Context
By the summer of 1981 (June–September), the film industry had been in decline for over a year. This was the result of few box office successes, rising film production costs, diminishing audiences, and increasing ticket prices.[64] The season was predicted to be down 10% or $250 million against the previous year.[65] Over 60 films were scheduled for release—more than the previous year—by studios eager to make the next blockbuster film. This increased competition to attract audiences, mainly those aged 12 to 24, at the most profitable time of the year.[64][65]
The superhero film Superman II was expected to dominate the season,[65] and based on industry experts and audience polling, films including History of the World, Part I, the latest James Bond film For Your Eyes Only, and The Great Muppet Caper, were also expected to perform well.[65] Conversely, audience polling by CinemaScore showed little awareness or anticipation for Raiders until nationwide previews a week before its release.[65][66] The New York Times reported Paramount had provided theater owners with a more beneficial deal than usual to ensure Raiders was screened in the best theaters and locations.[64]
Featuring two camels, an elephant, and a python, the press event for the film cost $10,000.[67] Film prints were supplied to theaters in lead-sealed containers to prevent tampering alongside a letter to theater managers stating they were responsible for any misuse of the film. This letter inspired a whistleblower at one theater to alert Paramount of the planned theft of a Raiders print to make pirated copies.[68] The 1,200 film prints cost an estimated $1.7 million.[69] The theatrical release poster was created by Richard Amsel.[70]
Box office
In the United States (U.S.) and Canada, Raiders of the Lost Ark was released on June 12, 1981, in 1,078 theaters.[71][72] The film earned $8.3 million—an average of $7,705 per theater,[64][73] and finished as the number one film of the weekend, ahead of the debuts of Clash of the Titans ($6.6 million) and History of the World, Part I ($4.9 million).[73] The film fell to the number three position in its second weekend with an additional gross of $8 million—a decline of only four percent—behind the debuts of The Cannonball Run ($11.8 million) and Superman II ($14.1 million).[74] By its fourth week, Raiders began climbing box office charts, reaching the number two position with a gross of $7.3 million, behind Superman II ($10.9 million).[75][76] In its sixth week, it regained the number one position with $6.4 million.[77] The film spent most of the following nine weeks as the number one film, and forty-weeks straight as one of the top ten highest-grossing films.[72] It was declared the top box office film of the summer by early September, with a total approximate gross of $125 million. Of this figure, $72 million was estimated to have been returned to the studio; the profit-sharing deal with Spielberg and Lucas meant that after marketing costs, Paramount had earned $23 million in profit.[78]
The film remained a steady success; six months after its release, industry executives joked Raiders would be the year's big Christmas film.[33][79] The film officially left theaters on March 18, 1982, although some were still playing it by July.[51][80][81] Raiders earned an approximate total box office gross of $212.2 million, making it the highest-grossing film of 1981, ahead of On Golden Pond ($119.3 million), Superman II ($108.1 million), and Stripes ($85.3 million).[72][82][83] An estimate by Box Office Mojo suggests over 77 million tickets were bought to see the film.[80] Raiders remains the "leggiest" film ever released, referring to the difference between the highest-weekend gross and the time taken to achieve the overall total gross.[33][84]
Outside the U.S. and Canada, Raiders earned a further $141.7 million, making it the highest-grossing film ahead of For Your Eyes Only ($140.5 million) and Superman II ($82.2 million).[85] In total, the film earned a worldwide gross of $354 million,[g] making it the highest-grossing film of 1981 worldwide, again ahead of For Your Eyes Only ($195.3 million) and Superman II ($190.4 million).[72][85][86][87]
Raiders has been re-released several times, first in July 1982, when it earned an additional $21.4 million and again in March 1983, when the film earned an additional $11.4 million.[33][81][88][89] A remastered IMAX version, supervised by Spielberg, was released in 267 U.S. and Canadian theaters. The success of the release led to the run being extended to 300 additional theaters.[90][91][92] These releases have raised the film's worldwide theatrical gross to an estimated $389.9 million.[83]
The record $1.95 billion summer box-office of 1981 represented a 15.6% increase over 1980, with a 22.5% increase in ticket sales. This success was attributed mainly to Raiders and Superman II.[78][93] The most successful film genres of the year offered fun, comedy, and escapism.[78] Superman II broke box office records, but it was Raiders that earned the most money and played in theaters for over a year.[89][94][95] The New York Times reported that audiences considered other films only if both Superman II and Raiders were sold out.[96] It became one of the top-four highest-grossing films ever, a list dominated by Lucas and Spielberg with The Empire Strikes Back, Jaws, and Star Wars.[89][97][98]
