MovieChat Forums > Graduation Day (1981) Discussion > This made 24 million at the box office?

This made 24 million at the box office?

posted 14 years ago by Psychological_Gold
10 replies | jump to latest

I find this really hard to believe, but multiple sites show that Graduation Day made nearly $24 million during its theatrical run. That's more than Friday the 13th Part 2, and almost as much as Halloween II. Hell Night made $2.3m, Student Bodies $1.5m, Happy Birthday to Me made $10.6m and Eyes of a Stranger made $546,000.

This is according to: http://www.the-numbers.com/movies/index1981.php

Other slashers from '81 like Night School, Final Exam, and Home Sweet Home aren't listed.

[–] The_King_of_Cool 13 years ago

I agree with you. I also find it tough to believe it made that much. Despite what most people think many of these slasher flicks weren't as popular as it seemed due to the amount of films produced.

Sure the Halloween and Friday flicks did very well and later the Elm St. flicks, but most of these movies weren't huge hits, but due to their low budgets turning a profit was rather easy since the films sold themselves. I guess in a sense they were big hits due to the % they made compared to the budgets, but they weren't burning up the box office like many believe.

I've also seem some listings stating the box office numbers being about 24-mil, but I'm still not sure if its correct.

I know Friday pt 2 and The Burning opened a week a part and I can't remember for sure, which came first and I'm too lazy to see to look it up right now, but 1 opened the 1st of may and the other the 8th, if not mistaken it was Friday part 2 that opened the 1st of May and I have trouble believing GRaduation Day faired better.

It can be correct, but I'm stil thiking it was a mistake.

Let's do it to them before they do it to us.

[–] justin_kerswell 13 years ago

It's highly unlikely that the figure is correct. If anything, I reckon it's a case of a stray decimal point. A trade publication said that GRADUATION DAY made less than $1 million in 1981 (it made less than FINAL EXAM). Although it was still in release in 1982 it is difficult to believe it made anything like the $20million+ quoted. Still, on a $250,000 budget it still made a good return.

[–] corgi37 13 years ago

Do drive in stats count?

[–] 13 years ago

[deleted]

[–] Angelus-16 12 years ago

No way!

There's a book, 'Blood Money', all about the '78-'81 teen slasher craze, that goes into some detail about box office and claims Graduation Day had made $1.3million by 1983.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Blood-Money-History-First-Slasher/dp/1441124969/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1337183164&sr=1-1

Vegan Voorhees - Giving love to 575 humble slasher movies >>> http://www.hudsonlee.com

[–] 12 years ago

[deleted]

[–] swr2777-1 10 years ago

I, too, have always been rather dumbfounded by that figure as well. Though this was certainly a recognizable and accessible entry in the slasher cycle, I just don't see how it could have done that much more business exponentially than the others in the same subgenre.

But I will say...I wonder if those figures of over $20 million, etc., are perhaps international. Is that possible? Many films, particularly in genres associated domestically with excess, go on to do very well in other European and Asian markets for example. If there's any truth to that figure, I imagine it has to have been accrued largely abroad than in the US domestically.

[–] 10 years ago

[deleted]

[–] Woodyanders 9 years ago

Producer David Baughn on the commentary for the Vinegar Syndrome release states for the record that this film grossed about two to three million dollars at the box office, which is still pretty respectable considering that the movie's overall budget was three hundred thousand bucks.

I am the Duke of IMDb bio writers! I am A#1!

[–] [deleted] a year ago

The numbers is usually reliable but in a few instances they have botched figures. This film didn't make $24 million.