Yearly box office · films released in
1981
| # | Film | Studio | Total gross | Opening |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Raiders of the Lost Ark | Par. | $212,222,025 | $8,305,823 |
| 2 | On Golden Pond | Uni. | $119,285,432 | $89,213 |
| 3 | Superman II | WB | $108,185,706 | $14,100,523 |
| 4 | Arthur | WB | $95,461,682 | $2,719,534 |
| 5 | Stripes | Col. | $85,297,000 | $6,130,197 |
| 6 | The Cannonball Run | Fox | $72,179,579 | $11,765,654 |
| 7 | Chariots of Fire | Col. | $58,972,904 | $68,907 |
| 8 | For Your Eyes Only | MGM | $54,812,802 | $6,834,967 |
| 9 | The Four Seasons | Uni. | $50,427,646 | $4,365,643 |
| 10 | Time Bandits | Emb | $42,365,581 | $6,507,356 |
| 11 | Clash of the Titans (1981) | MGM | $41,092,328 | – |
| 12 | Absence of Malice | Col. | $40,716,963 | $97,667 |
| 13 | Reds | Par. | $40,382,659 | $2,325,029 |
| 14 | The Fox and the Hound | BV | $39,900,000 | – |
| 15 | Tarzan, the Ape Man | MGM | $36,565,280 | – |
| 16 | Taps | Fox | $35,856,053 | $93,005 |
| 17 | Sharky's Machine | WB | $35,610,100 | $3,022,041 |
| 18 | Excalibur | WB | $34,967,437 | $4,519,706 |
| 19 | History of the World, Part I | Fox | $31,672,907 | $4,792,731 |
| 20 | Bustin' Loose | Uni. | $31,261,269 | $6,622,753 |
| 21 | The Great Muppet Caper | Uni. | $31,206,251 | $2,968,990 |
| 22 | Endless Love | Uni. | $31,184,024 | $4,163,623 |
| 23 | An American Werewolf in London | Uni. | $30,565,292 | $3,786,512 |
| 24 | Neighbors (1981) | Col. | $29,916,207 | $6,481,386 |
| 25 | Fort Apache, The Bronx | Fox | $29,200,000 | – |
| 26 | Cinderella (1981 re-issue) | BV | $28,040,000 | $1,300,000 |
| 27 | The French Lieutenant's Woman | MGM | $26,890,068 | – |
| 28 | Private Lessons | JenF | $26,279,000 | $1,056,158 |
| 29 | Modern Problems | Fox | $26,154,211 | – |
| 30 | Halloween II | Uni. | $25,533,818 | $7,446,508 |
| 31 | Only When I Laugh | Col. | $25,524,778 | – |
| 32 | Escape from New York | Emb | $25,244,626 | – |
| 33 | Body Heat | WB | $24,058,838 | $564,593 |
| 34 | Ghost Story | Uni. | $23,371,905 | $2,105,729 |
| 35 | Friday the 13th Part 2 | Par. | $21,722,776 | $6,429,784 |
| 36 | The Final Conflict: Omen III | Fox | $20,471,382 | $5,571,675 |
| 37 | The Incredible Shrinking Woman | Uni. | $20,259,961 | $4,279,264 |
| 38 | Mommie Dearest | Par. | $19,032,261 | – |
| 39 | Paternity | Par. | $18,838,812 | – |
| 40 | Under the Rainbow | WB | $18,826,490 | $2,297,493 |
| 41 | The Howling | Emb | $17,985,893 | – |
| 42 | Eye of the Needle | MGM | $17,583,634 | – |
| 43 | Take This Job and Shove It | Emb | $17,569,027 | – |
| 44 | Outland | WB | $17,374,595 | $3,059,638 |
| 45 | The Devil and Max Devlin | BV | $16,000,000 | – |
| 46 | Caveman | MGM | $15,965,924 | – |
| 47 | Continental Divide | Uni. | $15,578,237 | $3,218,347 |
| 48 | The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia | AVCO | $14,923,752 | – |
| 49 | Nighthawks | Uni. | $14,905,359 | $2,525,360 |
| 50 | S.O.B. | Par. | $14,867,086 | – |
113 films in all.
Figures as published by Box Office Mojo, read from the Internet Archive's copies of the site. About the sources.