An American Werewolf in London (1981)

An American Werewolf in London
Theatrical Performance
Domestic Box Office $31,973,249Details
International Box Office $29,995,139Details
Worldwide Box Office $61,968,388
OpusData ID: 17790100
Further financial details...

Metrics

Opening Weekend:$3,786,512 (11.8% of total gross)
Legs:8.44 (domestic box office/biggest weekend)
Domestic Share:51.6% (domestic box office/worldwide)
Theater counts:870 opening theaters/870 max. theaters, 4.7 weeks average run per theater
Infl. Adj. Dom. BO $130,078,210

Latest Ranking on Cumulative Box Office Lists

RecordRankAmount
All Time Domestic Box Office (Rank 2,901-3,000) 2,918 $31,973,249
All Time International Box Office (Rank 2,901-3,000) 2,965 $29,995,139
All Time Worldwide Box Office (Rank 2,701-2,800) 2,790 $61,968,388
All Time Domestic Box Office for R Movies (Rank 901-1,000) 960 $31,973,249
All Time International Box Office for R Movies (Rank 701-800) 782 $29,995,139
All Time Worldwide Box Office for R Movies (Rank 801-900) 818 $61,968,388

See the Box Office tab (Domestic) and International tab (International and Worldwide) for more Cumulative Box Office Records.


Movie Details

Domestic Releases: August 21st, 1981 (Wide) by Universal
International Releases: November 12th, 1981 (Limited) (United Kingdom)
April 8th, 1982 (Limited) (Australia)
October 30th, 2020 (Limited) (United Kingdom)
Video Release: September 18th, 2001 by Universal Home Entertainment
MPAA Rating: R
Running Time: 97 minutes
Franchise: American Werewolf
Comparisons: vs. Raiders of the Lost Ark
Create your own comparison chart…
Keywords: Monster, Werewolf, Visual Effects, Set in London, Vacation, Horror Comedy, Tourists In Trouble, Death of a Best Friend, Suicide Attempt, Romance, Doomed Romance, Death of a Girlfriend / Boyfriend, Curses, Supernatural
Source:Original Screenplay
Genre:Horror
Production Method:Live Action
Creative Type:Contemporary Fiction
Production/Financing Companies: Polygram Pictures, Lycanthrope Films
Production Countries: United Kingdom, United States
Languages: English

Ranking on other Records and Milestones

RecordRankAmountChart
Date		Days In
Release
Labor Day (All Movies, 3-Day, Inflation Adjusted) 110 $15,001,693 Sep 4, 1981 17

Compare this performance with other movies…

Domestic Cumulative Box Office Records

RecordRankRevenue
All Time Domestic Box Office (Rank 2,901-3,000) 2,918 $31,973,249
All Time Domestic Inflation Adjusted Box Office (Rank 1,301-1,400) 1,361 $130,078,210
All Time Domestic Non-Sequel Box Office (Rank 2,301-2,400) 2,334 $31,973,249
Top-grossing movies at the domestic box office first released in 1981 20 $31,973,249
All Time Domestic Box Office for Original Screenplay Movies (Rank 1,401-1,500) 1,484 $31,973,249
All Time Domestic Box Office for Live Action Movies (Rank 2,501-2,600) 2,506 $31,973,249
All Time Domestic Box Office for Contemporary Fiction Movies (Rank 1,401-1,500) 1,481 $31,973,249
All Time Domestic Box Office for Horror Movies (Rank 201-300) 215 $31,973,249
All Time Domestic Box Office for R Movies (Rank 901-1,000) 960 $31,973,249
All Time Domestic Box Office for Universal Movies (Rank 301-400) 384 $31,973,249

Weekend Box Office Performance

DateRankGross% ChangeTheatersPer TheaterTotal GrossWeek
Aug 21, 1981 2 $3,786,512   870 $4,352   $3,786,512 1
Aug 28, 1981 2 $3,500,000 -8% 750 $4,667   $8,986,245 2
Sep 4, 1981 3 $3,561,460 +2% 825 $4,317   $14,500,000 3
Sep 11, 1981 3 $1,960,000 -45% 767 $2,555   $17,220,287 4
Sep 18, 1981 6 $1,400,000 -29% 544 $2,574   $19,223,249 5
Sep 25, 1981 10 $641,105 -54% 305 $2,102   $20,445,527 6

Daily Box Office Performance

Weekly Box Office Performance

DateRankGross% ChangeTheatersPer TheaterTotal GrossWeek
Aug 21, 1981 2 $5,486,245   870 $6,306   $5,486,245 1
Aug 28, 1981 2 $5,452,295 -1% 750 $7,270   $10,938,540 2
Sep 4, 1981 3 $4,321,747 -21% 825 $5,238   $15,260,287 3
Sep 11, 1981 4 $2,562,962 -41% 767 $3,342   $17,823,249 4
Sep 18, 1981 5 $1,981,173 -23% 544 $3,642   $19,804,422 5

Box Office Summary Per Territory

Territory Release
Date		 Opening
Weekend		 Opening
Weekend
Screens		 Maximum
Screens		 Theatrical
Engagements		 Total
Box Office		 Report
Date
Australia 4/8/1982 $0000$0
United Kingdom 11/12/1981 $0 0 28 109 $172,212 11/5/2025
 
Rest of World $29,822,927
 
International Total$29,995,139 11/5/2025

International Cumulative Box Office Records

RecordRankRevenue
All Time International Box Office (Rank 2,901-3,000) 2,965 $29,995,139
All Time International Non-Sequel Box Office (Rank 2,201-2,300) 2,298 $29,995,139
Top 1981 Movies at the International Box Office 6 $29,995,139
All Time International Box Office for Original Screenplay Movies (Rank 1,501-1,600) 1,531 $29,995,139
All Time International Box Office for Live Action Movies (Rank 2,401-2,500) 2,435 $29,995,139
All Time International Box Office for Contemporary Fiction Movies (Rank 1,401-1,500) 1,418 $29,995,139
All Time International Box Office for Horror Movies (Rank 101-200) 192 $29,995,139
All Time International Box Office for R Movies (Rank 701-800) 782 $29,995,139
All Time International Box Office for Universal Movies (Rank 201-300) 296 $29,995,139

Worldwide Cumulative Box Office Records

RecordRankRevenue
All Time Worldwide Box Office (Rank 2,701-2,800) 2,790 $61,968,388
All Time Worldwide Non-Sequel Box Office (Rank 2,101-2,200) 2,172 $61,968,388
Top 1981 Movies at the Worldwide Box Office 8 $61,968,388
All Time Worldwide Box Office for Original Screenplay Movies (Rank 1,401-1,500) 1,429 $61,968,388
All Time Worldwide Box Office for Live Action Movies (Rank 2,301-2,400) 2,310 $61,968,388
All Time Worldwide Box Office for Contemporary Fiction Movies (Rank 1,301-1,400) 1,336 $61,968,388
All Time Worldwide Box Office for Horror Movies (Rank 101-200) 194 $61,968,388
All Time Worldwide Box Office for R Movies (Rank 801-900) 818 $61,968,388
All Time Worldwide Box Office for Universal Movies (Rank 301-400) 339 $61,968,388

Weekly US Blu-ray Sales

DateRankUnits
this
Week		% ChangeTotal
Units		Spending
this
Week		Total
Spending		Weeks
in
Release
Mar 20, 2022117,169 9,444$121,873$160,5481,070

Our DVD and Blu-ray sales estimates are based on weekly retail surveys, which we use to build a weekly market share estimate for each title we are tracking. The market share is converted into a weekly sales estimate based on industry reports on the overall size of the market, including reports published in Media Play News.

For example, if our weekly retail survey estimates that a particular title sold 1% of all units that week, and the industry reports sales of 1,500,000 units in total, we will estimate 15,000 units were sold of that title. The consumer spending estimate is based on the average sales price for the title in the retailers we survey.

We refine our estimates from week to week as more data becomes available. In particular, we adjust weekly sales figures for the quarter once the total market estimates are published by the Digital Entertainment Group. Figures will therefore fluctuate each week, and totals for individual titles can go up or down as we update our estimates.

Because sales figures are estimated based on sampling, they will be more accurate for higher-selling titles.

Uncategorized

David Schofield    Darts player
Frank Oz    Mr. Collins/Miss Piggy
John Landis    Man being smashed into a window
Griffin Dunne    Jack Goodman
Rik Mayall    2nd Chess Player
David Naughton    David Kessler
Jenny Agutter    Nurse Alex Price

For a description of the different acting role types we use to categorize acting perfomances, see our Glossary.

Production and Technical Credits

John Landis    Director

  1. Summary
  2. News
  3. Box Office
  4. International
  5. Video Sales
  6. Cast & Crew
  7. Trailer

Metrics

Opening Weekend:$3,786,512 (11.8% of total gross)
Legs:8.44 (domestic box office/biggest weekend)
Domestic Share:51.6% (domestic box office/worldwide)
Theater counts:870 opening theaters/870 max. theaters, 4.7 weeks average run per theater
Infl. Adj. Dom. BO $130,078,210

Latest Ranking on Cumulative Box Office Lists

RecordRankAmount
All Time Domestic Box Office (Rank 2,901-3,000) 2,918 $31,973,249
All Time International Box Office (Rank 2,901-3,000) 2,965 $29,995,139
All Time Worldwide Box Office (Rank 2,701-2,800) 2,790 $61,968,388
All Time Domestic Box Office for R Movies (Rank 901-1,000) 960 $31,973,249
All Time International Box Office for R Movies (Rank 701-800) 782 $29,995,139
All Time Worldwide Box Office for R Movies (Rank 801-900) 818 $61,968,388

See the Box Office tab (Domestic) and International tab (International and Worldwide) for more Cumulative Box Office Records.


Movie Details

Domestic Releases: August 21st, 1981 (Wide) by Universal
International Releases: November 12th, 1981 (Limited) (United Kingdom)
April 8th, 1982 (Limited) (Australia)
October 30th, 2020 (Limited) (United Kingdom)
Video Release: September 18th, 2001 by Universal Home Entertainment
MPAA Rating: R
Running Time: 97 minutes
Franchise: American Werewolf
Comparisons: vs. Raiders of the Lost Ark
Create your own comparison chart…
Keywords: Monster, Werewolf, Visual Effects, Set in London, Vacation, Horror Comedy, Tourists In Trouble, Death of a Best Friend, Suicide Attempt, Romance, Doomed Romance, Death of a Girlfriend / Boyfriend, Curses, Supernatural
Source:Original Screenplay
Genre:Horror
Production Method:Live Action
Creative Type:Contemporary Fiction
Production/Financing Companies: Polygram Pictures, Lycanthrope Films
Production Countries: United Kingdom, United States
Languages: English

Ranking on other Records and Milestones

RecordRankAmountChart
Date		Days In
Release
Labor Day (All Movies, 3-Day, Inflation Adjusted) 110 $15,001,693 Sep 4, 1981 17

Uncategorized

David Schofield    Darts player
Frank Oz    Mr. Collins/Miss Piggy
John Landis    Man being smashed into a window
Griffin Dunne    Jack Goodman
Rik Mayall    2nd Chess Player
David Naughton    David Kessler
Jenny Agutter    Nurse Alex Price

For a description of the different acting role types we use to categorize acting perfomances, see our Glossary.

Production and Technical Credits

John Landis    Director

Compare this performance with other movies…

Domestic Cumulative Box Office Records

RecordRankRevenue
All Time Domestic Box Office (Rank 2,901-3,000) 2,918 $31,973,249
All Time Domestic Inflation Adjusted Box Office (Rank 1,301-1,400) 1,361 $130,078,210
All Time Domestic Non-Sequel Box Office (Rank 2,301-2,400) 2,334 $31,973,249
Top-grossing movies at the domestic box office first released in 1981 20 $31,973,249
All Time Domestic Box Office for Original Screenplay Movies (Rank 1,401-1,500) 1,484 $31,973,249
All Time Domestic Box Office for Live Action Movies (Rank 2,501-2,600) 2,506 $31,973,249
All Time Domestic Box Office for Contemporary Fiction Movies (Rank 1,401-1,500) 1,481 $31,973,249
All Time Domestic Box Office for Horror Movies (Rank 201-300) 215 $31,973,249
All Time Domestic Box Office for R Movies (Rank 901-1,000) 960 $31,973,249
All Time Domestic Box Office for Universal Movies (Rank 301-400) 384 $31,973,249

Weekend Box Office Performance

DateRankGross% ChangeTheatersPer TheaterTotal GrossWeek
Aug 21, 1981 2 $3,786,512   870 $4,352   $3,786,512 1
Aug 28, 1981 2 $3,500,000 -8% 750 $4,667   $8,986,245 2
Sep 4, 1981 3 $3,561,460 +2% 825 $4,317   $14,500,000 3
Sep 11, 1981 3 $1,960,000 -45% 767 $2,555   $17,220,287 4
Sep 18, 1981 6 $1,400,000 -29% 544 $2,574   $19,223,249 5
Sep 25, 1981 10 $641,105 -54% 305 $2,102   $20,445,527 6

Daily Box Office Performance

Weekly Box Office Performance

DateRankGross% ChangeTheatersPer TheaterTotal GrossWeek
Aug 21, 1981 2 $5,486,245   870 $6,306   $5,486,245 1
Aug 28, 1981 2 $5,452,295 -1% 750 $7,270   $10,938,540 2
Sep 4, 1981 3 $4,321,747 -21% 825 $5,238   $15,260,287 3
Sep 11, 1981 4 $2,562,962 -41% 767 $3,342   $17,823,249 4
Sep 18, 1981 5 $1,981,173 -23% 544 $3,642   $19,804,422 5

Box Office Summary Per Territory

Territory Release
Date		 Opening
Weekend		 Opening
Weekend
Screens		 Maximum
Screens		 Theatrical
Engagements		 Total
Box Office		 Report
Date
Australia 4/8/1982 $0000$0
United Kingdom 11/12/1981 $0 0 28 109 $172,212 11/5/2025
 
Rest of World $29,822,927
 
International Total$29,995,139 11/5/2025

International Cumulative Box Office Records

RecordRankRevenue
All Time International Box Office (Rank 2,901-3,000) 2,965 $29,995,139
All Time International Non-Sequel Box Office (Rank 2,201-2,300) 2,298 $29,995,139
Top 1981 Movies at the International Box Office 6 $29,995,139
All Time International Box Office for Original Screenplay Movies (Rank 1,501-1,600) 1,531 $29,995,139
All Time International Box Office for Live Action Movies (Rank 2,401-2,500) 2,435 $29,995,139
All Time International Box Office for Contemporary Fiction Movies (Rank 1,401-1,500) 1,418 $29,995,139
All Time International Box Office for Horror Movies (Rank 101-200) 192 $29,995,139
All Time International Box Office for R Movies (Rank 701-800) 782 $29,995,139
All Time International Box Office for Universal Movies (Rank 201-300) 296 $29,995,139

Worldwide Cumulative Box Office Records

RecordRankRevenue
All Time Worldwide Box Office (Rank 2,701-2,800) 2,790 $61,968,388
All Time Worldwide Non-Sequel Box Office (Rank 2,101-2,200) 2,172 $61,968,388
Top 1981 Movies at the Worldwide Box Office 8 $61,968,388
All Time Worldwide Box Office for Original Screenplay Movies (Rank 1,401-1,500) 1,429 $61,968,388
All Time Worldwide Box Office for Live Action Movies (Rank 2,301-2,400) 2,310 $61,968,388
All Time Worldwide Box Office for Contemporary Fiction Movies (Rank 1,301-1,400) 1,336 $61,968,388
All Time Worldwide Box Office for Horror Movies (Rank 101-200) 194 $61,968,388
All Time Worldwide Box Office for R Movies (Rank 801-900) 818 $61,968,388
All Time Worldwide Box Office for Universal Movies (Rank 301-400) 339 $61,968,388

Weekly US Blu-ray Sales

DateRankUnits
this
Week		% ChangeTotal
Units		Spending
this
Week		Total
Spending		Weeks
in
Release
Mar 20, 2022117,169 9,444$121,873$160,5481,070

Our DVD and Blu-ray sales estimates are based on weekly retail surveys, which we use to build a weekly market share estimate for each title we are tracking. The market share is converted into a weekly sales estimate based on industry reports on the overall size of the market, including reports published in Media Play News.

For example, if our weekly retail survey estimates that a particular title sold 1% of all units that week, and the industry reports sales of 1,500,000 units in total, we will estimate 15,000 units were sold of that title. The consumer spending estimate is based on the average sales price for the title in the retailers we survey.

We refine our estimates from week to week as more data becomes available. In particular, we adjust weekly sales figures for the quarter once the total market estimates are published by the Digital Entertainment Group. Figures will therefore fluctuate each week, and totals for individual titles can go up or down as we update our estimates.

Because sales figures are estimated based on sampling, they will be more accurate for higher-selling titles.