In 2019, the year before the COVID-19 pandemic shut everything down, including movie theatres, Americans were projected to spend a record $20.7 billion on Valentine’s Day, according to industry advocacy group, National Retail Federation. The beneficiaries of all that spending are not only those receiving gifts. The holiday is a financial boon for florists, chocolatiers, restaurants, jewelers, and, of course, Hollywood.
The U.S. film industry generated a record $43.4 billion in revenue in 2017. While movie ticket sales tend to surge during the summer blockbuster season, holiday-oriented pictures can also fill seats throughout the year. These are the best holiday movies ever made.
In recent decades, stalwart date-night genres like drama, horror, and romantic comedy have dominated the box office in mid-February. While the most popular movie in theaters on Valentine’s Day does not always reflect the spirit of the holiday, movies like “Titanic” in 1998, 2015’s “Fifty Shades of Grey,” and “50 First Dates” in 2004 each grossed over $10 million at the box office on Valentine’s Day alone.
In 2019, the romantic comedy parody “Isn’t It Romantic” hits theaters on Valentine’s Day. The timing is certainly no coincidence.
24/7 Tempo reviewed the highest grossing movie at the box office on Feb. 14 each year since 1980 with data from industry tracking sites Box Office Mojo and The Numbers. Years for which daily revenue was not available, we used revenue for the week or weekend of Valentine’s Day and noted those instances. We also included the average price of a movie ticket each year with data from the National Association of Theatre Owners.
1980
> Movie: Kramer vs. Kramer
> Genre: Drama
> Box office revenue: $5.3 million (Week of Valentine’s)
> Avg. price of a movie ticket in 1980: $2.69
1981
> Movie: Sphinx
> Genre: Adventure
> Box office revenue: $439,564 (Valentine’s weekend)
> Avg. price of a movie ticket in 1981: $2.78
1982
> Movie: On Golden Pond
> Genre: Drama
> Box office revenue: $11.2 million (Week of Valentine’s)
> Avg. price of a movie ticket in 1982: $2.94
1983
> Movie: Tootsie
> Genre: Comedy
> Box office revenue: $6.8 million (Week of Valentine’s)
> Avg. price of a movie ticket in 1983: $3.15
1984
> Movie: Unfaithfully Yours
> Genre: Comedy
> Box office revenue: $4.9 million (Week of Valentine’s)
> Avg. price of a movie ticket in 1984: $3.36
1985
> Movie: Beverly Hills Cop
> Genre: Action
> Box office revenue: $7.9 million (Week of Valentine’s)
> Avg. price of a movie ticket in 1985: $3.55
1986
> Movie: Down and Out in Beverly Hills
> Genre: Comedy
> Box office revenue: $8.5 million (Week of Valentine’s)
> Avg. price of a movie ticket in 1986: $3.71
1987
> Movie: Platoon
> Genre: Drama
> Box office revenue: $15.8 million (Week of Valentine’s)
> Avg. price of a movie ticket in 1987: $3.91
1988
> Movie: Good Morning Vietnam
> Genre: Biography
> Box office revenue: $10.8 million (Week of Valentine’s)
> Avg. price of a movie ticket in 1988: $4.11
1989
> Movie: The Fly II
> Genre: Horror
> Box office revenue: $8.4 million (Week of Valentine’s)
> Avg. price of a movie ticket in 1989: $3.99
1990
> Movie: Hard to Kill
> Genre: Action
> Box office revenue: $12.1 million (Week of Valentine’s)
> Avg. price of a movie ticket in 1990: $4.22
1991
> Movie: The Silence of the Lambs
> Genre: Crime
> Box office revenue: $1.4 million (Valentine’s Day)
> Avg. price of a movie ticket in 1991: $4.21
24/7 Tempo
1992
> Movie: Wayne’s World
> Genre: Comedy
> Box office revenue: $18.1 million (Valentine’s weekend)
> Avg. price of a movie ticket in 1992: $4.15
1993
> Movie: Groundhog Day
> Genre: Comedy
> Box office revenue: $17.1 million (Week of Valentine’s)
> Avg. price of a movie ticket in 1993: $4.14
1994
> Movie: Schindler’s List
> Genre: Biography
> Box office revenue: $426,190 (Valentine’s Day)
> Avg. price of a movie ticket in 1994: $4.08
1995
> Movie: The Quick and the Dead
> Genre: Action
> Box office revenue: $8.4 million (Week of Valentine’s)
> Avg. price of a movie ticket in 1995: $4.35
1996
> Movie: Father of the Bride Part II
> Genre:
> Box office revenue: $61.2 million (Week of Valentine’s)
> Avg. price of a movie ticket in 1996: $4.42
1997
> Movie: Star Wars Ep. IV: A New Hope
> Genre: Comedy
> Box office revenue: $21.4 million (Valentine’s weekend)
> Avg. price of a movie ticket in 1997: $4.59
1998
> Movie: Titanic
> Genre: Drama
> Box office revenue: $13.0 million (Valentine’s Day)
> Avg. price of a movie ticket in 1998: $4.69
1999
> Movie: Message in a Bottle
> Genre: Drama
> Box office revenue: $6.1 million (Valentine’s Day)
> Avg. price of a movie ticket in 1999: $5.06
2000
> Movie: The Beach
> Genre: Adventure
> Box office revenue: $2.1 million (Valentine’s Day)
> Avg. price of a movie ticket in 2000: $5.39
2001
> Movie: Hannibal
> Genre: Crime
> Box office revenue: $5.1 million (Valentine’s Day)
> Avg. price of a movie ticket in 2001: $5.65
24/7 Tempo
2002
> Movie: Collateral Damage
> Genre: Action
> Box office revenue: $1.5 million (Valentine’s Day)
> Avg. price of a movie ticket in 2002: $5.80
2003
> Movie: Daredevil
> Genre: Action
> Box office revenue: $15.3 million (Valentine’s Day)
> Avg. price of a movie ticket in 2003: $6.03
2004
> Movie: 50 First Dates
> Genre: Comedy
> Box office revenue: $19.8 million (Valentine’s Day)
> Avg. price of a movie ticket in 2004: $6.21
2005
> Movie: Hitch
> Genre: Comedy
> Box office revenue: $7.5 million (Valentine’s Day)
> Avg. price of a movie ticket in 2005: $6.41
2006
> Movie: Final Destination 3
> Genre: Horror
> Box office revenue: $2.9 million (Valentine’s Day)
> Avg. price of a movie ticket in 2006: $6.55
24/7 Tempo
2007
> Movie: Daddy’s Little Girls
> Genre: Drama
> Box office revenue: $4.6 million (Valentine’s Day)
> Avg. price of a movie ticket in 2007: $6.88
2008
> Movie: Jumper
> Genre: Action
> Box office revenue: $6.6 million (Valentine’s Day)
> Avg. price of a movie ticket in 2008: $7.18
2009
> Movie: Friday the 13th
> Genre:
> Box office revenue: $14.3 million (Valentine’s Day)
> Avg. price of a movie ticket in 2009: $7.50
2010
> Movie: Valentine’s Day
> Genre: Horror
> Box office revenue: $23.4 million (Valentine’s Day)
> Avg. price of a movie ticket in 2010: $7.89
2011
> Movie: Just Go With It
> Genre: Comedy
> Box office revenue: $6.0 million (Valentine’s Day)
> Avg. price of a movie ticket in 2011: $7.93
24/7 Tempo
2012
> Movie: The Vow
> Genre: Drama
> Box office revenue: $11.6 million (Valentine’s Day)
> Avg. price of a movie ticket in 2012: $7.96
2013
> Movie: Safe Haven
> Genre: Drama
> Box office revenue: $8.8 million (Valentine’s Day)
> Avg. price of a movie ticket in 2013: $8.13
2014
> Movie: About Last Night
> Genre: Comedy
> Box office revenue: $12.9 million (Valentine’s Day)
> Avg. price of a movie ticket in 2014: $8.17
2015
> Movie: Fifty Shades of Grey
> Genre: Drama
> Box office revenue: $36.8 million (Valentine’s Day)
> Avg. price of a movie ticket in 2015: $8.43
2016
> Movie: Deadpool
> Genre: Action
> Box office revenue: $42.6 million (Valentine’s Day)
> Avg. price of a movie ticket in 2016: $8.65
24/7 Tempo
2017
> Movie: Fifty Shades Darker
> Genre: Drama
> Box office revenue: $11.0 million (Valentine’s Day)
> Avg. price of a movie ticket in 2017: $8.97
2018
> Movie: Fifty Shades Freed
> Genre: Drama
> Box office revenue: $10.8 million (Valentine’s Day)
> Avg. price of a movie ticket in 2018: $9.11
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