| Title | Director | Cast | Genre | Note |
| 10 to Midnight | J. Lee Thompson | Charles Bronson, Lisa Eilbacher, Andrew Stevens | Neo-Noir, Crime, Horror, Thriller | Cannon |
| All the Right Moves | Michael Chapman | Tom Cruise, Craig T. Nelson, Lea Thompson, Chris Penn | Sports Drama | 20th Century Fox |
| Americana | David Carradine | David Carradine, Barbara Hershey | Drama | |
| Amityville 3-D | Richard Fleischer | Tony Roberts, Tess Harper, Robert Joy | Supernatural Horror | 2nd sequel to The Amityville Horror |
| Angelo My Love | Robert Duvall | | Drama | Cinecom |
| Anna to the Infinite Power | Robert Wiemer | Dina Merrill, Jack Gilford | Sci-Fi | HBO |
| Baby It's You | John Sayles | Rosanna Arquette, Vincent Spano, Joanna Merlin | Drama | Paramount |
| Bad Boys | Rick Rosenthal | Sean Penn, Esai Morales, Reni Santoni, Ally Sheedy | Drama | Universal |
| The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez | Robert M. Young | Edward James Olmos | Western | Embassy Pictures |
| Better Late Than Never | Bryan Forbes | David Niven, Maggie Smith, Art Carney | Comedy | |
| The Big Chill | Lawrence Kasdan | Tom Berenger, Glenn Close, Jeff Goldblum, JoBeth Williams, William Hurt, Kevin Kline, Mary Kay Place, Meg Tilly | Comedy, Drama | 3 Academy Award nominations |
| The Big Score | Fred Williamson | Fred Williamson, Richard Roundtree, John Saxon | Action | |
| Bill Cosby: Himself | Bill Cosby | Bill Cosby | Comedy | concert |
| The Black Stallion Returns | Robert Dalva | Kelly Reno, Vincent Spano, Teri Garr | Family | sequel to The Black Stallion |
| Blue Thunder | John Badham | Roy Scheider, Malcolm McDowell, Candy Clark, Daniel Stern, Warren Oates | Action, Thriller | Columbia |
| Born in Flames | Lizzie Borden | Adele Bertei, Jean Satterfield, Kathryn Bigelow | 16 mm film | |
| Brainstorm | Douglas Trumbull | Natalie Wood, Christopher Walken, Louise Fletcher, Cliff Robertson | Sci-Fi | Wood's final film |
| Breathless | Jim McBride | Richard Gere, Valérie Kaprisky | Drama | remake of 1960 film |
| Can She Bake a Cherry Pie? | Henry Jaglom | Karen Black, Michael Emil | Romantic Comedy | |
| Chained Heat | Paul Nicholas | Linda Blair, John Vernon, Stella Stevens, Henry Silva | Exploitation | |
| Chicken Ranch | Nick Broomfield | | Documentary | |
| Christine | John Carpenter | Keith Gordon, John Stockwell, Alexandra Paul, Robert Prosky, Harry Dean Stanton | Supernatural Horror | Based on novel by Stephen King |
| A Christmas Story | Bob Clark | Peter Billingsley, Darren McGavin, Melinda Dillon | Comedy | Based on story by Jean Shepherd |
| Circle of Power | Bobby Roth | Yvette Mimieux | Drama | |
| Class | Lewis John Carlino | Jacqueline Bisset, Rob Lowe, Andrew McCarthy, Cliff Robertson | Comedy | Orion |
| Copkiller | Roberto Faenza | Harvey Keitel, John Lydon | Crime, Thriller | |
| Cracking Up | Jerry Lewis | Jerry Lewis, Herb Edelman, Zane Buzby | Comedy | last film Lewis directed |
| Cross Creek | Martin Ritt | Mary Steenburgen, Peter Coyote, Rip Torn, Alfre Woodard, Malcolm McDowell, Dana Hill | Biography | story of Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings |
| Cujo | Lewis Teague | Dee Wallace, Danny Pintauro, Daniel Hugh Kelly, Christopher Stone | Horror | Based on Stephen King novel |
| Curtains | Richard Ciupka | John Vernon, Lynne Griffin, Samantha Eggar, Michael Wincott | Slasher | |
| D.C. Cab | Joel Schumacher | Adam Baldwin, Mr. T, Gary Busey | Comedy | RKO |
| Daffy Duck's Fantastic Island | Friz Freleng | Mel Blanc, June Foray | Animation | Compilation |
| Daniel | Sidney Lumet | Timothy Hutton, Mandy Patinkin, Lindsay Crouse | Drama | Based on novel by E.L. Doctorow |
| The Day After | Nicholas Meyer | Jason Robards, Steve Guttenberg, JoBeth Williams, John Lithgow, John Cullum, Jeff East | Drama | TV film; 12 Emmy nominations |
| The Deadly Spawn | Douglas McKeown | Charles George Hildebrant, Tom DeFranco, Richard Lee Porter, Karen Tighe, Ethel Michelson | Sci-Fi, Horror | |
| The Dead Zone | David Cronenberg | Christopher Walken, Martin Sheen, Herbert Lom, Brooke Adams, Tom Skerritt, Anthony Zerbe | Sci-Fi, Thriller | Based on Stephen King novel |
| Deadly Force | Paul Aaron | Wings Hauser | Action | Embassy Pictures |
| Deal of the Century | William Friedkin | Chevy Chase, Gregory Hines, Sigourney Weaver | Comedy | Warner Bros. |
| Deathstalker | James Sbardellati (as John Watson) | Rick Hill, Barbi Benton, Richard Brooker, Lana Clarkson | Sword and Sorcery | |
| Doctor Detroit | Michael Pressman | Dan Aykroyd, Fran Drescher, Donna Dixon | Comedy | Universal |
| Easy Money | James Signorelli | Rodney Dangerfield, Joe Pesci, Jennifer Jason Leigh | Comedy | Orion |
| Eddie and the Cruisers | Martin Davidson | Michael Paré, Tom Berenger, Ellen Barkin, Joe Pantoliano | Drama | sequel in 1989 |
| Eddie Macon's Run | Jeff Kanew | Kirk Douglas, John Schneider, Lee Purcell | Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller | Universal |
| El Norte | Gregory Nava | Zaide Silvia Gutiérrez, David Villalpando | Drama | |
| Eureka | Nicolas Roeg | Gene Hackman, Theresa Russell, Rutger Hauer | Drama | MGM/UA |
| Exposed | James Toback | Nastassja Kinski, Rudolf Nureyev, Harvey Keitel | Drama | MGM/UA |
| Ferestadeh | Parviz Sayyad | Parviz Sayyad, Mary Apick | Drama | |
| The Final Terror | Andrew Davis | Rachel Ward, Daryl Hannah, Joe Pantoliano | Slasher | |
| Fire and Ice | Ralph Bakshi | Randy Norton, Cynthia Leake, Steve Sandor | Animation | |
| Flashdance | Adrian Lyne | Jennifer Beals, Michael Nouri, Belinda Bauer | Romance, Drama, Dance | Oscar for Best Song |
| Get Crazy | Allan Arkush | Malcolm McDowell, Allen Garfield, Lou Reed | Comedy | |
| Going Berserk | David Steinberg | John Candy, Eugene Levy, Pat Hingle | Comedy | |
| Gorky Park | Michael Apted | William Hurt, Lee Marvin, Brian Dennehy, Joanna Pacula, Ian Bannen | Mystery, Thriller | Based on Martin Cruz Smith novel |
| Heart Like a Wheel | Jonathan Kaplan | Bonnie Bedelia, Beau Bridges | Biography | story of Shirley Muldowney |
| Hercules | Luigi Cozzi | Lou Ferrigno, Sybil Danning | Fantasy, Adventure | |
| High Road to China | Brian G. Hutton | Tom Selleck, Bess Armstrong, Wilford Brimley | Adventure | Warner Bros. |
| The House on Sorority Row | Mark Rosman | Kate McNeil, Eileen Davidson, Lois Kelso Hunt, Charles Serio | Slasher | |
| Hundra | Matt Cimber | Laurene Landon | Fantasy | |
| The Hunger | Tony Scott | Catherine Deneuve, Susan Sarandon, David Bowie | Erotic, Horror | MGM |
| Independence Day | Robert Mandel | Kathleen Quinlan, David Keith, Dianne Wiest | Drama | |
| Jaws 3-D | Joe Alves | Bess Armstrong, Dennis Quaid, Louis Gossett Jr. | Horror | 2nd sequel to Jaws |
| The Keep | Michael Mann | Scott Glenn, Alberta Watson, Jürgen Prochnow, Ian McKellen, Robert Prosky | Dark Fantasy, Supernatural Horror | |
| The King of Comedy | Martin Scorsese | Robert De Niro, Jerry Lewis, Sandra Bernhard, Tony Randall | Black Comedy, Drama | 20th Century Fox |
| Krull | Peter Yates | Ken Marshall, Lysette Anthony, Trevor Martin | Science Fantasy, Swashbuckler | |
| Lianna | John Sayles | Linda Griffiths, Jane Hallaren, Jon DeVries | Drama | United Artists |
| Liquid Sky | Slava Tsukerman | Anne Carlisle, Paula E. Sheppard | Sci-Fi | |
| Lone Wolf McQuade | Steve Carver | Chuck Norris, David Carradine, Barbara Carrera, L.Q. Jones, Robert Beltran, Sharon Farrell, Dana Kimmell, Daniel Frischman | Action | Orion |
| The Lonely Lady | Peter Sasdy | Pia Zadora, Lloyd Bochner, Joseph Cali, Bibi Besch, Anthony Holland, Ray Liotta | Drama | Based on Harold Robbins novel; 11 Razzie nominations |
| The Lords of Discipline | Franc Roddam | David Keith, G. D. Spradlin | Drama | Based on Pat Conroy novel |
| Losin' It | Curtis Hanson | Tom Cruise, Jackie Earle Haley, Shelley Long | Comedy | Embassy |
| Lovesick | Marshall Brickman | Dudley Moore, Alec Guinness, Elizabeth McGovern | Comedy | Warner Bros. |
| The Man Who Loved Women | Blake Edwards | Burt Reynolds, Julie Andrews, Kim Basinger, Sela Ward, Marilu Henner | Drama | remake of 1977 French film |
| The Man with Two Brains | Carl Reiner | Steve Martin, Kathleen Turner | Sci-Fi, Comedy | Warner Bros. |
| Man, Woman and Child | Dick Richards | Martin Sheen, Blythe Danner | Drama | Based on novel by Erich Segal |
| Mausoleum | Michael Dugan | Bobbie Bresee, Marjoe Gortner, Norman Burton | Horror | |
| Max Dugan Returns | Herbert Ross | Jason Robards, Marsha Mason, Donald Sutherland, Matthew Broderick | Comedy | written by Neil Simon |
| Metalstorm: The Destruction of Jared-Syn | Charles Band | Kelly Preston, Tim Thomerson | Sci-Fi | |
| Mickey's Christmas Carol | Burny Mattinson | Alan Young, Wayne Allwine, Hal Smith, Will Ryan, Clarence Nash, Eddie Carroll, Patricia Parris, Dick Billingsley | Animation | Disney; 26 minutes |
| Mortuary | Howard Avedis | Mary Beth McDonough, David Wallace, Bill Paxton, Christopher George, Lynda Day George | Slasher | Christopher George's final acting role |
| Mountaintop Motel Massacre | Jim McCullough Sr. | Anna Chappell, Bill Thurman | Psychological, Slasher | |
| Mr. Mom | Stan Dragoti | Michael Keaton, Teri Garr, Martin Mull, Ann Jillian | Comedy | 20th Century Fox |
| Murder in Coweta County | Gary Nelson | Johnny Cash, Andy Griffith | Crime Drama | Made-for-TV |
| Murder Me, Murder You | Gary Nelson | Stacy Keach, Tanya Roberts, Don Stroud, Tom Atkins | Mystery | Made-for-TV, Keach's first appearance as Mike Hammer |
| My Brother's Wedding | Charles Burnett | | Drama | |
| My Tutor | George Bowers | Caren Kaye, Matt Lattanzi, Crispin Glover | Comedy | Crown |
| Nate and Hayes | Ferdinand Fairfax | Tommy Lee Jones, Michael O'Keefe | Action | Paramount |
| National Lampoon's Vacation | Harold Ramis | Chevy Chase, Beverly D'Angelo, Randy Quaid, John Candy, Anthony Michael Hall, Dana Barron | Comedy | 1st in Vacation series |
| Never Cry Wolf | Carroll Ballard | Brian Dennehy, Charles Martin Smith | Drama | Disney |
| Never Say Never Again | Irvin Kershner | Sean Connery, Klaus Maria Brandauer, Max von Sydow, Kim Basinger | Spy, Action | remake of Thunderball |
| Night Warning | William Asher | Bo Svenson, Julia Duffy, Bill Paxton | Horror | |
| A Night in Heaven | John G. Avildsen | Christopher Atkins, Lesley Ann Warren | Drama | 20th Century Fox |
| Nightmares | Joseph Sargent | Lance Henriksen, Emilio Estevez, Cristina Raines, Richard Masur, Veronica Cartwright | Anthology, Horror | |
| Night Partners | Noel Nosseck | Yvette Mimieux, Diana Canova | Drama | Made-for-TV |
| Octopussy | John Glen | Roger Moore, Maud Adams, Louis Jourdan, Kristina Wayborn | Spy, Action | 13th James Bond film |
| Of Unknown Origin | George P. Cosmatos | Peter Weller, Jennifer Dale | Psychological Horror | Warner Bros. |
| One Dark Night | Tom McLoughlin | Meg Tilly, Melissa Newman | Supernatural Horror | |
| The Osterman Weekend | Sam Peckinpah | Rutger Hauer, John Hurt, Craig T. Nelson, Dennis Hopper, Christopher Starr, Chris Sarandon, Meg Foster, Helen Shaver, Cassie Yates, Sandy McPeak, Burt Lancaster | Suspense | Based on Robert Ludlum novel; Peckinpah's final film |
| The Outsiders | Francis Ford Coppola | C. Thomas Howell, Matt Dillon, Diane Lane, Rob Lowe, Patrick Swayze, Ralph Macchio, Emilio Estevez, Michelle Meyrink, Tom Cruise, Leif Garrett, Tom Waits, Darren Dalton, William Smith | Teen, Crime, Drama | Based on S. E. Hinton novel |
| The Pirates of Penzance | Wilford Leach | Kevin Kline, Linda Ronstadt, Angela Lansbury | Operetta | Based on musical by Gilbert and Sullivan |
| Porky's II: The Next Day | Bob Clark | Mark Herrier, Kaki Hunter | Sex Comedy | sequel to Porky's |
| The Prey | Edwin Brown | Debbie Thureson, Steve Bond, Lori Lethin | Slasher | |
| Princess Daisy | Waris Hussein | Rupert Everett, Lindsay Wagner, Merete Van Kamp, Claudia Cardinale, Barbara Bach | Romance | Based on Judith Krantz novel; TV mini-series |
| Private School | Noel Black | Phoebe Cates, Betsy Russell, Matthew Modine | Sex Comedy, Teen | Universal |
| Psycho II | Richard Franklin | Anthony Perkins, Meg Tilly, Robert Loggia, Vera Miles | Psychological, Slasher | sequel to 1960 film |
| Reuben, Reuben | Robert Ellis Miller | Tom Conti, Kelly McGillis | Romance | 20th Century Fox |
| Revenge of the Ninja | Sam Firstenberg | Sho Kosugi, Arthur Roberts | Martial Arts, Action, Thriller | |
| Richard Pryor: Here and Now | Richard Pryor | Richard Pryor | Comedy | Concert |
| The Right Stuff | Philip Kaufman | Ed Harris, Scott Glenn, Dennis Quaid, Fred Ward, Sam Shepard, Charles Frank, Lance Henriksen | Biography, Drama | Based on book by Tom Wolfe; won 4 Academy Awards |
| Risky Business | Paul Brickman | Tom Cruise, Rebecca De Mornay | Sex Comedy, Teen | Warner Bros. |
| Rita Hayworth: The Love Goddess | James Goldstone | Lynda Carter, Michael Lerner, John Considine, Alejandro Rey, Edward Edwards, James T. Callahan | Biography, Drama | Made-for-TV; Based on the 1977 biography "Rita Hayworth" by John Kobal |
| Romantic Comedy | Arthur Hiller | Dudley Moore, Mary Steenburgen | Comedy | play by Bernard Slade |
| Rumble Fish | Francis Ford Coppola | Matt Dillon, Mickey Rourke, Diane Lane, Vincent Spano, Diana Scarwid, Nicolas Cage, Dennis Hopper | Drama | Based on S. E. Hinton novel |
| Running Brave | D.S. Everett | Robby Benson, Pat Hingle, Graham Greene | Biography, Sports, Drama | story of Billy Mills |
| Sahara | Andrew V. McLaglen | Brooke Shields, Lambert Wilson | Drama | Cannon |
| Scarface | Brian De Palma | Al Pacino, Michelle Pfeiffer, Steven Bauer, F. Murray Abraham, Robert Loggia, Miriam Colon, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio | Crime Drama | Universal; remake of 1932 film |
| Silkwood | Mike Nichols | Meryl Streep, Kurt Russell, Cher, Craig T. Nelson | Drama | 5 Oscar nominations |
| Sleepaway Camp | Robert Hiltzik | Felissa Rose, Jonathan Tiersten | Slasher | |
| Smokey and the Bandit Part 3 | Dick Lowry | Jackie Gleason, Jerry Reed, Pat McCormick | Action, Comedy | 2nd Smokey and the Bandit sequel |
| Something Wicked This Way Comes | Jack Clayton | Jonathan Pryce, Jason Robards, Pam Grier | Dark Fantasy | Based on Ray Bradbury story |
| Space Raiders | Howard R. Cohen | Vince Edwards | Space Western | |
| Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone | Lamont Johnson | Peter Strauss, Molly Ringwald, Ernie Hudson | Space Western | Columbia |
| Spring Break | Sean S. Cunningham | Perry Lang, Corinne Wahl | Sex Comedy | Columbia |
| Stacy's Knights | Jim Wilson | Andra Millian, Kevin Costner, Mike Reynolds | Drama | |
| Star 80 | Bob Fosse | Eric Roberts, Mariel Hemingway, Cliff Robertson, Carroll Baker, Roger Rees | Biography, Drama | story of Dorothy Stratten; Fosse's final film |
| The Star Chamber | Peter Hyams | Michael Douglas, Hal Holbrook, Yaphet Kotto | Crime, Thriller | 20th Century Fox |
| Starflight: The Plane That Couldn't Land | Jerry Jameson | Lee Majors, Hal Linden, Lauren Hutton, Ray Milland | Sci-Fi | Made-for-TV |
| Return of the Jedi | Richard Marquand | Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Billy Dee Williams | Space Opera | 3rd Star Wars film released |
| Staying Alive | Sylvester Stallone | John Travolta, Cynthia Rhodes, Finola Hughes | Musical, Drama | sequel to Saturday Night Fever; 5 Razzie nominations |
| Still Smokin | Tommy Chong | Cheech Marin, Tommy Chong | Comedy | Paramount |
| The Sting II | Jeremy Kagan | Jackie Gleason, Mac Davis, Teri Garr, Karl Malden, Oliver Reed | Crime Comedy | sequel to The Sting |
| Strange Brew | Rick Moranis | Rick Moranis, Dave Thomas, Max von Sydow | Comedy | Based on SCTV characters |
| Strange Invaders | Michael Laughlin | Paul Le Mat, Diana Scarwid, Nancy Allen | Sci-Fi | Orion |
| Streamers | Robert Altman | Matthew Modine, David Alan Grier, George Dzundza | Drama | Based on David Rabe play |
| Stroker Ace | Hal Needham | Burt Reynolds, Jim Nabors, Ned Beatty, Loni Anderson | Action, Comedy, Sports | 5 Razzie nominations |
| Sudden Impact | Clint Eastwood | Clint Eastwood, Sondra Locke, Pat Hingle | Action, Thriller | 3rd sequel to Dirty Harry |
| Superman III | Richard Lester | Christopher Reeve, Richard Pryor, Robert Vaughn, Marc McClure, Jackie Cooper, Annette O'Toole, Margot Kidder, Gavan O'Herlihy | Superhero | 2nd sequel to 1978 film |
| The Survivors | Michael Ritchie | Walter Matthau, Robin Williams, Jerry Reed | Comedy | Columbia |
| Sweet Sixteen | Jim Sotos | Aleisa Shirley, Bo Hopkins, Susan Strasberg, Patrick Macnee, Sharon Farrell, Dana Kimmell, Steve Antin, Henry Wilcoxon, Michael Pataki, Don Stroud, Don Shanks | Slasher | |
| Table for Five | Robert Lieberman | Jon Voight, Richard Crenna, Roxana Zal | Drama | Warner Bros. |
| Tender Mercies | Bruce Beresford | Robert Duvall, Tess Harper, Betty Buckley, Ellen Barkin | Drama | Academy Award for Duvall |
| Terms of Endearment | James L. Brooks | Shirley MacLaine, Debra Winger, Jack Nicholson, Jeff Daniels, Danny DeVito, John Lithgow | Drama, Comedy | won 5 Academy Awards |
| Testament | Lynne Littman | Jane Alexander, William Devane, Roxana Zal, Kevin Costner | Drama | Paramount |
| To Be or Not to Be | Alan Johnson | Mel Brooks, Anne Bancroft, José Ferrer, Tim Matheson | Comedy | remake of 1942 film |
| Tough Enough | Richard Fleischer | Dennis Quaid, Pam Grier, Stan Shaw, Warren Oates | Drama | Oates' final film |
| Trading Places | John Landis | Eddie Murphy, Dan Aykroyd, Jamie Lee Curtis, Don Ameche, Ralph Bellamy | Comedy | won two BAFTA awards |
| Trenchcoat | Michael Tuchner | Robert Hays, Margot Kidder | Comedy | Disney |
| Twilight Zone: The Movie | John Landis, Joe Dante, George Miller, Steven Spielberg | Vic Morrow, John Lithgow, Kathleen Quinlan, Scatman Crothers, Kevin McCarthy, Dan Aykroyd, Albert Brooks | Anthology, Sci-Fi | Based on the TV series; Morrow's final film |
| Twice Upon a Time | John Korty | | Animation | |
| Two of a Kind | John Herzfeld | John Travolta, Olivia Newton-John, Charles Durning | Romance, Fantasy, Crime, Comedy, Drama | 5 Razzie nominations; Remake of 1951 film |
| Uncommon Valor | Ted Kotcheff | Gene Hackman, Fred Ward, Randall "Tex" Cobb, Patrick Swayze, Reb Brown, Robert Stack | Action, War | Paramount |
| Under Fire | Roger Spottiswoode | Nick Nolte, Gene Hackman, Joanna Cassidy, Ed Harris | Political Thriller | Orion |
| Valley Girl | Martha Coolidge | Nicolas Cage, Deborah Foreman | Teen, Romance, Comedy | Atlantic |
| Videodrome | David Cronenberg | James Woods, Deborah Harry | Body Horror, Sci-Fi | Universal |
| Vigilante | William Lustig | Robert Forster, Fred Williamson, Rutanya Alda | Vigilante, Action | Vestron Video |
| Walking the Edge | Norbert Meisel | Robert Forster, Nancy Kwan, Joe Spinell | Action | Empire Pictures |
| WarGames | John Badham | Matthew Broderick, Dabney Coleman, Ally Sheedy | Techno-Thriller | 3 Oscar nominations |
| Warrior of the Lost World | David Worth | Donald Pleasence, Persis Khambatta, Fred Williamson | Post-Apocalyptic, Sci-Fi | Made in Italy |
| Wavelength | Mike Gray | Robert Carradine, Keenan Wynn | Sci-Fi | New World |
| Winds of War | Dan Curtis | Robert Mitchum, Ali MacGraw, John Houseman, Polly Bergen, Jan-Michael Vincent | War, Drama | Based on Herman Wouk novel; TV mini-series |
| Winnie the Pooh and a Day for Eeyore | Rick Reinert | Hal Smith, Ralph Wright, Paul Winchell, Will Ryan, Kim Christianson, Julie McWhirter, John Fiedler | Animation | Disney; 25 minutes |
| Without a Trace | Stanley R. Jaffe | Kate Nelligan, Judd Hirsch, David Dukes | Drama | 20th Century Fox |
| Yentl | Barbra Streisand | Barbra Streisand, Mandy Patinkin, Amy Irving | Musical, Romance, Drama | 2 Golden Globes |
| Zelig | Woody Allen | Woody Allen, Mia Farrow | Mockumentary | Orion |
