Here are the top films of 1977, ranked by domestic box office. The film at No. 1 permanently changed what kinds of movies get made in Hollywood.
10 — Semi-Tough
Burt Reynolds was such a huge star in 1977 that he starred in two of the films on this list. Semi-Tough is a sports comedy that features a love triangle between the very 1970s cast of Reynolds, Kris Kristofferson and Jill Clayburgh.
The United Artists release, which came out November 11, earned over $37 million, making it No. 10 on this list of the 10 top movies of 1977, by domestic box office, not adjusted for inflation.
9 — Annie Hall
Widely considered Woody Allen’s masterpiece, this romantic comedy starring Allen and Diane Keaton, as the title character, was not only a commercial but critical smash: It won the Oscar for Best Picture, Best Actress (for Keaton) and Best Director (for Allen) — as well as Best Screenplay for Allen and Marshall Brickman.
The film, released by United Artists, debuted April and earned $38.2 million. It’s No. 9 on the list of the 10 top movies of 1977, by domestic box office, not adjusted for inflation.
8 — Oh, God!
George Burns (right), who was 81 at the time of the film’s release, plays God, who visits normal-guy grocery store assistant manager Jerry (John Denver, left).
When Jerry agrees to spread God’s message, his wife Bobbie (Teri Garr) isn’t sure it’s the best idea.
The film inspired a trilogy that includes one of the film’s on this list. Released by Warner Bros. on October 7, it earned $41.7 million. It is, you guessed it, No. 8 on the list of the 10 top movies of 1977, by domestic box office, not adjusted for inflation.
7 — The Spy Who Loved Me
The third James Bond film to star Roger Moore (left) pairs him with Soviet agent Anya Amasova (Barbara Bach, right) as they try to stop a plot to end civilization in favor of a new undersea world. They’re bedeviled by Jaws — not the shark from the top-grossing film of 1975, but the henchman played by Richard Kiel.
Released by United Artists on July 13, The Spy Who Loved Me moonraked in $46.8 million. It ranks No. 007 on the list of the 10 top movies of 1977, by domestic box office, not adjusted for inflation.
6 — The Deep
This thriller stars Jacqueline Bisset and Nick Nolte as amateur treasure-hunting divers who come across the cargo of a World War II shipwreck, which puts them at odds with local criminals. It was co-written by Peter Benchley, who wrote the novel Jaws and co-wrote the film.
Released by Columbia Pictures on June 17, it earned $47.3 million. Its No. 6 on the list of the 10 top movies of 1977, by domestic box office, not adjusted for inflation.
5 — A Bridge Too Far
Richard Attenborough’s World War II drama stars a plethora of great actors, including Sean Connery, Laurence Olivier, Robert Redford, Gene Hackman, Anthony Hopkins, Michael Caine, and the recently departed Ryan O’Neal. It’s also co-written by the great William Goldman (All the President’s Men, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, The Princess Bride.)
Released by United Artists on June 15, it collected $50.8 million. It comes in at No. 5 on the list of the 10 top movies of 1977, by domestic box office, not adjusted for inflation.
4 — Saturday Night Fever
With a soundtrack that defined the late ’70s, this John Travolta disco drama follows Tony Manero (Travolta) as he splashes paint and dances up a storm in Brooklyn. It’s based on the New York article “Tribal Rites of the New Saturday Night” which author Nik Cohn later admitted he mostly made up.
Audiences didn’t notice, or didn’t care. The Paramount Pictures release, which came out December 16, hustled up $94.2 million. It is, of course, No. 4 on the list of the top 10 movies of 1977, by domestic box office, not adjusted for inflation.
3 — Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Stephen Spielberg’s followup to his hit Jaws, which reunited him with Jaws star Richard Dreyfuss, wasn’t as big a hit as the shark epic — but few movies are.
Close Encounters — the second movie on this list to feature Teri Garr (who would reunite with Dreyfuss for 1989’s Let It Ride ) — earned $116.4 million after its November 16 release by Columbia Pictures. It’s No. 3 on the list of the top 10 movies of 1977, by domestic box office, not adjusted for inflation.
2 — Smokey and the Bandit
This Burt Reynolds-Sally Field action comedy — about a Trans-Am on a mission to distract from a truck full of beer — was the No. 2 film domestically with a total haul of $127 million. This is one time the Bandit ended up in second place.
By the way, all of these domestic box office totals are from Box Office Mojo, a fun site we highly recommend exploring.
Interestingly, Smokey and the Bandit debuted on May 27 — just two days after the No. 1 movie on our list.
1 — Star Wars
The 20th Century Fox film, which eventually became known as Star Wars: Episode IV — a New Hope, was the top film of 1977 with a domestic gross of $307 million. (Adjusted for inflation, that’s $1.3 billion.)
George Lucas’ story of Luke Skywalker’s quest to rescue Princess Leia from the Death Star — and her quest to lead the Rebellion to use some secret plans to blow up said Death Star — launched the second-most successful franchise in film history. Star Wars films have made more than $5 billion, trailing only the $11.8 billion for the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
The incredible box office receipts of A New Hope (we still just call it Star Wars) helped open studios’ eyes to new ways of making money — not just through films, but endless merchandising in the form of action figures, remote-controlled R2D2s, and lightsabers.
It changed the kinds of movies that got greenlit, and signaled that ’70s audiences — who had grown accustomed to downbeat endings — were ready for optimism. Movies would never be the same.
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Main image: The Deep. United Artists. Columbia Pictures.