The following is an overview of events in 1986 in film, including the highest-grossing films, award ceremonies and festivals, a list of films released and notable deaths.
Highest-grossing films (U.S.)
The top ten 1986 released films by box office gross in North America are as follows:
Events
February 3 - Pixar Animation Studios is founded by Edwin Catmull and Alvy Ray Smith. April - Guy McElwaine resigns as head of Columbia Pictures. April 26 - Actor Arnold Schwarzenegger marries television journalist Maria Shriver. June - First Midnight Sun Film Festival in Sodankylä, Finnish Lapland. July 2 - The Great Mouse Detective is released to theaters to positive reviews and is a critical and financial success, just behind An American Tail, saving the Disney Studio from bankruptcy after the failure of The Black Cauldron. It is now regarded as one of the darkest and underrated classics of all time, and has gained a cult following. August 6 - Timothy Dalton is officially announced as the fourth actor to portray James Bond. September - David Puttnam becomes head of Columbia Pictures. September 13 - Film review television program Siskel & Ebert premieres in syndication. Although the two critics have been working as a pair since 1975, this will be their longest running program and will run in various incarnations until 2010. November 21 - The first animated film produced by Steven Spielberg, An American Tail, is released, and breaks the record once held by Disney's The Rescuers for the largest financial amount made for an animated film on opening weekend. November 29 Actor Cary Grant dies of a cerebral hemorrhage in Davenport, Iowa. Stuntman Dar Robinson is killed on the set of the film Million Dollar Mystery.
Awards
Palme d'Or (Cannes Film Festival): The Mission, directed by Roland Joffé, United Kingdom
Golden Lion (Venice Film Festival): The Green Ray (Le Rayon vert), directed by Éric Rohmer, France
Golden Bear (Berlin Film Festival): Stammheim, directed by Reinhard Hauff, West Germany
1986 Wide-release films in the U.S.
January–March
April–June
July–September
October–December
Notable films released in 1986
United States unless stated
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8 Million Ways to Die, directed by Hal Ashby, starring Jeff Bridges, Rosanna Arquette, Alexandra Paul, Andy García 9½ Weeks, directed by Adrian Lyne, starring Kim Basinger and Mickey Rourke 52 Pick-Up, directed by John Frankenheimer, starring Roy Scheider, John Glover, Clarence Williams III, Vanity, Ann-Margret
A
Aakhree Raasta (The Last Option), starring Amitabh Bachchan - (India) Abel, directed by and starring Alex van Warmerdam - (Netherlands) About Last Night, directed by Edward Zwick, starring Rob Lowe, Demi Moore, James Belushi, Elizabeth Perkins Absolute Beginners, directed by Julien Temple, starring David Bowie and Patsy Kensit - (U.K.) The Adventure of Faustus Bidgood - (Canada) The Adventures of Milo and Otis (Koneko monogatari) - (Japan) The Adventures of the American Rabbit - (United States/Japan) The AIDS Show Alex Holeh Ahavah (Alex is Lovesick) - (Israel) Aliens, directed by James Cameron, starring Sigourney Weaver, Michael Biehn, Bill Paxton, Lance Henriksen, Jenette Goldstein, Paul Reiser Allan Quatermain and the Lost City of Gold, directed by Gary Nelson, starring Richard Chamberlain, Sharon Stone, James Earl Jones, Henry Silva, and Robert Donner Los Amantes del Señor de la Noche (The Lovers of the Lord of the Night) - (Mexico) American Anthem, starring Mitch Gaylord and Janet Jones An American Tail, directed by Don Bluth with the voices of Phillip Glasser and Dom DeLuise El Amor brujo (a.k.a. Wedded by Witchcraft), directed by Carlos Saura - (Spain) Amorosa, directed by Mai Zetterling - (Sweden) April Fool's Day, starring Jay Baker and Deborah Foreman Armed and Dangerous, starring John Candy, Eugene Levy, Meg Ryan Armed Response, starring David Carradine and Lee Van Cleef Armour of God (Long xiong hu di), starring Jackie Chan - (Hong Kong) As Is, directed by Michael Lindsay-Hogg, starring Colleen Dewhurst, Robert Carradine, Jonathan Hadary The Assault (De aanslag) - Academy and Golden Globe Awards for Best Foreign Language Film, Golden Space Needle award - (Netherlands) At Close Range, starring Sean Penn, Christopher Walken, Mary Stuart Masterson, Chris Penn Attention bandits!, aka Bandits, directed by Claude Lelouch (France) Avenging Force, starring Michael Dudikoff