1988 in film

The following is an overview of events in 1988 in film, including the highest-grossing films, award ceremonies and festivals, a list of films released and notable deaths.

Highest-grossing films

The top 10 films released in 1988 by worldwide gross are as follows:

Events

* May 25 – ''Rambo III'' was released as the most expensive film ever made with a production budget between $58 and $63 million. The film failed to match the box office earnings from '' Rambo: First Blood Part II'' (1985).
* July 15 – '' Die Hard'' defies low commercial expectations to gross $141.5 million worldwide. Hailed as an influential landmark in the action film genre, it influenced a common formula for many '90s action films, featuring a lone everyman against a colorful terrorist character who's usually holding hostages in an isolated setting. Such films and their sequels are often referred to as "''Die Hard'' on a _____": '' Under Siege'' (battleship), '' Cliffhanger'' (mountain), ''Speed'' (bus), '' The Rock'' (prison island), '' Con Air'' (prison plane), ''Air Force One'' (presidential plane), '' Olympus Has Fallen'' (White House), etc...
* October 10 – ''Batman'' officially commences filming at Pinewood Studios in Buckinghamshire.
* October 27 – ''E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial'' is released on VHS and laserdisc; to combat piracy, the tapeguards and tape hubs on the videocassettes are colored green, and the tape itself is affixed with a small, holographic sticker of the 1963 Universal logo (much like the holograms on a credit card), and encoded with Macrovision. In North America alone, VHS sales come to $75million.
* December 16 – ''Rain Man'' is released to critical and commercial success and became the highest grossing film of 1988 worldwide with a gross of $355 million. Winning four Academy Awards including Best Picture, it was the last MGM title to be nominated for Best Picture until ''Licorice Pizza'' (2021) 33 years later.

Awards

Palme d'Or (Cannes Film Festival)
:'' Pelle the Conqueror'' (''Pelle erobreren''), directed by Bille August, Denmark

Golden Lion (Venice Film Festival)
:'' La leggenda del santo bevitore'' (''The Legend of the Holy Drinker''), directed by Ermanno Olmi, Italy / France

Golden Bear (Berlin International Film Festival)
:'' Red Sorghum'' (''Hong gao liang''), directed by Zhang Yimou, China

1988 Wide-release films

January–March

April–June

July–September

October–December

Notable films released in 1988

United States unless stated

#

*'' 18 Again!'', directed by Paul Flaherty, starring George Burns, Charlie Schlatter, Tony Roberts, Anita Morris and Red Buttons
*''1969'', directed by Ernest Thompson, starring Robert Downey, Jr., Kiefer Sutherland and Winona Ryder

A

*'' The Abyss'' (L'Œuvre au noir), directed by André Delvaux, starring Gian Maria Volonté – (France/Belgium)
*'' Above the Law'', directed by Andrew Davis, starring Steven Seagal and Pam Grier
*''The Accidental Tourist'', directed by Lawrence Kasdan, starring William Hurt, Kathleen Turner, Geena Davis and Bill Pullman
*'' The Accused'', directed by Jonathan Kaplan, starring Jodie Foster and Kelly McGillis – (Canada)
*'' Action Jackson'', directed by Craig R. Baxley, starring Carl Weathers, Craig T. Nelson, Vanity and Sharon Stone
*'' The Adventures of Baron Munchausen'', directed by Terry Gilliam, starring John Neville, Eric Idle, Sarah Polley, Oliver Reed, Uma Thurman and Jonathan Pryce – ( U.K.)
*'' Akira'', directed by Katsuhiro Otomo, voices of Mitsuo Iwata, Nozomu Sasaki, Mami Koyama, Taro Ishida, Mizuho Suzuki and Tesshō Genda (Japan)
*''Alice'' (Něco z Alenky), directed by Jan Švankmajer, starring Kristýna Kohoutová (Czechoslovakia)
*''Alien Nation'', directed by Graham Baker, starring James Caan and Mandy Patinkin
*'' Aloha Summer'', directed by Tommy Lee Wallace, starring Chris Makepeace, Yuji Okumoto, Don Michael Paul, Tia Carrere, Andy Bumatai and Lorie Griffin
*'' Amsterdamned'', directed by Dick Maas, starring Huub Stapel, Monique van de Ven, Serge-Henri Valcke, Hidde Maas and Wim Zomer (Netherlands)
*'' And God Created Woman'', directed by Roger Vadim, starring Rebecca De Mornay, Vincent Spano, Frank Langella and Donovan Leitch
*'' Another Woman'', directed by Woody Allen, starring Gena Rowlands, Mia Farrow, Ian Holm and Gene Hackman
*'' Appointment With Death'', directed by Michael Winner, starring Peter Ustinov (as Hercule Poirot), Lauren Bacall, Piper Laurie, John Gielgud, Hayley Mills and Carrie Fisher
*'' Ariel'', directed by Aki Kaurismäki, starring Turo Pajala, Susanna Haavisto and Matti Pellonpää (Finland)
*'' Arthur 2: On the Rocks'', directed by Bud Yorkin, starring Dudley Moore, Liza Minnelli and Kathy Bates
*'' As Tears Go By'' (Wong gok Kaa mun), directed by Wong Kar-wai, starring Andy Lau and Maggie Cheung – (Hong Kong)
*''Ashik Kerib'', directed by Dodo Abashidze and Sergei Parajanov, starring Yuri Mgoyan, Sofiko Chiaureli, Ramaz Chkhikvadze and Konstantin Stepankov (Soviet Union)
*'' Aviya's Summer'' (HaKayitz Shel Aviya), directed by Eli Cohen, starring Gila Almagor and Kaipo Cohen – (Israel)

B

*'' Bad Dreams'', directed by Andrew Fleming, starring Jennifer Rubin
*'' Bat*21'', directed by Peter Markle, starring Gene Hackman and Danny Glover
*''Beaches'', directed by Garry Marshall, starring Bette Midler and Barbara Hershey
*'' The Bear'' (L'Ours), directed by Jean-Jacques Annaud, starring Bart the Bear, Youk the Bear, Tchéky Karyo, Andre Lacombe and Jack Wallace – (France)
*''Bear Ye One Another's Burden'' (Einer trage des anderen Last), directed by Lothar Warneke, starring Jörg Pose and Manfred Möck (East Germany)
*'' The Beast'', directed by Kevin Reynolds, starring George Dzundza and Jason Patric
*'' Beetlejuice'', directed by Tim Burton, starring Michael Keaton, Alec Baldwin, Geena Davis, Catherine O'Hara and Winona Ryder
*'' Betrayed'', directed by Costa-Gavras, starring Debra Winger and Tom Berenger
*'' Big'', directed by Penny Marshall, starring Tom Hanks, Elizabeth Perkins, John Heard and Robert Loggia
*'' The Big Blue'', directed by Luc Besson, starring Rosanna Arquette, Jean-Marc Barr and Jean Reno – (France/United States/Italy)
*''Big Business'', directed by Jim Abrahams, starring Bette Midler, Lily Tomlin, Fred Ward and Michael Gross
*'' Big Time'', a musical, directed by Chris Blum, starring Tom Waits
*'' Big Top Pee-wee'', directed by Randal Kleiser, starring Paul Reubens, Valeria Golino, Penelope Ann Miller and Kris Kristofferson
*''Biloxi Blues'', directed by Mike Nichols, starring Matthew Broderick and Christopher Walken
*''Bird'', directed by Clint Eastwood, starring Forest Whitaker and Diane Venora
*'' Black Eagle'', directed by Eric Karson, starring Sho Kosugi and Jean-Claude Van Damme
*'' Blind Justice'', aka '' Hold My Hand I'm Dying'', directed by Terence Ryan, starring Oliver Reed
*''The Blob'', directed by Chuck Russell, starring Kevin Dillon and Shawnee Smith
*'' Bloodsport'', directed by Newt Arnold, starring Jean-Claude Van Damme and Forest Whitaker
*''Bloodstone'', directed by Dwight H. Little, starring Rajinikanth
*''The Blue Iguana'', directed by John Lafia, starring Dylan McDermott, Jessica Harper, James Russo, Pamela Gidley and Tovah Feldshuh
*'' La Bohème'', directed by Luigi Comencini, starring Barbara Hendricks and Luca Canonici
*'' The Boost'', directed by Harold Becker, starring James Woods, Sean Young, Steven Hill and Amanda Blake
*'' Braddock: Missing in Action III'', directed by Aaron Norris, starring Chuck Norris, Aki Aleong, Yehuda Efroni and Roland Harrah III
*'' Brain Damage'', directed by Frank Henenlotter, starring Rick Hearst and John Zacherle
*'' Bright Lights, Big City'', directed by James Bridges, starring Michael J. Fox, Kiefer Sutherland, Phoebe Cates and Dianne Wiest
*'' Bull Durham'', directed by Ron Shelton, starring Kevin Costner, Susan Sarandon and Tim Robbins
*''Bulletproof'', directed by Steve Carver, starring Gary Busey
*'' Burning Secret'', directed by Andrew Birkin, starring Klaus Maria Brandauer and Faye Dunaway – ( U.K./West Germany)
*'' Buster'', directed by David Green, starring Phil Collins and Julie Walters – ( U.K.)

C

*'' Caddyshack II'', directed by Allan Arkush, starring Jackie Mason, Dyan Cannon, Robert Stack, Dina Merrill, Chevy Chase and Dan Aykroyd
*'' Call Me'', directed by Sollace Mitchell, starring Patricia Charbonneau
*'' Camille Claudel'', directed by Bruno Nuytten, starring Isabelle Adjani and Gérard Depardieu – (France)
*'' Candy Mountain'', directed by Robert Frank and Rudy Wurlitzer, starring Kevin J. O'Connor, Harris Yulin, Tom Waits, Bulle Ogier and Roberts Blossom (Switzerland/Canada/France)
*''Cannibal Tours'', directed by Dennis O'Rourke (Australia)
*'' The Cannibals'' (Os Canibais), directed by Manoel de Oliveira, starring Luís Miguel Cintra (Portugal)
*''Casual Sex?'', directed by Geneviève Robert, starring Lea Thompson, Victoria Jackson, Stephen Shellen, Jerry Levine, Mary Gross and Andrew Dice Clay
*''The Cat Who Walked by Herself'' (Koshka, kotoraya gulyala sama po sebe), directed by Ideya Garanina, starring Valentina Ponomaryova, Yelena Sanayeva, Georgi Burkov, Nikolay Karachentsov, Inna Churikova, Nogon Shumarov, Anna Kamenkova and Nikolai Burlyayev ( U.S.S.R.)
*'' Celia'', directed by Ann Turner, starring Rebecca Smart (Australia)
*''Chicken and Duck Talk'' (Gai tung aap gong), directed by Clifton Ko, starring Michael Hui, Ricky Hui, Sylvia Chang, Lowell Lo, and Lawrence Ng (Hong Kong)
*'' Child's Play'', directed by Tom Holland, starring Catherine Hicks, Chris Sarandon, Brad Dourif and Alex Vincent
*''Chilsu and Mansu'' (칠수와 만수), directed by Park Kwang-su, starring Ahn Sung-ki and Park Joong-hoon (South Korea)
*'' Chithram'' (Picture), directed by Priyadarshan, starring Mohanlal – (India)
*'' Chocolat'', directed by Claire Denis, starring Isaach De Bankolé, François Cluzet and Giulia Boschi (France/Cameroon)
*'' The Chocolate War'', directed by Keith Gordon, starring John Glover, Ilan Mitchell-Smith, Wallace Langham, Doug Hutchison, Jenny Wright and Bud Cort
*'' A Chorus of Disapproval'', directed by Michael Winner, starring Anthony Hopkins and Jeremy Irons – ( U.K.)
*'' Cinema Paradiso'', directed by Giuseppe Tornatore, starring Philippe Noiret – winner of Oscar, BAFTA and Golden Globe awards for best foreign language film – (Italy)
*''Clara's Heart'', directed by Robert Mulligan, starring Whoopi Goldberg and Neil Patrick Harris
*''Clean and Sober'', directed by Glenn Gordon Caron, starring Michael Keaton, Morgan Freeman and Kathy Baker
*'' Cocktail'', directed by Roger Donaldson, starring Tom Cruise, Bryan Brown and Elisabeth Shue
*'' Cocoon: The Return'', directed by Daniel Petrie, starring Don Ameche, Wilford Brimley, Hume Cronyn, Courteney Cox and Jessica Tandy
*'' Colors'', directed by Dennis Hopper, starring Robert Duvall, Sean Penn and María Conchita Alonso
*'' Coming to America'', directed by John Landis, starring Eddie Murphy, Arsenio Hall, James Earl Jones, Madge Sinclair, Shari Headley and John Amos
*''Consuming Passions'', directed by Giles Foster, starring Jonathan Pryce – ( U.K.)
*'' Cop'', directed by James B. Harris, starring James Woods and Lesley Ann Warren
*''The Couch Trip'', directed by Michael Ritchie, starring Dan Aykroyd, Charles Grodin, Donna Dixon, Mary Gross and Walter Matthau
*'' Critters 2: The Main Course'', directed by Mick Garris, starring Scott Grimes, Liane Curtis, Don Keith Opper, Barry Corbin and Tom Hodges (actor), Tom Hodges
*''Crocodile Dundee II'', directed by John Cornell, starring Paul Hogan and Linda Kozlowski – (Australia)
*''Crossing Delancey'', directed by Joan Micklin Silver, starring Amy Irving and Peter Riegert
*''Evil Angels (film), A Cry in the Dark'' (aka Evil Angels), directed by Fred Schepisi, starring Meryl Streep and Sam Neill – (Australia/United States)

D

*''Da (film), Da'', directed by Matt Clark (actor), Matt Clark, starring Barnard Hughes and Martin Sheen
*''Dadah Is Death, Dadah is Death'', directed by Jerry London, starring Julie Christie and Hugo Weaving – (Australia)
*''Daffy Duck's Quackbusters'', directed by Greg Ford and Terry Lennon, voices of Mel Blanc, Julie Bennett, Roy Firestone and B. J. Ward (actress), B.J. Ward
*''Damnation (film), Damnation'' (Karhozat), directed by Béla Tarr, starring Miklos B. Szekely (List of Hungarian films 1948–1989, Hungary)
*''Dancing in the Dust (1988 film), Dancing in the Dust'', directed by Henri Duparc (director), Henri Duparc, starring Bamba Bakary (List of Ivorian films, Ivorian polygyny film)
*''Dangerous Liaisons'', directed by Stephen Frears, starring Glenn Close, John Malkovich, Michelle Pfeiffer, Uma Thurman and Keanu Reeves
*''The Dawning'', directed by Robert Knights, starring Anthony Hopkins, Hugh Grant and Rebecca Pidgeon – ( U.K.)
*''Days of Eclipse'' (Dni zatmeniya), directed by Aleksandr Sokurov, starring Aleksei Ananishnov ( U.S.S.R.)
*''Days of Terror'', directed by Said Marzouk, starring Salah Zulfikar, Mahmoud Yassin and Mervat Amin – (List of Egyptian films of 1988, Egypt)
*''Dead Heat (1988 film), Dead Heat'', directed by Mark Goldblatt, starring Treat Williams and Joe Piscopo
*''The Dead Pool'', directed by Buddy Van Horn, starring Clint Eastwood, Liam Neeson, Patricia Clarkson and Jim Carrey
*''Dead Ringers (film), Dead Ringers'', directed by David Cronenberg, starring Jeremy Irons and Geneviève Bujold – (Canada/United States)
*''Dead Solid Perfect'', directed by Bobby Roth, starring Randy Quaid, Kathryn Harrold and Corinne Bohrer
*''The Deceivers (film), The Deceivers'', directed by Nicholas Meyer, starring Pierce Brosnan, Saeed Jaffrey and Shashi Kapoor – (Bollywood films of 1988, India)
*''The Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years'', directed by Penelope Spheeris, documentary featuring Aerosmith, Kiss (band), Kiss, Motörhead and Ozzy Osbourne
*'' Die Hard'', directed by John McTiernan, starring Bruce Willis, Bonnie Bedelia, Reginald VelJohnson and Alan Rickman
*''Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (film), Dirty Rotten Scoundrels'', directed by Frank Oz, starring Steve Martin, Michael Caine and Glenne Headly
*''Distant Thunder (1988 film), Distant Thunder'', directed by Rick Rosenthal, starring John Lithgow and Ralph Macchio
*''Distant Voices, Still Lives'', directed by Terence Davies, starring Pete Postlethwaite – ( U.K.)
*''D.O.A. (1988 film), D.O.A.'', directed by Annabel Jankel and Rocky Morton, starring Dennis Quaid and Meg Ryan
*''Doin' Time on Planet Earth'', directed by Charles Matthau, starring Nicholas Strouse, Andrea Thompson, Martha Scott, Adam West, Hugh Gillin and Matt Adler
*''Dominick and Eugene'', directed by Robert M. Young (film director), Robert M. Young, starring Tom Hulce, Ray Liotta and Jamie Lee Curtis
*''Dragons Forever'' (Fei lung maang jeung), directed by Sammo Hung and Corey Yuen, starring Jackie Chan and Sammo Hung – (Hong Kong)
*''Dream Demon'', directed by Harley Cokeliss, starring Jemma Redgrave – ( U.K.)
* ''The Dressmaker (1988 film), The Dressmaker'', directed by Jim O'Brien (director), Jim O'Brien, starring Joan Plowright and Billie Whitelaw – ( U.K.)
*''Drowning by Numbers'', directed by Peter Greenaway, starring Joan Plowright, Juliet Stevenson and Joely Richardson – ( U.K.)

E

*''Earth Girls Are Easy'', directed by Julien Temple, starring Jeff Goldblum, Geena Davis, Damon Wayans and Jim Carrey
*''Eight Men Out'', directed by John Sayles, starring John Cusack, David Strathairn, John Mahoney, Michael Rooker, D. B. Sweeney and Charlie Sheen
*''The Eighth Happiness'' (Baat seng bou hei), directed by Johnnie To, starring Chow Yun-fat – (Hong Kong)
*''Elvira, Mistress of the Dark'', directed by James Signorelli, starring Cassandra Peterson
*''Ernest Saves Christmas'', directed by John R. Cherry III, starring Jim Varney
*''The Everlasting Secret Family'', directed by Michael Thornhill, starring Arthur Dignam, Mark Lee (Australian actor), Mark Lee, Heather Mitchell, Dennis Miller, John Meillon, Paul Goddard (actor), Paul Goddard and Anna Volska
*''Everybody's All-American (film), Everybody's All-American'', directed by Taylor Hackford, starring Dennis Quaid, Jessica Lange, Timothy Hutton, Patricia Clarkson and John Goodman

F

*''Faceless (1988 film), Faceless'', directed by Jesús Franco, starring Helmut Berger, Brigitte Lahaie, Telly Savalas, Christopher Mitchum and Stéphane Audran(France)
*''Far North (1988 film), Far North'', directed by Sam Shepard, starring Jessica Lange, Charles Durning and Tess Harper
*''Feds'', directed by Daniel Goldberg (producer), Daniel Goldberg, starring Rebecca De Mornay and Mary Gross
*''A Few Days with Me'' (Quelques jours avec moi), directed by Claude Sautet, starring Daniel Auteuil and Sandrine Bonnaire – (France)
*''The First Kangaroos'', directed by Frank Cvitanovich, starring Dennis Waterman – ( U.K./Australia)
*''A Fish Called Wanda'', directed by Charles Crichton, starring John Cleese, Jamie Lee Curtis, Kevin Kline and Michael Palin – (British films of 1988, UK/American films of 1988, US)
*''Flesheater'', directed by and starring Bill Hinzman
*''For Keeps (film), For Keeps'', directed by John G. Avildsen, starring Molly Ringwald, Randall Batinkoff and Kenneth Mars
*''The Fox and the Hound'', directed by Art Stevens, Ted Berman, Richard Rich, voices of Mickey Rooney and Kurt Russell
*''Frantic (film), Frantic'', directed by Roman Polanski, starring Harrison Ford, Emmanuelle Seigner and Betty Buckley
*''Fresh Horses (film), Fresh Horses'', directed by David Anspaugh, starring Molly Ringwald and Andrew McCarthy
*''Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood'', directed by John Carl Buechler, starring Lar Park Lincoln and Kevin Spirtas, Kevin Blair
*''Fright Night Part 2'', directed by Tommy Lee Wallace, starring William Ragsdale and Roddy McDowall
*''The Fruit Machine (1988 film), The Fruit Machine'', directed by Philip Saville, starring Emile Charles, Tony Forsyth, Robert Stephens, Robbie Coltrane and Bruce Payne ( U.K.)
*''Full Moon in Blue Water'', directed by Peter Masterson, starring Gene Hackman and Teri Garr
*''Funny Farm (film), Funny Farm'', directed by George Roy Hill, starring Chevy Chase and Madolyn Smith

G

*''The Gamble (1988 film), The Gamble'', directed by Carlo Vanzina, starring Matthew Modine, Faye Dunaway and Jennifer Beals – (Italy)
*''Georgia (1988 film), Georgia'', directed by Ben Lewin, starring Judy Davis – (Australia)
*''Ghost Town (1988 film), Ghost Town'', directed by Richard McCarthy (under the alias Richard Governor), starring Franc Luz, Catherine Hickland, Jimmie F. Skaggs and Bruce Glover
*''Ghosts… of the Civil Dead'', directed by John Hillcoat, starring David Field (actor), David Field, Chris DeRose, Nick Cave and Dave Mason (Australian musician), Dave Mason (Australia)
*''The Good Mother (1988 film), The Good Mother'', directed by Leonard Nimoy, starring Diane Keaton and Liam Neeson
*''Gorillas in the Mist'', directed by Michael Apted, starring Sigourney Weaver and Bryan Brown
*''Gotham (film), Gotham'' (aka) ''The Dead Can't Lie'', directed by Lloyd Fonvielle, starring Tommy Lee Jones and Virginia Madsen
*''Grave of the Fireflies'' (Hotaru no Haka), directed by Isao Takahata, starring Tsutomu Tatsumi, Ayano Shiraishi, Yoshiko Shinohara and Akemi Yamaguchi (Japan)
*''The Great Outdoors (film), The Great Outdoors'', directed by Howard Deutch, starring Dan Aykroyd, John Candy and Annette Bening

H

*''Hairspray (1988 film), Hairspray'', directed by John Waters (filmmaker), John Waters, starring Ricki Lake, Divine (actor), Divine, Jerry Stiller, Sonny Bono and Debbie Harry, Deborah Harry
*''Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers'', directed by Dwight H. Little, starring Donald Pleasence, Ellie Cornell, Danielle Harris and Michael Pataki
*''A Handful of Dust (film), A Handful of Dust'', directed by Charles Sturridge, starring James Wilby and Kristin Scott Thomas – ( U.K.)
*''Hanna's War'', directed by Menahem Golan, starring Ellen Burstyn, Maruschka Detmers, Anthony Andrews, Donald Pleasence and David Warner (actor), David Warner
*''Hanussen (1988 film), Hanussen'', directed by István Szabó, starring Klaus Maria Brandauer – (List of Hungarian films 1948–1989, Hungary)
*''Hatya'', directed by Kirti Kumar, starring Govinda (actor), Govinda and Neelam Kothari, Neelam – (Bollywood films of 1988, India)
*''Haunted Summer'', directed by Ivan Passer, starring Philip Anglim, Laura Dern, Alice Krige, Eric Stoltz and Alex Winter
*''Hawks (film), Hawks'', directed by Robert Ellis Miller, starring Timothy Dalton and Anthony Edwards (actor), Anthony Edwards – ( U.K.)
*''Heart of a Dog (1988 film), Heart of a Dog'' (Sobachye serdtse), directed by Vladimir Bortko, starring Yevgeniy Yevstigneyev, Boris Plotnikov, Vladimir Tolokonnikov and Nina Ruslanova ( U.S.S.R.)
*''Heart of Midnight (film), Heart of Midnight'', directed by Matthew Chapman (author), Matthew Chapman, starring Jennifer Jason Leigh
*''Heartbreak Hotel (film), Heartbreak Hotel'', directed by Chris Columbus (filmmaker), Chris Columbus, starring David L. Keith, David Keith
*''Heathers'', directed by Michael Lehmann, starring Winona Ryder and Christian Slater
*''Hellbound: Hellraiser II'', directed by Tony Randel, starring Clare Higgins, Ashley Laurence and Kenneth Cranham (British films of 1988, UK/American films of 1988, US)
*''Hero and the Terror'', directed by William Tannen, starring Chuck Norris, Brynn Thayer, Steve James (actor), Steve James and Jack O'Halloran
*''Hero Hiralal'', directed by Ketan Mehta, starring Naseeruddin Shah and Sanjana Kapoor (Bollywood films of 1988, India)
*''High Hopes (1988 film), High Hopes'', directed by Mike Leigh, starring Phil Davis (actor), Phil Davis, Ruth Sheen and Lesley Manville ( U.K.)
*''High Spirits (film), High Spirits'', directed by Neil Jordan, starring Peter O'Toole, Steve Guttenberg and Daryl Hannah
*''Hobgoblins (film), Hobgoblins'', directed by Rick Sloane, starring Tom Bartlett, Paige Sullivan, Steven Boggs, Kelley Palmer, Billy Frank and Daran Norris
*''Hope and Pain'', directed by Yoji Yamada, starring Hiroko Yakushimaru (Japan)
*''Hot to Trot'', directed by Michael Dinner, starring Bob Goldthwait, Virginia Madsen, Jim Metzler and Dabney Coleman
*''Hôtel Terminus: The Life and Times of Klaus Barbie'' (Hôtel Terminus: Klaus Barbie, sa vie et son temps), directed by Marcel Ophüls – (France)
*''The House on Carroll Street'', directed by Peter Yates, starring Kelly McGillis and Jeff Daniels
*''How Poets Are Enjoying Their Lives'' (Jak básníkům chutná život), directed by Dusan Klein, starring Pavel Kříž (List of Czech films of the 1980s, Czechoslovakia)

I

*''Illegally Yours'', directed by Peter Bogdanovich, starring Rob Lowe and Colleen Camp
*''I'm Gonna Git You Sucka'', directed by and starring Keenen Ivory Wayans
*''Imagine: John Lennon'', directed by Andrew Solt, documentary film about John Lennon
*''The In Crowd (1988 film), The In Crowd'', directed by Mark Rosenthal (screenwriter), Mark Rosenthal, starring Donovan Leitch (actor), Donovan Leich and Joe Pantoliano
*''Iron Eagle II'', directed by Sidney J. Furie, starring Louis Gossett Jr.
*''It Couldn't Happen Here'', directed by Jack Bond (director), Jack Bond, starring the Pet Shop Boys – ( U.K.)
*''It Takes Two (1988 film), It Takes Two'', directed by David Beaird, starring George Newbern, Leslie Hope, Kimberly Foster (actress), Kimberly Foster and Barry Corbin

J

*''Johnny Be Good'', directed by Bud Smith, starring Anthony Michael Hall, Robert Downey, Jr. and Uma Thurman
*''Judgment in Berlin (film), Judgment in Berlin'', directed by Leo Penn, starring Martin Sheen, Sam Wanamaker, Max Gail, Heinz Hoenig, Carl Lumbly, Max Volkert Martens, Joshua Sinclair, Jutta Speidel, Harris Yulin and Sean Penn

K

*''Kabzaa'', directed by Mahesh Bhatt, starring Raj Babbar, Sanjay Dutt, Amrita Singh, Paresh Rawal and Alok Nath (List of Bollywood films of 1988, India)
*''Kamilla and the Thief'' (Kamilla og Tyven), directed by Grete Salomonsen, starring Veronika Flåt, Dennis Storhøi, Agnete Haaland and Morten Harket (Norwegian films of the 1980s, Norway)
*''Kansas (film), Kansas'', directed by David Stevens (screenwriter), David Stevens, starring Matt Dillon and Andrew McCarthy
*''Killer Klowns from Outer Space'', directed by The Chiodo Brothers, Stephen Chiodo, starring Grant Cramer, Suzanne Snyder, John Allen Nelson, Royal Dano, Michael Siegel, Peter Licassi and John Vernon
*''The Kiss (1988 film), The Kiss'', directed by Pen Densham, starring Joanna Pacuła and Meredith Salenger – (United States/Canada)
*''The Kitchen Toto'', directed by Harry Hook, starring Bob Peck, Phyllis Logan and Edwin Mahinda
*''Kung-Fu Master (film), Kung-Fu Master'' (a.k.a. Le Petit Amour), directed by Agnès Varda, starring Jane Birkin and Charlotte Gainsbourg – (France)

L

*''Lady in White'', directed by Frank LaLoggia, starring Lukas Haas, Len Cariou, Alex Rocco and Katherine Helmond
*''The Lair of the White Worm (film), The Lair of the White Worm'', directed by Ken Russell, starring Amanda Donohoe, Peter Capaldi and Hugh Grant – ( U.K.)
*''The Land Before Time (film), The Land Before Time'', directed by Don Bluth, voices of Gabriel Damon, Candace Hutson, Judith Barsi and Will Ryan
*''Landscape in the Mist'' (Topio stin omichli), directed by Theo Angelopoulos, starring Michalis Zeke, Tania Palaiologou and Stratos Tzortzoglou (Greek films of the 1980s, Greece)
*''Last Rites (1988 film), Last Rites'', directed by Donald P. Bellisario, starring Daphne Zuniga, Tom Berenger and Anne Twomey (actor), Anne Twomey
*''The Last Temptation of Christ (film), The Last Temptation of Christ'', directed by Martin Scorsese, starring Willem Dafoe, Harvey Keitel, Barbara Hershey, Harry Dean Stanton and David Bowie
*''The Legend of the Holy Drinker (film), The Legend of the Holy Drinker'' (La Leggenda del Santo Bevitore), directed by Ermanno Olmi, starring Rutger Hauer – Golden Lion award – (Italy/France)
*''License to Drive'', directed by Greg Beeman, starring Corey Haim, Corey Feldman, Carol Kane and Richard Masur
*''Life Is a Long Quiet River'' (La vie est un long fleuve tranquille), directed by Étienne Chatiliez, starring Benoît Magimel, Hélène Vincent, André Wilms, Daniel Gélin, Catherine Jacob (actress), Catherine Jacob and Patrick Bouchitey (France)
*''Gandahar (film), Light Years'' (Gandahar), directed by René Laloux, starring Pierre-Marie Escourrou (France)
*''The Little Devil'' (Il Piccolo Diavolo), directed by and starring Roberto Benigni, with Walter Matthau and Nicoletta Braschi (Italy)
*''Little Dorrit (1987 film), Little Dorrit'', directed by Christine Edzard, starring Derek Jacobi and Alec Guinness – ( U.K.)
*''Little Nikita'', directed by Richard Benjamin, starring Sidney Poitier, River Phoenix, Richard Bradford (actor), Richard Bradford and Richard Lynch
*''Little Vera'' (Malenkaya Vera), directed by Vasili Pichul, starring Natalya Negoda ( U.S.S.R.)
*''Love and Fear (film), Love and Fear'' (Fürchten und Lieben, Trois Soeurs), directed by Margarethe von Trotta, starring Fanny Ardant, Greta Scacchi and Valeria Golino – (West Germany/France/Italy)

M

*''Mac and Me'', directed by Stewart Raffill, starring Christine Ebersole, Jonathan Ward (actor), Jonathan Ward and Tina Caspary
*''Madame Sousatzka'', directed by John Schlesinger, starring Shirley MacLaine – ( U.K.)
*''Maison Ikkoku, Maison Ikkoku: The Final Chapter'', directed by Tomomi Mochizuki, starring Sumi Shimamoto and Issei Futamata (Japan)
*''Maniac Cop'', directed by William Lustig, starring Tom Atkins (actor), Tom Atkins, Bruce Campbell, Laurene Landon, Richard Roundtree, William Smith (actor), William Smith, Robert Z'Dar and Sheree North
*''Mapantsula'', directed by Oliver Schmitz, starring Thomas Mogotlane (List of South African films#1980s, South Africa)
*''Married to the Mob'', directed by Jonathan Demme, starring Michelle Pfeiffer, Matthew Modine, Dean Stockwell, Oliver Platt, Mercedes Ruehl and Alec Baldwin
*''Masquerade (1988 film), Masquerade'', directed by Bob Swaim, starring Rob Lowe, Meg Tilly and Kim Cattrall
*''Memories of Me'', directed by Henry Winkler, starring Billy Crystal and Alan King (comedian), Alan King
*''Men Behind the Sun'' (hēi tài yáng), directed by T. F. Mou, starring Gang Wang, Hsu Gou, Tie Long Jin, Zhao Hua Mei, Zhe Quan, Run Sheng Wang, Dai Wao Yu and Andrew Yu (Hong Kong)
*''Messenger of Death'', directed by J. Lee Thompson, starring Charles Bronson, Trish Van Devere, Laurence Luckinbill and John Ireland (actor), John Ireland
*''Midnight Crossing'', directed by Roger Holzberg, starring Faye Dunaway, Daniel J. Travanti, Kim Cattrall, John Laughlin (actor), John Laughlin and Ned Beatty
*''Midnight Run'', directed by Martin Brest, starring Robert De Niro, Charles Grodin, Yaphet Kotto, John Ashton (actor), John Ashton and Dennis Farina
*''The Milagro Beanfield War'', directed by Robert Redford, starring Rubén Blades, Sônia Braga, Christopher Walken and Melanie Griffith
*''Miles from Home'', directed by Gary Sinise, starring Richard Gere and Kevin Anderson (actor), Kevin Anderson
*''Miracle Mile (film), Miracle Mile'', directed by Steve De Jarnatt, starring Mare Winningham and Anthony Edwards (actor), Anthony Edwards
*''Missing Link (1988 film), Missing Link'', directed by David Hughes and Carol Hughes, starring Peter Elliott and Michael Gambon
*''Mississippi Burning'', directed by Alan Parker, starring Gene Hackman, Willem Dafoe, Frances McDormand, Brad Dourif and R. Lee Ermey
*''Mobile Suit Gundam: Char's Counterattack'' (Kidō Senshi Gandamu: Gyakushū no Shā), directed by Yoshiyuki Tomino, starring Tōru Furuya and Shūichi Ikeda (Japan)
*''The Moderns'', directed by Alan Rudolph, starring Keith Carradine, Linda Fiorentino and John Lone
*''Mondo New York'', directed by Harvey Nikolai Keith, starring Joey Arias, Rick Aviles, Charlie Barnett (comedian), Charlie Barnett, Joe Coleman (painter), Joe Coleman, Emilio Cubeiro, Karen Finley, Dean Johnson (entertainer), Dean Johnson, Phoebe Legere, Lydia Lunch, Ann Magnuson, Frank Moore (performance artist), Frank Moore and John Sex
*''Monkey Shines (film), Monkey Shines'', directed by George A. Romero, starring Jason Beghe, John Pankow and Stanley Tucci
*''Monsieur le Directeur'', starring Salah Zulfikar – (List of Egyptian films of 1988, Egypt)
*''Moon over Parador'', directed by Paul Mazursky, starring Richard Dreyfuss, Raúl Juliá and Sônia Braga
*''Moonwalker'', directed by Jerry Kramer, Jim Blashfield and Colin Chilvers, starring Michael Jackson
*''Moscow Elegy'', directed by Alexander Sokurov ( U.S.S.R.)
*''Moving (1988 film), Moving'', directed by Alan Metter, starring Richard Pryor
*''Mr. North'', directed by Danny Huston, starring Anthony Edwards (actor), Anthony Edwards, Robert Mitchum, Lauren Bacall, Virginia Madsen and Anjelica Huston
*''The Music Teacher'' (Le maître de musique), directed by Gérard Corbiau, starring José van Dam, Anne Roussel and Philippe Volter (Belgium)
*''My Neighbor Totoro'' (Tonari no Totoro), directed by Hayao Miyazaki, voices of Chika Sakamoto, Noriko Hidaka and Hitoshi Takagi (Japan)
*''My Stepmother Is an Alien'', directed by Richard Benjamin, starring Kim Basinger, Dan Aykroyd and Alyson Hannigan
*''Mystic Pizza'', directed by Donald Petrie, starring Annabeth Gish, Julia Roberts and Lili Taylor

N

*''The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!'', directed by David Zucker (filmmaker), David Zucker, starring Leslie Nielsen, Priscilla Presley, George Kennedy and O. J. Simpson
*''The Navigator: A Medieval Odyssey'', directed by Vincent Ward (director), Vincent Ward, starring Chris Haywood, Marshall Napier, Paul Livingston and Jay Laga'aia (List of New Zealand films#1980s, New Zealand)
*''Necromancer (1988 film), Necromancer'', directed by Dusty Nelson, starring Elizabeth Kaitan
*''The New Adventures of Pippi Longstocking'', directed by Ken Annakin, starring Tami Erin, Eileen Brennan, Dennis Dugan, Dianne Hull, George DiCenzo, John Schuck and Dick Van Patten (Swedish films of the 1980s, Sweden/United States)
*''A New Life (film), A New Life'', directed by and starring Alan Alda, with Ann-Margret, John Shea, Hal Linden and Veronica Hamel
*''A Night in the Life of Jimmy Reardon'', directed by William Richert, starring River Phoenix, Ann Magnuson, Meredith Salenger, Ione Skye, Louanne Sirota, Matthew Perry and Paul Koslo
*''Night of the Demons (1988 film), Night of the Demons'', directed by Kevin S. Tenney, starring William Gallo, Hal Havins, Amelia Kinkade, Cathy Podewell and Linnea Quigley
*''A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master'', directed by Renny Harlin, starring Robert Englund, Lisa Wilcox and Danny Hassel

O

*''Off Limits (1988 film), Off Limits'', directed by Christopher Crowe (screenwriter), Christopher Crowe, starring Willem Dafoe, Gregory Hines and Fred Ward
*''Oliver & Company'', directed by George Scribner, voices of Joey Lawrence, Billy Joel and Dom DeLuise
*''On the Silver Globe (film), On the Silver Globe'' (Na srebrnym globie), directed by Andrzej Żuławski, starring Andrzej Seweryn (List of Polish films of the 1980s, Poland)

P

*''Painted Faces'' (Cat siu fuk), directed by Alex Law, starring Sammo Hung – (Hong Kong)
*''Paperhouse (film), Paperhouse'', directed by Bernard Rose (director), Bernard Rose, starring Ben Cross, Glenne Headly and Elliott Spiers ( U.K.)
*''Pascali's Island (film), Pascali's Island'', directed by James Dearden, starring Ben Kingsley and Helen Mirren – ( U.K.)
*''Pass the Ammo'', directed by David Beaird, starring Tim Curry, Linda Kozlowski, Annie Potts and Bill Paxton
*''Patty Hearst (film), Patty Hearst'', directed by Paul Schrader, starring Natasha Richardson and Ving Rhames
*''Permanent Record (film), Permanent Record'', directed by Marisa Silver, starring Pamela Gidley, Michelle Meyrink, Keanu Reeves and Jennifer Rubin
*''Phantasm II'', directed by Don Coscarelli, starring James LeGros, Angus Scrimm, Reggie Bannister and Paula Irvine
*''Phantom of Death'', directed by Ruggero Deodato, starring Michael York (actor), Michael York, Edwige Fenech, Donald Pleasence and Antonella Ponziani (Italy)
*''Plain Clothes (1988 film), Plain Clothes'', directed by Martha Coolidge, starring Arliss Howard and Suzy Amis
*''Platoon Leader (film), Platoon Leader'', directed by Aaron Norris, starring Michael Dudikoff
*''Police Academy 5: Assignment Miami Beach'', directed by Alan Myerson, starring Bubba Smith, David Graf, Michael Winslow, Leslie Easterbrook, Marion Ramsey, Janet Jones, Lance Kinsey, Matt McCoy (actor), Matt McCoy, G. W. Bailey and George Gaynes
*''Police Story 2'' (Ging chaat goo si juk jaap), directed and starring Jackie Chan, with Maggie Cheung, Lam Kwok-Hung and Bill Tung – (Hong Kong)
*''Poltergeist III'', directed by Gary Sherman (director), Gary Sherman, starring Heather O'Rourke, Tom Skerritt and Nancy Allen (actress), Nancy Allen
*''Pound Puppies and the Legend of Big Paw'', directed by Pierre DeCelles, starring Brennan Howard, B. J. Ward (actress), B.J. Ward, Nancy Cartwright and Tony Longo
*''Powaqqatsi'', directed by Godfrey Reggio, documentary film with no dialogue
*''The Presidio (film), The Presidio'', directed by Peter Hyams, starring Sean Connery, Mark Harmon and Meg Ryan
*''The Prince of Pennsylvania'', directed by Ron Nyswaner, starring Keanu Reeves, Fred Ward, Amy Madigan and Bonnie Bedelia
*''Prison (1987 film), Prison'', directed by Renny Harlin, starring Viggo Mortensen, Lane Smith, Chelsea Field, Lincoln Kilpatrick and André De Shields
*''Prisoner of Rio'', directed by Lech Majewski, starring Steven Berkoff – (List of Polish films of the 1980s, Poland/ U.K./Brazilian films of the 1980s, Brazil)
*''Pulse (1988 film), Pulse'', directed by Paul Golding, starring Cliff De Young, Roxanne Hart, Joey Lawrence and Matthew Lawrence
*''Pumpkinhead (film), Pumpkinhead'', directed by Stan Winston, starring Lance Henriksen, John D'Aquino and Kerry Remsen
*''Punchline (film), Punchline'', directed by David Seltzer, starring Sally Field, Tom Hanks and John Goodman
*''Purple People Eater (film), Purple People Eater'', directed by Linda Shayne, starring Neil Patrick Harris, Ned Beatty, Shelley Winters, Thora Birch, Dustin Diamond and Peggy Lipton
*''Puss in Boots (1988 film), Puss in Boots'', directed by Eugene Marner, starring Christopher Walken and Jason Connery

Q

*''Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak'' (From Disaster to Disaster), directed by Mansoor Khan, starring Aamir Khan, Juhi Chawla, Dalip Tahil, and Alok Nath (Bollywood films of 1988, India)

R

*''Rain Man'', directed by Barry Levinson, starring Dustin Hoffman, Tom Cruise and Valeria Golino – Academy and Golden Globe (drama) for Best Picture and Golden Bear (for 1989)
*''Rambo III'', directed by Peter MacDonald (director), Peter MacDonald, starring Sylvester Stallone and Richard Crenna
*''Rattle and Hum'', directed by Phil Joanou, a rockumentary featuring U2
*''Red Heat (1988 film), Red Heat'', directed by Walter Hill (director), Walter Hill, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and James Belushi
*''Rented Lips'', directed by Robert Downey Sr., starring Martin Mull, Dick Shawn, Jennifer Tilly and Robert Downey, Jr.
*''The Rescue (1988 film), The Rescue'', directed by Ferdinand Fairfax, starring Kevin Dillon, Marc Price, Ned Vaughn, Christine Harnos, Ian Giatti, Charles Haid, Edward Albert, Timothy Carhart, Michael Gates Phenicie, Mel Wong and James Cromwell
*''Return of the Living Dead Part II'', directed by Ken Wiederhorn, starring James Karen, Thom Mathews, Dana Ashbrook, Marsha Dietlein, Phil Bruns and Michael Kenworthy
*''The Man from Snowy River II, Return to Snowy River'', directed by Geoff Burrowes, starring Tom Burlinson, Sigrid Thornton, Brian Dennehy, Nicholas Eadie, Bryan Marshall and Mark Hembrow (Australia)
*''Robowar (film), Robowar'', directed by Bruno Mattei, starring Reb Brown, and Catherine Hickland (Italy)
*''Rocket Gibraltar'', directed by Daniel Petrie, starring Burt Lancaster, Suzy Amis, Patricia Clarkson, Frances Conroy, Sinead Cusack, John Glover, Bill Pullman and Kevin Spacey
*''Roots: The Gift'', directed by Kevin Hooks, starring LeVar Burton and Louis Gossett Jr.
*''Rouge (film), Rouge'' (Jin Zi Kau), directed by Stanley Kwan, starring Leslie Cheung and Anita Mui – (Hong Kong)
*''Run for Your Life (1988 film), Run for Your Life'', directed by Terence Young (director), Terence Young, starring David Carradine, Lauren Hutton and Franco Nero – (Italy)
*''Running on Empty (1988 film), Running on Empty'', directed by Sidney Lumet, starring Christine Lahti, Judd Hirsch, River Phoenix and Martha Plimpton

S

*''Salaam Bombay!'', directed by Mira Nair, starring Shafiq Syed, Hansa Vithal, Chanda Sharma, Raghuvir Yadav, Anita Kanwar and Nana Patekar (Bollywood films of 1988, India/ U.K.)
*''Salome's Last Dance'', directed by Ken Russell, starring Glenda Jackson, Stratford Johns, Nickolas Grace, Douglas Hodge, Imogen Claire and Imogen Millais-Scott ( U.K.)
*''Salsa (1988 film), Salsa'', directed by Boaz Davidson, starring Draco Rosa, Rodney Harvey, Magali Alvarado and Miranda Garrison
*''Sathya (1988 film), Sathya'', directed by Suresh Krissna, starring Kamal Haasan, Amala Akkineni, Amala, Rajesh (actor), Rajesh, Nassar (actor), Nassar, Bahadoor, Vadivukkarasi, Vaali (poet), Vaali and Raja Krishnamoorthy (Sri Lankan films of the 1980s, Sri Lanka)
*''Satisfaction (1988 film), Satisfaction'', directed by Joan Freeman, starring Justine Bateman and Liam Neeson
*''School Daze'', directed by and starring Spike Lee, with Laurence Fishburne and Giancarlo Esposito
*''Scrooged'', directed by Richard Donner, starring Bill Murray, Karen Allen, Carol Kane, Alfre Woodard, John Glover and Bobcat Goldthwait
*''The Secret of the Sahara'', directed by Alberto Negrin, starring Michael York (actor), Michael York and Andie MacDowell
*''The Serpent and the Rainbow (film), The Serpent and the Rainbow'', directed by Wes Craven, starring Bill Pullman, Cathy Tyson, Zakes Mokae and Paul Winfield
*''Seven Hours to Judgment'', directed by Beau Bridges, starring Beau Bridges, Ron Leibman and Julianne Phillips
*''The Seventh Sign'', directed by Carl Schultz, starring Demi Moore, Michael Biehn and Jürgen Prochnow
*''Shadows in the Storm'', directed by Terrell Tannen, starring Mia Sara, Michael Madsen and Ned Beatty
*''Shakedown (1988 film), Shakedown'', aka ''Blue Jean Cop'', directed by James Glickenhaus, starring Peter Weller and Sam Elliott
*''She's Having a Baby'', directed by John Hughes (filmmaker), John Hughes, starring Kevin Bacon, Elizabeth McGovern and Alec Baldwin
*''Shoot to Kill (1988 film), Shoot to Kill'', aka ''Deadly Pursuit'', directed by Roger Spottiswoode, starring Sidney Poitier, Tom Berenger and Kirstie Alley
*''Short Circuit 2'', directed by Kenneth Johnson (producer), Kenneth Johnson, starring Fisher Stevens, Michael McKean, Cynthia Gibb, Jack Weston and Tim Blaney
*''A Short Film About Killing'' (Krótki film o zabijaniu), directed by Krzysztof Kieślowski, starring Mirosław Baka, Krzysztof Globisz and Jan Tesarz (List of Polish films of the 1980s, Poland)
*''A Short Film About Love'' (Krótki film o miłości), directed by Krzysztof Kieślowski, starring Grażyna Szapołowska and Olaf Lubaszenko (List of Polish films of the 1980s, Poland)
*''Slugs (1988 film), Slugs'', directed by Juan Piquer Simón, starring Michael Garfield and Kim Terry
*''Sodoma's Ghost'', directed by Lucio Fulci, starring Al Cliver (Italy)
*''Some Girls (film), Some Girls'', directed by Michael Hoffman (American director), Michael Hoffman, starring Patrick Dempsey and Jennifer Connelly
*''Soursweet'', directed by Mike Newell (director), Mike Newell, starring Sylvia Chang and Danny Dun ( U.K.)
*''Space Mutiny'', directed by David Winters (choreographer), David Winters, starring Reb Brown, Cisse Cameron, Cameron Mitchell (actor), Cameron Mitchell, James Ryan (actor), James Ryan, John Phillip Law, Graham Clark, Billy Second and Rufus Swart (List of South African films, South Africa)
*''Spellbinder (film), Spellbinder'', directed by Janet Greek, starring Tim Daly, Kelly Preston and Rick Rossovich
*''Spike of Bensonhurst'', directed by Paul Morrissey, starring Sasha Mitchell, Ernest Borgnine, Anne Desalvo, Sylvia Miles, Talisa Soto and Rick Aviles
*''Split Decisions'', directed by David Drury, starring Craig Sheffer, Jeff Fahey, Jennifer Beals and Gene Hackman
*''Stand and Deliver'', directed by Ramón Menéndez, starring Edward James Olmos and Lou Diamond Phillips
*''Stars and Bars (1988 film), Stars and Bars'', directed by Pat O'Connor (director), Pat O'Connor, starring Daniel Day-Lewis
*''Stealing Heaven'', directed by Clive Donner, starring Derek de Lint and Kim Thomson – ( U.K.)
*''Stealing Home'', directed by Steven Kampmann and William Porter, starring Mark Harmon and Jodie Foster
*''Stormy Monday (film), Stormy Monday'', directed by Mike Figgis, starring Melanie Griffith, Tommy Lee Jones, Sting (musician), Sting and Sean Bean
*''Story of Women'' (Une affaire de femmes), directed by Claude Chabrol, starring Isabelle Huppert – (France)
*''A Summer Story'', directed by Piers Haggard, starring James Wilby, Imogen Stubbs and Susannah York – ( U.K.)
*''Sunset (1988 film), Sunset'', directed by Blake Edwards, starring James Garner, Bruce Willis, Malcolm McDowell, Kathleen Quinlan and Mariel Hemingway
*''Sur (film), Sur'' (South), directed by Fernando E. Solanas, starring Susú Pecoraro, Miguel Ángel Solá, Philippe Léotard and Lito Cruz (Argentine films of 1988, Argentina)
*''Sweet Hearts Dance'', directed by Robert Greenwald, starring Don Johnson, Susan Sarandon, Elizabeth Perkins and Jeff Daniels
*''Sweet Lies (film), Sweet Lies'', directed by Nathalie Delon, starring Treat Williams
*''Switching Channels'', directed by Ted Kotcheff, starring Kathleen Turner, Burt Reynolds and Christopher Reeve

T

*''Taffin'', directed by Francis Megahy, starring Pierce Brosnan, Ray McAnally and Alison Doody – (List of Irish films, Ireland)
*''Tales from the Gimli Hospital'', directed by Guy Maddin, starring Kyle McCulloch (Canada)
*''Talk Radio (film), Talk Radio'', directed by Oliver Stone, starring Eric Bogosian, Ellen Greene and Alec Baldwin
*''Tapeheads'', directed by Bill Fishman (director), Bill Fishman, starring John Cusack and Tim Robbins
*''The Telephone (1988 film), The Telephone'', directed by Rip Torn, starring Whoopi Goldberg, Severn Darden, Elliott Gould, John Heard and Amy Wright
*''Tequila Sunrise (film), Tequila Sunrise'', directed by Robert Towne, starring Mel Gibson, Michelle Pfeiffer, Kurt Russell, Raúl Juliá and Arliss Howard, J. T. Walsh
*''Testimony (1988 film), Testimony'', directed by Tony Palmer, a biographical film of Dmitri Shostakovich starring Ben Kingsley – ( U.K.)
*''They Live'', directed by John Carpenter, starring Roddy Piper, Keith David and Meg Foster
*''The Thin Blue Line (1988 film), The Thin Blue Line'', directed by Errol Morris, documentary film about Randall Dale Adams
*''Things Change (film), Things Change'', directed by David Mamet, starring Joe Mantegna, Don Ameche, Robert Prosky and William H. Macy
*''Tiger Warsaw'', directed by Amin Q. Chaudhri, starring Patrick Swayze, Piper Laurie and Mary McDonnell
*''A Time of Destiny'', directed by Gregory Nava, starring William Hurt, Timothy Hutton and Melissa Leo
*''Time of the Gypsies'' (Dom za vešanje), directed by Emir Kusturica, starring Davor Dujmović and Bora Todorović (List of Yugoslav films of the 1980s, Yugoslavia)
*''Time of Violence'' (Vreme na nasilie), directed by Ludmil Staikov, starring Yosif Sarchadzhiev (Bulgarian films of the 1980s, Bulgaria)
*''To Kill a Priest'' (Le Complot), directed by Agnieszka Holland, starring Christopher Lambert and Ed Harris – (France)
*''Tommy Tricker and the Stamp Traveller'', directed by Michael Rubbo, starring Lucas Evans, Anthony Rogers, Jill Stanley, Andrew Whitehead, Paul Popowich and Rufus Wainwright(Canada)
*''Torch Song Trilogy (film), Torch Song Trilogy'', directed by Paul Bogart, starring Harvey Fierstein, Anne Bancroft, Matthew Broderick and Brian Kerwin
*''Touch of Death (1988 film), Touch of Death'', directed by Lucio Fulci, starring Brett Halsey, Ria De Simone and Al Cliver (Italy)
*''Tougher Than Leather (film), Tougher Than Leather'', directed by Rick Rubin, starring Darryl McDaniels, Joseph Simmons and Jam Master Jay
*''Track 29'', directed by Nicolas Roeg, starring Theresa Russell, Christopher Lloyd and Gary Oldman
*''Tucker: The Man and His Dream'', directed by Francis Ford Coppola, starring Jeff Bridges, Joan Allen, Martin Landau and Lloyd Bridges
*''Twins (1988 film), Twins'', directed by Ivan Reitman, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito
*''Two Moon Junction'', directed by Zalman King, starring Sherilyn Fenn, Richard Tyson, Kristy McNichol, Louise Fletcher and Burl Ives

U

*''The Unbearable Lightness of Being (film), The Unbearable Lightness of Being'', directed by Philip Kaufman, starring Daniel Day-Lewis, Juliette Binoche and Lena Olin
*''The Unholy (1988 film), The Unholy'', directed by Camilo Vila, starring Ben Cross, Ned Beatty, William Russ, Jill Carroll, Hal Holbrook and Trevor Howard
*''Urusei Yatsura (film series), Urusei Yatsura: The Final Chapter'', directed by Satoshi Dezaki, starring Fumi Hirano and Toshio Furukawa (Japan)

V

*''The Vanishing (1988 film), The Vanishing'' (Spoorloos), directed by George Sluizer, starring Gene Bervoets (Netherlands/France)
*''Vchera'' (Yesterday), directed by Ivan Andonov, starring Hristo Shopov and Georgi Staykov (Bulgarian films of the 1980s, Bulgaria)
*''Verónico Cruz (film), Verónico Cruz'', directed by Miguel Pereira (film director), Miguel Pereira, starring Juan José Camero and Gonzalo Morales (actor), Gonzalo Morales (Argentine films of 1988, Argentina)
*''Vibes (film), Vibes'', directed by Ken Kwapis, starring Jeff Goldblum and Cyndi Lauper
*''Vice Versa (1988 film), Vice Versa'', directed by Brian Gilbert (director), Brian Gilbert, starring Judge Reinhold, Fred Savage and Corinne Bohrer

W

*''War and Remembrance (miniseries), War and Remembrance'', TV miniseries, directed by Dan Curtis, starring Robert Mitchum, Polly Bergen, Victoria Tennant and Hart Bochner
*''War Party (1988 film), War Party'', directed by Franc Roddam, starring Billy Wirth and Kevin Dillon
*''Watchers (film), Watchers'', directed by Jon Hess, starring Corey Haim, Michael Ironside, Barbara Williams (actress), Barbara Williams and Lala Sloatman – (Canada/United States)
*''Waxwork (film), Waxwork'', directed by Anthony Hickox, starring Zach Galligan, Deborah Foreman, David Warner (actor), David Warner, Michelle Johnson (actress), Michelle Johnson and Dana Ashbrook
*''We Think the World of You (film), We Think the World of You'', directed by Colin Gregg, starring Gary Oldman, Alan Bates, Max Hall, Liz Smith (actress), Liz Smith, and Frances Barber
*''Who Framed Roger Rabbit'', directed by Robert Zemeckis, starring Bob Hoskins, Joanna Cassidy and Christopher Lloyd
*''Willow (film), Willow'', directed by Ron Howard, starring Val Kilmer, Warwick Davis, Joanne Whalley, Jean Marsh and Billy Barty
*''Without a Clue'', directed by Thom Eberhardt, starring Michael Caine and Ben Kingsley – ( U.K.)
*''Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown'' (Mujeres al borde de un ataque de nervios), directed by Pedro Almodóvar, starring Carmen Maura, Antonio Banderas and Julieta Serrano – (Spanish films of 1988, Spain)
*''Working Girl'', directed by Mike Nichols, starring Melanie Griffith, Harrison Ford and Sigourney Weaver – Golden Globe Award for Best Picture (Musical or Comedy)
*''A World Apart (film), A World Apart'', directed by Chris Menges, starring Barbara Hershey and Jodhi May – ( U.K./List of Zimbabwean films, Zimbabwe)
*''World Gone Wild'', directed by Lee H. Katzin, starring Bruce Dern and Michael Paré
*''The Wrong Guys'', directed by Danny Bilson, starring Louie Anderson, Richard Lewis (comedian), Richard Lewis, Richard Belzer, Tim Thomerson, Brion James, Franklyn Ajaye, Art LaFleur, Biff Manard, Timothy Van Patten, Ernie Hudson and John Goodman
*''Wuthering Heights (1988 film), Wuthering Heights'' (Arashi ga oka), directed by Yoshishige Yoshida, starring Yūsaku Matsuda (Japan)

Y

*''Yasemin'', directed by Hark Bohm, starring Ayse Romey and Uwe Bohm
*''Young Einstein'', directed by and starring Yahoo Serious – (Australia)
*''Young Guns (film), Young Guns'', directed by Christopher Cain, starring Emilio Estevez, Kiefer Sutherland, Lou Diamond Phillips, Charlie Sheen, Dermot Mulroney and Casey Siemaszko

Z

*''Zombi 3'', directed by Lucio Fulci and Bruno Mattei, starring Deran Sarafian (Italy)

Births

* January 3 - Karl Glusman, American actor
* January 7 – Haley Bennett, American actress and singer
* Januaryea 12 – Andrew Lawrence (actor), Andrew Lawrence, American actor
* January 21 - John Early (comedian), American comedian and actor
* February 2
**Amadou Ly, Sengalese-born actor, writer and producer
**Zosia Mamet, American actress and musician
* February 6 – Anna Diop, Senegalese-born American actress
* February 11 - Jazz Raycole, American actress
* February 12 - Afshan Azad, British actress, model and media personality
* February 13
**Ferdinand Kingsley, British actor
**Erica Mendez, American voice actress
* February 17 – Nagita Slavina, Indonesian actress, television host, film producer, and singer
* February 18 - Sarah Sutherland, Canadian-American actress
* February 20 – Rihanna, Barbadian singer, songwriter and actress
* February 29
**Reilly Dolman, Canadian actor
**Langston Fishburne, American actor
* March 4 - Josh Bowman, English actor
* March 14 – Stephen Curry, American basketball player
* March 21 - Kevin Guthrie, Scottish actor
* March 25 - Erik Knudsen, Canadian actor
* March 27 – Brenda Song, American actress, singer and model
* March 27 – Holliday Grainger, English actress
* April 2 - Jesse Plemons, American actor
* April 6 – Mike Bailey (actor), Mike Bailey, English actor
* April 10 – Haley Joel Osment, American actor
* April 13 - Katie Lucas, American actress and writer
* April 14
**Ben Lloyd-Hughes, British actor
**Chris Wood (actor), Chris Wood, American actor
* April 18 – Allison Williams (actress), Allison Williams, American actress
* April 18 – Vanessa Kirby, English actress
* April 21 - Robbie Amell, Canadian actor and producer
* April 23 – Carla Quevedo, Argentine actress
* April 25
** Jonathan Bailey, English actor
** Sara Paxton, American singer and actress
* April 27
**Lizzo, American singer, actress, and flautist
**Regé-Jean Page, British actor
* April 30 – Ana de Armas, Cuban-Spanish actress
* May 1 – Anushka Sharma, Indian actress
* May 17 – Nikki Reed, American actress and writer
* June 2 – Awkwafina, American actress, comedian, writer, producer and rapper
* June 4 – Li Man, Chinese actress
* June 5 – Nuh Omar, Pakistani writer and director
* June 7 – Michael Cera, Canadian actor
* June 9
** Lauren Landa, American voice actress
** Mae Whitman, American actress
* June 13 - Cody Walker (actor), American actor
* June 14 - Dayo Okeniyi, Nigerian-American actor
* June 16 - Jonny Weston, American actor
* June 22 - Shefali Chowdhury, British actress
* June 23
**Pippa Bennett-Warner, British actress
**Isabella Leong, Hong Kong singer, actress and model
* July 2 - Edward Randell, English musician and actor
* July 7 - Jack Whitehall, English actor, comedian, presenter and writer
* July 10 - Pavlo Lee, Ukrainian actor (died 2022)
* July 12 – Christine Marie Cabanos, American voice actress
* July 13 - Chris Sheffield, American actor
* July 14 - Elise Gatien, Canadian actress
* July 15 - Aimee Carrero, Dominican-born American actress
* July 18 - Chen Tang (actor), Chinese-American actor
* July 19 – Cherami Leigh, American voice actress
* July 20 - Julianne Hough, American dancer, actress, singer and songwriter
* July 25 - Mamoudou Athie, Mauritanian-American actor and producer
* July 26 - Francia Raisa, American actress
* July 30 - Nico Tortorella, American actor and model
* July 31 - Charlie Carver, American actor
* August 1 - Max Carver, American actor
* August 16
**Kevin Schmidt, American actor
**Rumer Willis, American actress
* August 24 – Rupert Grint, English actor
* August 26 - Evan Ross, American actor and musician
* August 27 – Alexa PenaVega, American actress and singer
* September 12 – Matt Martians, American record producer
* September 22 – Sana Saeed, Indian actress
* September 26 - Lilly Singh, Canadian comedian, former talk show host and YouTuber
* September 28 - Hana Mae Lee, American actress, model and comedian
* October 1 - Nick Whitaker, American actor
* October 3 – Alicia Vikander, Swedish actress
* October 4 – Melissa Benoist, American actress, singer and dancer
* October 6 - Everlyn Sampi, Australian actress
* October 18 – Tessa Schram, Dutch actress and director
* October 21
**Glen Powell, American actor, writer and producer
**Mark Rendall, Canadian actor
* October 23 - Ritesh Rajan, American actor
* October 28 - Edd Gould, British animator, artist, writer, director and voice actor (died 2012)
* October 29 – Devon Murray, Irish actor
* November 6 – Emma Stone, American actress
* November 9
**Nikki Blonsky, American singer and actress
**Alexandrea Owens-Sarno, American actress
**Lio Tipton (credited as Analeigh Tipton up to 2021), American model and actress
* November 17 - Justin Cooper (actor), American producer and former child actor
* November 22 – Jamie Campbell Bower, English actor and singer
* November 26 - Tamsin Egerton, English actress
* November 30 - Rebecca Rittenhouse, American actress
* December 1
**Nadia Hilker, German actress and model
**Zoe Kravitz, American actress
* December 2 – Alfred Enoch, English actor
* December 7 – Emily Browning, Australian actress
* December 14 – Vanessa Hudgens, American actress and singer
* December 15 - Gregg Chillin, English actor and writer
* December 16
**Anna Popplewell, English actress
**Park Seo-joon, South Korean actor
* December 17 – Rin Takanashi, Japanese actress and model
* December 21 - Shelley Regner, American actress and singer

Deaths

Film debuts

*Joe Alaskey – ''Who Framed Roger Rabbit''
*Tim Allen – ''Tropical Snow''
*Stephen Baldwin – ''Homeboy (film), Homeboy''
*Ned Bellamy – ''The Night Before (1988 film), The Night Before''
*Annette Bening – ''The Great Outdoors (film), The Great Outdoors''
*Reg E. Cathey – ''Funny Farm (film), Funny Farm''
*Macaulay Culkin – ''Rocket Gibraltar''
*Matt Damon – ''Mystic Pizza''
*Stacey Dash – ''Moving (1988 film), Moving''
*David Duchovny – ''Working Girl''
*Kevin Dunn – ''Mississippi Burning''
*Nora Dunn – ''Working Girl''
*Colm Feore – ''Iron Eagle II''
*Cuba Gooding, Jr. – '' Coming to America''
*Clark Gregg – ''Things Change (film), Things Change''
*Danielle Harris – ''Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers''
* Neil Patrick Harris – ''Clara's Heart''
*Bonnie Hunt – ''Rain Man''
*Felicity Huffman – ''Things Change''
*David Hyde Pierce – '' Bright Lights, Big City''
*Milla Jovovich – ''Two Moon Junction''
*Lisa Kudrow – ''Married to the Mob
*Jane Lynch – ''Vice Versa (1988 film), Vice Versa''
*Jenifer Lewis – ''Beaches''
*Juliette Lewis – ''My Stepmother Is an Alien''
*Marc Macaulay – ''Graverobbers (film), Graverobbers''
*Dermot Mulroney – ''Sunset (1988 film), Sunset''
*Bill Nunn – ''School Daze''
*Clive Owen – ''Vroom''
*Vincent Pastore – ''Black Roses (1988 film), Black Roses''
*Harold Perrineau – ''Shakedown (1988 film), Shakedown''
*Matthew Perry – ''A Night in the Life of Jimmy Reardon''
*Oliver Platt – ''Married to the Mob''
*Alan Rickman – '' Die Hard''
*Robin Harris – ''I'm Gonna Git You Sucka''
*Julia Roberts – ''Satisfaction (1988 film), Satisfaction''
*Stephen Root – ''Crocodile Dundee II''
*Richard Schiff – ''Medium Straight''
* Steven Seagal – '' Above the Law''
*Lili Taylor – ''She's Having a Baby''
*Benicio del Toro – '' Big Top Pee-wee''
*Gregory Alan Williams – ''Above the Law''
*Daniel Baldwin – ''Too Good to Be True''

See also

* List of American films of 1988
* List of British films of 1988
* List of French films of 1988
* List of German films of the 1980s
* List of Bollywood films of 1988
* List of Italian films of 1988
* List of Japanese films of 1988r
* List of Swedish films of the 1980s

References

External links

1988 Domestic Grosses
at Box Office Mojo
Top 1988 Movies at the Domestic Box Office
at The Numbers (website), The Numbers
Top 1988 Movies at the International Box Office
at The Numbers (website), The Numbers
Top 1988 Movies at the Worldwide Box Office
at The Numbers (website), The Numbers
Top-US-Grossing Titles Released 1988-01-01 to 1988-12-31
at IMDb
Most Popular Feature Films Released 1988-01-01 to 1988-12-31
at IMDb

{{Portal bar, 1980s, Film

1988 in film,
Film by year