Jump To 1978 Movie Links (Mobile Friendly):
1. Box Office 2. Oscar Movies 3. Reviews 4. Top Stars of 1978 5. UMR Table
We have two lists here….the first is the Top 25 stars based on actual box office results. The second is from Quigley Publications…which was the result of poll taken by movie theater owners.
Top earners in 1978 for Adjusted USA Box Office:
| Name | Number of Movies | Total Adj World Wide (mil) | Total Adj USA (mil) |
|---|---|---|---|
| John Travolta | 2 | 1,829.1 | 879.2 |
| Joan Blondell | 1 | 1,778.6 | 828.7 |
| Eve Arden | 1 | 1,778.6 | 828.7 |
| Frankie Avalon | 1 | 1,778.6 | 828.7 |
| Olivia Newton-John | 1 | 1,778.6 | 828.7 |
| Donald Sutherland | 3 | 812.0 | 812.0 |
| Bruce McGill | 2 | 741.5 | 741.5 |
| John Belushi | 2 | 678.5 | 678.5 |
| Tim Matheson | 2 | 670.8 | 670.8 |
| Christopher Reeve | 2 | 1,431.1 | 666.4 |
| Ned Beatty | 2 | 1,431.1 | 666.4 |
| Harold Ramis | 1 | 644.2 | 644.2 |
| Kevin Bacon | 1 | 644.2 | 644.2 |
| Karen Allen | 1 | 644.2 | 644.2 |
| Dyan Cannon | 2 | 636.2 | 636.2 |
| Trevor Howard | 2 | 1,384.6 | 619.9 |
| Marlon Brando | 1 | 1,383.4 | 618.7 |
| Glenn Ford | 1 | 1,383.4 | 618.7 |
| Gene Hackman | 1 | 1,383.4 | 618.7 |
| Margot Kidder | 1 | 1,383.4 | 618.7 |
| Terence Stamp | 1 | 1,383.4 | 618.7 |
| Robert Benton | 1 | 1,383.4 | 618.7 |
| Burt Reynolds | 2 | 566.2 | 566.2 |
| Sally Field | 2 | 566.2 | 566.2 |
| James Mason | 2 | 480.2 | 480.2 |
Quigley’s Top Box Office Stars of 1978
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- Burt Reynolds
- John Travolta
- Richard Dreyfuss
- Warren Beatty
- Clint Eastwood
- Woody Allen
- Diane Keaton
- Jane Fonda
- Peter Sellers
- Barbra Streisand
Jump To 1978 Movie Links (Mobile Friendly):
1. Box Office 2. Oscar Movies 3. Reviews 4. Top Stars of 1978 5. UMR Table -
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Quigly’s list makes sense based on my google search “biggest hollywood stars of 1978”
The first list is confusing and vague. No info is given about the monetary figures we’re seeing other than “Top earners” What earnings. Personal? Total box office? career total to date or just 1978? ALL of these are things that need to be defined to explain why for example the top 5 names are all from the film “Grease”, yet Eve Arden, Joan Blondel and Frankie Avalon are somehow listed alongside the films stars despite being only “legacy” additions to the cast with minor roles and in no way could be considered among the “Biggest stars ” of that year. And how is Harold Ramis (R.I.P.) on the list when the only film he did in 1978 was “Animal House” which he wrote but didnt appear in. The whole list is ridiculously lacking context. And yet its the first suggested link piggybacking on the Quigley list. The internet is so broken
Hey Anonymous. Thanks for the comment. The first list is the “raw” stats for the year for the actors/actresses that appeared in movies with at least $400 million in adjusted box office gross. The point of the page was to show how Quigley’s Top Stars polls were based on reputation versus actual box office. My wife’s grandfather was a movie theater owner and filled out these surveys and he confirmed just that. As for your points about lesser stars and legacy stars….I agree….but they did appear in those blockbusters. I first noticed that the Quigley list had issues when they listed George Clooney in the Top 10…when his top grosses for three years was around $50 million…yet he got listed. That being said…I love looking at the Quigley lists…and I wish they were still around. FYI – I did remove the profanity from your comment…as this is a website that generates views from many younger people. Thanks for the comment.