This is a list of American films released in 1983.
Box office The highest-grossing American films released in 1983, by domestic box office gross revenue, are as follows: + Highest-grossing films of 1983 Rank Title Distributor Domestic gross 1 Return of the Jedi 20th Century Fox $309,306,177 2 Terms of Endearment Paramount $108,423,489 3Flashdance $92,921,203 4Trading Places $90,404,800 5WarGames United Artists $79,567,667 6 Octopussy $67,893,619 7 Sudden Impact Warner Bros. $67,642,693 8 Staying Alive Paramount $64,892,670 9 Mr. Mom 20th Century Fox $64,783,827 10 Risky Business Warner Bros. $63,541,777
January–March Opening Title Production company Cast and crew Ref.JAN<br/ >U<br/ >A<br/ >RY 7 Xtro New Line Cinema Harry Bromley Davenport (director/screenplay); Michel Perry, Iain Cassie, Robert Smith (screenplay); Philip Sayer, Bernice Stegers, Simon Nash, Maryam d'Abo, Danny Brainin, Peter Mandell, David Cardy, Anna Wing, Robert Fyfe, Katherine Best, Robert Pereno, Sean Crawford, Tim Dry, Arthur Whybrow, Susie Silvey 18 Lianna United Artists Classics John Sayles (director/screenplay); Linda Griffiths, Jane Hallaren, Jon DeVries, Jo Henderson, Jessica MacDonald, Jesse Solomon, John Sayles, Stephen Mendillo, Betsy Julia Robinson, Nancy Mette, Maggie Renzi, Madelyn Coleman, Robyn Reeves, Chris Elliott, Marta Renzi, Rochelle Oliver 21 Independence Day Warner Bros. Robert Mandel (director); Alice Hoffman (screenplay); Kathleen Quinlan, David Keith, Frances Sternhagen, Cliff DeYoung, Dianne Wiest The House on Sorority Row Artists Releasing Corporation / Film Ventures International Mark Rosman (director/screenplay); Bobby Fine (screenplay); Kathryn McNeil, Eileen Davidson, Lois Kelso Hunt, Robin Meloy, Harley Kozak, Michael Sergio, Christopher Lawrence, Janis Zido, Jodi Draigie, Ellen Dorsher, Michael Kuhn, Charles Serio, Ruth Walsh Treasure of the Four Crowns Cannon Film Distributors Ferdinando Baldi (director); Lloyd Battista, Jim Bryce, Jerry Lazarus (screenplay); Tony Anthony, Ana Obregón, Gene Quintano, Jerry Lazarus, Francisco Rabal, Emiliano Redondo, Francisco Villena, Lewis Gordon 28 Sacred Ground Pacific International Enterprises Charles B. Pierce (director/screenplay); Tim McIntire, L.Q. Jones, Jack Elam, Mindi Miller, Eloy Casados FEBRUA<br/ >RY 4 The Entity 20th Century Fox Sidney J. Furie (director); Frank De Felitta (screenplay); Barbara Hershey, Ron Silver, David Labiosa, George Coe, Margaret Blye, Jacqueline Brookes, Michael Alldredge, Alex Rocco, Allan Rich, Richard Brestoff, Raymond Singer, Natasha Ryan, Melanie Gaffin Videodrome Universal Pictures David Cronenberg (director/screenplay); James Woods, Deborah Harry, Sonja Smits, Peter Dvorsky, Leslie Carlson, Jack Creley, Lynne Gorman, Julie Khaner, David Bolt, Reiner Schwarz, Lally Cadeau, King Cosmos, Kay Hawtrey, David Tsubouchi Without a Trace 20th Century Fox Stanley R. Jaffe (director); Beth Gutcheon (screenplay); Kate Nelligan, Judd Hirsch, David Dukes, Stockard Channing, Danny Corkill, Louise Stubbs, Keith McDermott, David Simon 11 Let's Spend the Night Together Northstar Media Hal Ashby (director); Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Ronnie Wood, Charlie Watts, Bill Wyman 18 The King of Comedy 20th Century Fox / Embassy International Pictures Martin Scorsese (director); Paul D. Zimmerman (screenplay); Robert De Niro, Jerry Lewis, Sandra Bernhard, Diahnne Abbott, Shelley Hack, Margo Winkler, Kim Chan, Frederick De Cordova, Edgar Scherick, Ed Herlihy, Tony Randall, Victor Borge, Joyce Brothers, Catherine Scorsese, Cathy Scorsese, Martin Scorsese, Charles Scorsese, The Clash, Kosmo Vinyl, Ellen Foley, Don Letts, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio Local Hero Warner Bros. Bill Forsyth (director/screenplay); Peter Riegert, Denis Lawson, Fulton Mackay, Burt Lancaster, Norman Chancer, Peter Capaldi, Rikki Fulton, Alex Norton, Jenny Seagrove, Jennifer Black, Christopher Rozycki, Christopher Asante, John Gordon Sinclair, Caroline Guthrie, John M. Jackson Lovesick Warner Bros. / The Ladd Company Marshall Brickman (director/screenplay); Dudley Moore, Elizabeth McGovern, John Huston, Alec Guinness, Wallace Shawn, Ron Silver, Alan King, Selma Diamond, Larry Rivers, David Strathairn, Christine Baranski, Renée Taylor, Fred Melamed The Pirates of Penzance Universal Pictures Wilford Leach (director/screenplay); Kevin Kline, Angela Lansbury, Linda Ronstadt, George Rose, Rex Smith, Tony Azito, David Hatton, Louise Gold, Teresa Codling, Tilly Vosburgh, Stephen Hanan, Alexandra Korey, Marcie Shaw The Sting II Universal Pictures Jeremy Paul Kagan (director); David S. Ward (screenplay); Jackie Gleason, Mac Davis, Teri Garr, Karl Malden, Oliver Reed, Ron Rifkin, José Pérez, Val Avery, Michael D. Aldredge, John Hancock, Larry Hankin, Bert Remsen, Tim Rossovich, Harry James, Woody Parfrey, Max Wright, Benny Baker, Frances Bergen, Larry Bishop, Danny Dayton, Tony Giorgio, Carl Gottlieb, Bob Minor Table for Five Warner Bros. / CBS Theatrical Films Robert Lieberman (director); David Seltzer (screenplay); Jon Voight, Marie-Christine Barrault, Millie Perkins, Richard Crenna, Roxana Zal, Robby Kiger, Son Hoang Bui, Maria O'Brien, Nelson Welch, Bernie Hern, Moria Turner, Kevin Costner, Cynthia Kania, Marion Russell, Gustaf Unger 20 Betrayal 20th Century Fox David Jones (director); Harold Pinter (screenplay); Jeremy Irons, Ben Kingsley, Patricia Hodge, Avril Elgar MARCH 4 Baby It's You Paramount Pictures John Sayles (director/screenplay); Rosanna Arquette, Vincent Spano, Joanna Merlin, Leora Dana, Bill Raymond, Sam McMurray, Liane Curtis, Fisher Stevens, Tracy Pollan, Matthew Modine, Robert Downey Jr., Jack Davidson, Nick Ferrari, Dolores Messina, Claudia Sherman, Marta Kober, Rachel Dretzin, Susan Derendorf Curtains Jensen Farley Pictures Richard Ciupka (director); Robert Guza, Jr. (screenplay); John Vernon, Linda Thorson, Samantha Eggar, Anne Ditchburn, Lynne Griffin, Lesleh Donaldson, Michael Wincott, Maury Chaykin, Booth Savage, Sandee Currie, Deborah Burgess My Tutor Crown International Pictures George Bowers (director); Joe Roberts (screenplay); Caren Kaye, Matt Lattanzi, Kevin McCarthy, Bruce Bauer, Clark Brandon, Arlene Golonka, Crispin Glover, Jewel Shepard, John Vargas, Amber Denyse Austin, Maria Melendez, Graem McGavin Tender Mercies Universal Pictures / Associated Film Distribution Bruce Beresford (director); Horton Foote (screenplay); Robert Duvall, Tess Harper, Betty Buckley, Wilford Brimley, Ellen Barkin, Allan Hubbard, Lenny Von Dohlen, Paul Gleason, Michael Crabtree, Norman Bennett 11 10 to Midnight Cannon Films J. Lee Thompson (director/screenplay); William Roberts (screenplay); Charles Bronson, Lisa Eilbacher, Andrew Stevens, Gene Davis, Geoffrey Lewis, Wilford Brimley, Robert F. Lyons, Bert Williams, Ola Ray, Kelly Preston, Cosie Costa, Jeana Tomasina, June Gilbert, Sam Chew Jr., Larry Caruso, Anne Lockhart Trenchcoat Buena Vista Distribution Michael Tuchner (director); Jeffrey Price, Peter S. Seaman (screenplay); Margot Kidder, Robert Hays, David Suchet, Gila von Weitershausen, Ronald Lacey, John Justin, Leopoldo Trieste, Jennifer Darling, Kevork Malikyan, Vic Tablian, Daniel Faraldo 18 High Road to China Warner Bros. / Umbrella Entertainment Brian G. Hutton (director); Sandra Weintraub, S. Lee Pogostin (screenplay); Tom Selleck, Bess Armstrong, Jack Weston, Wilford Brimley, Robert Morley, Brian Blessed, Cassandra Gava, Michael Sheard, Lynda La Plante, Terry Richards, Robert Lee, Jeremy Child, Dino Shafeek, Anthony Chinn, Timothy Bateson, Wolf Kahler, Ric Young, Simon Prebble, Timothy Carlton, Sime Jagarinac, Domagoj Vukusic, Peggy Sirr, Shayur Mehta, Peter Llewellyn Williams, Hai Ching Lim, Chua Kahjoo, Zdenka Hersak, Marc Boyle, Kim Rook Teoh, Daniel Clucas, John Higginson 23 Eddie Macon's Run Universal Pictures Jeff Kanew (director/screenplay); Kirk Douglas, John Schneider, Lee Purcell, Lisa Dunsheath, Leah Ayres, Tom Noonan, J.C. Quinn, Gil Rogers, Jay O. Sanders, Todd Allen, Nesbitt Blaisdell, Susan Bongard, Matthew Cowles, Vic Polizos, Bill DeWeese, John Goodman, Mark Margolis, J.T. Walsh, Dann Florek 25 Bad Boys Universal Pictures / Associated Film Distribution Rick Rosenthal (director); Richard Di Lello (screenplay); Sean Penn, Esai Morales, Ally Sheedy, Reni Santoni, Eric Gurry, Jim Moody, Clancy Brown, Robert Lee Rush, John Zenda, Alan Ruck, Rick Rosenthal The Black Stallion Returns MGM/UA Entertainment Company Robert Dalva (director); Jerome Kass, Richard Kletter (screenplay); Kelly Reno, Vincent Spano, Allen Garfield, Woody Strode, Ferdy Mayne, Jodi Thelen, Teri Garr, Hoyt Axton, Cass Ole, El Mokhtar Max Dugan Returns 20th Century Fox Herbert Ross (director); Neil Simon (screenplay); Marsha Mason, Jason Robards, Donald Sutherland, Matthew Broderick, Dody Goodman, Sal Viscuso, Panchito Gomez, Charley Lau, Kiefer Sutherland The Outsiders Warner Bros. Francis Ford Coppola (director); Kathleen Rowell (screenplay); C. Thomas Howell, Matt Dillon, Ralph Macchio, Patrick Swayze, Rob Lowe, Diane Lane, Emilio Estevez, Tom Cruise, Leif Garrett, Glenn Withrow, Darren Dalton, Michelle Meyrink, Tom Waits, William Smith, Nicolas Cage, Flea, Melanie Griffith, Trey Callaway Spring Break Columbia Pictures Sean S. Cunningham (director); David Smilow (screenplay); David Knell, Perry Lang, Paul Land, Steve Bassett, Jayne Modean, Corinne Wahl, Donald Symington, Mimi Cozzens, Richard B. Shull, Jessica James, Daniel Faraldo, Fred Buch, Jeff Garlin, Tammy Lynn Leppert Tough Enough 20th Century Fox Richard Fleischer (director); John Leone (screenplay); Dennis Quaid, Stan Shaw, Carlene Watkins, Pam Grier, Warren Oates, Wilford Brimley, Steve "Monk" Miller, Big John Hamilton 27 The Thorn Birds ABC / Warner Bros. Television Distribution / David Wolper-Stan Margulies Productions / Edward Lewis Productions Daryl Duke (director); Carmen Culver, Lee Stanley (screenplay); Richard Chamberlain, Rachel Ward, Barbara Stanwyck, Christopher Plummer, Jean Simmons, Bryan Brown, Philip Anglim, Richard Kiley, Piper Laurie, Mare Winningham, Ken Howard, John Friedrich, Dwier Brown, Earl Holliman, Brett Cullen, Stephen W. Burns, Barry Corbin, Holly Palance, John de Lancie, Allyn Ann McLerie, Richard Venture, Stephanie Faracy, Antoinette Bower, Sydney Penny, Vidal Peterson 31 Monty Python's The Meaning of Life Universal Pictures Terry Jones (director); Monty Python (screenplay); Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, Michael Palin, Carol Cleveland, Simon Jones, Patricia Quinn, Judy Loe, Matt Frewer, John Scott Martin, Andrew Bicknell, Mark Holmes, Valerie Whittington
April–June