending to be Rip!
Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan
Release Date: July 28, 1989
Domestic Box Office Total: $14,343,976 (Adjusted for Inflation: $36,270,362)
At the time: No one sequeled harder in the 1980s than Jason Voorhees. The first Friday the 13th came out in 1980, and yet by 1989 there were already eight movies in the series, with only a couple of calendar years when the franchise took a rest. However, it was also clear that things had peaked, with the box office getting increasingly smaller for the most recent installments, and while it still eked out a profit, Jason Takes Manhattan was the lowest-grossing movie in the series to date. The consensus was that it was probably time for Jason to take a rest, especially after a very clever ad campaign – capitalizing on the film’s innately fun title and the possibilities it evoked – led to a disappointing movie with a frustratingly small amount of Manhattan in it, given most of it takes place on a boat. It didn’t help that the little that does take place in New York is clearly not actually shot in New York but rather Vancouver, minus one memorable scene in Times Square.
What’s happened since: As it turned out, Jason Takes Manhattan would truly mark the end of an era for Friday the 13th, as the lackluster reception it received led to Paramount deciding it was time to let the rights go. The franchise would eventually end up at New Line, where a couple of new sequels would take Jason to hell and to space, before fans finally got what the entire reasoning behind bringing Jason to New Line was for in 2003: having him fight Freddy Krueger! A reboot of the franchise would follow in 2009… and then nothing except canceled projects and a hugely complicated battle over the rights to the series. Just recently a lot has occurred, from Bryan Fuller departing the Crystal Lake TV series he was developing with A24 to a “Jason Universe” announced to exploit the character in various media like video games, to the reveal that Jason is in fact a playable character in Multiversus. Now if we can just get an actual new Jason movie!
Great Balls of Fire!
Release Date: June 30, 1989
Domestic Box Office Total: $13,741,060 (Adjusted for Inflation: $34,745,821)
At the time: A rather standard biopic, Great Balls of Fire! opened to a tepid response, with many reviews lamenting that the film held back on truly exploring the dark side of its subject, 1950s rocker Jerry Lee Lewis, except in the most surface manner possible. Dennis Quaid did receive a positive response for his energetic, charismatic performance as Lewis, but audiences didn’t show much interest in the film, at least in theaters…
What’s happened since: On video though, Great Balls of Fire! would find a larger audience. But perhaps its greatest and most amusing legacy is that it began a bit of a mini-Elvis Presley cinematic universe for actor Michael St. Gerard. Gerard had a brief role in Great Balls of Fire! as Presley, who Jerry Lee Lewis encounters at one point, perceiving him as a musical rival. Then, just two months after Great Balls of Fire! opened, Gerard could be seen in another film, Heart of Dixie, once more briefly playing Elvis. But that wasn’t all, as a year after that, Gerard would play Elvis yet again, this time in a leading role in the ABC series Elvis, centered on Presley’s early years. Though that series only lasted one season, in 1993, Gerard would appear in an episode of the time-travel series Quantum Leap as, you guessed it, Elvis Presley.
Pink Cadillac
Release Date: May 26, 1989
Domestic Box Office Total: $12,143,484 (Adjusted for Inflation: $30,706,170)
At the time: Clint Eastwood was already nearly 60 when he starred in director Buddy Van Horn’s Pink Cadillac, and long cemented as one of Hollywood’s biggest stars. But the iconic actor and director was in the midst of a bit of a rough patch in 1989, starring in several misfires, including this comedy, in which he plays a bounty hunter who falls for a woman (Bernadette Peters) who has stolen her white supremacist husband’s Pink Cadillac and the money he had hidden inside. Eastwood had done a few successful comedies before, but not many people were interested in this one.
What’s happened since: Eastwood would have a couple more duds in the next couple of years, but then would come back in a huge way with a passion project, 1992’s Unforgiven, winning Academy Awards for Best Director and Best Picture in the process. Notably, there have only been a couple of times since Pink Cadillac that he starred in another director’s film, but several of the films he fully guided himself after Unforgiven would find success and, in some cases, more love from the Oscars. And while there is sometimes humor to be found in his subsequent work, Pink Cadillac also marked the last time he appeared in a full comedy.
So there you have it – the biggest movies from that magical summer of 1989. What was your favorite? Do you even remember 1989? Let’s discuss in the comments!
