The year 1989 involved many significant films.
Highest-grossing films
The top ten films released in 1989 by worldwide gross are as follows:
Events
- Actress Kim Basinger and her brother Mick purchase Braselton, Georgia, for $20 million. (Basinger would lose the town to her partner in the deal, the pension fund of Chicago-based Ameritech Corp., in 1993 after being forced to file for bankruptcy when a California judge ordered her to pay $7.4 million for refusing to honor a verbal contract to star in the film Boxing Helena.)
- April 23 - Field of Dreams, starring Kevin Costner, James Earl Jones, and Burt Lancaster, is released, striking an emotional chord in men and fans of baseball.
- May 24 - Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade is released. It is the third installment of the Indiana Jones series.
- June 13 - The James Bond film Licence to Kill is released. Unknown to anyone at the time, it would be followed by years of legal wrangling over the future of the popular series. The next Bond film, GoldenEye, is not released until 1995.
- June 16 - Ghostbusters II is released.
- June 23 - Batman is released, going on to gross more than $410 million worldwide, and establishing the public and critical attention of director Tim Burton.
- June 23 - Honey, I Shrunk the Kids is released and marks the directorial debut of visual effects supervisor Joe Johnston, who later went on to direct The Rocketeer, Jumanji, October Sky, Jurassic Park III, and Captain America: The First Avenger.
- July 11 - Screen, stage, and Shakespearian legend Laurence Olivier died peacefully in his home in England, after appearing in his last filmed role as an old soldier in War Requiem.
- August 2 - Ron Howard's family comedy Parenthood, starring Steve Martin, Tom Hulce, and Rick Moranis, is released.
- September 28 - Columbia Pictures and Tri-Star Pictures are sold to Sony.
- November 17 - The story of a mermaid named Ariel who longs to be part of the human world captured imaginations worldwide. The first installment of the Disney Renaissance, The Little Mermaid, became an astounding critical and commercial success and brought a new life to Walt Disney Feature Animation after nearly three decades of humiliation and despair with films like The Black Cauldron. It became Disney's most successful animated film since The Rescuers and relaunched a profound new interest in the animation film genre after notable examples like Akira, An American Tail, The Land Before Time, My Neighbor Totoro, Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, Oliver & Company, and Who Framed Roger Rabbit, as well as the musical film genre. Following many other remarkable accomplishments since Roy E. Disney, Michael Eisner, Jeffrey Katzenberg, and Frank Wells joined to take charge in 1984, The Little Mermaid also reinvigorated public and critical interest in The Walt Disney Company, which would become one of the most prestigious corporations of the 1990s.
- November 22 - Back to the Future Part II is released.
Awards
Academy Awards:
- Best Picture: Driving Miss Daisy - Majestic Films International, Zanuck Company., Warner Bros. Pictures
- Best Director: Oliver Stone - Born on the Fourth of July
- Best Actor: Daniel Day-Lewis - My Left Foot
- Best Actress: Jessica Tandy - Driving Miss Daisy
- Best Supporting Actor: Denzel Washington - Glory
- Best Supporting Actress: Brenda Fricker - My Left Foot
- Best Foreign Language Film: Nuovo cinema Paradiso (Cinema Paradiso), directed by Giuseppe Tornatore, Italy
Golden Globe Awards:
- Drama:
- Best Picture: Born on the Fourth of July
- Best Actor: Tom Cruise - Born on the Fourth of July
- Best Actress: Michelle Pfeiffer - The Fabulous Baker Boys
- Musical or Comedy:
- Best Picture: Driving Miss Daisy
- Best Actor: Morgan Freeman - Driving Miss Daisy
- Best Actress: Jessica Tandy - Driving Miss Daisy
- Other
- Best Director: Oliver Stone - Born on the Fourth of July
- Best Foreign Language Film: Nuovo Cinema Paradiso (Cinema Paradiso), Italy
- Best Screenplay: Ron Kovic and Oliver Stone - Born on the Fourth of July
Palme d'Or (Cannes Film Festival):
- Sex, Lies, and Videotape, directed by Steven Soderbergh, United States
Golden Lion (Venice Film Festival):
- A City of Sadness (Beiqing chengshi), directed by Hou Hsiao-Hsien, China
Golden Bear (Berlin Film Festival):
- Rain Man, directed by Barry Levinson, United States
Notable films released in 1989
U.S.A. unless stated
A-D
A
- The Abyss, directed by James Cameron, starring Ed Harris and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio
- All About Ah-Long (Ah Long dik gu si), starring Chow Yun-fat and Sylvia Chang - (Hong Kong)
- All Dogs Go To Heaven - (Ireland/U.K.)
- Always, directed by Steven Spielberg, starring Richard Dreyfuss, Holly Hunter, John Goodman, Audrey Hepburn
- Amanece, que no es poco (Amanece, Who is Not Small) - (Spain)
- Apartment Zero (Conviviendo con la muerte), directed by Martin Donovan, starring Colin Firth - Golden Space Needle award - (Argentina)
B
- The BFG, starring David Jason - (U.K.)
- Babar: The Movie - (Canada/France)
- Back to the Future Part II, starring Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd
- Batman, directed by Tim Burton, starring Michael Keaton, Jack Nicholson, Kim Basinger, Jack Palance, Robert Wuhl
- Before the Bat's Flight Is Done (MielÅ'tt befejezi röptét a denevér) - (Hungary)
- Bert Rigby, You're a Fool, directed by Carl Reiner, starring Robert Lindsay, Robbie Coltrane, Anne Bancroft
- Best of the Best, starring Eric Roberts, James Earl Jones, Sally Kirkland
- The Big Picture, directed by Christopher Guest, starring Kevin Bacon, Michael McKean, Teri Hatcher, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Martin Short
- Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, starring Keanu Reeves, Alex Winter, George Carlin
- Black Rain, directed by Ridley Scott, starring Michael Douglas, Andy GarcÃa, Kate Capshaw - (U.S.A.)
- Black Rain (Kuroi ame), directed by Shohei Imamura - (Japan)
- Black Rainbow, directed by Mike Hodges, starring Rosanna Arquette, Jason Robards, Tom Hulce
- Black Rose Is an Emblem of Sorrow, Red Rose Is an Emblem of Love (Chyornaya roza - emblema pechali, krasnaya roza - emblema lyubvi) - (U.S.S.R.)
- The Blasphemers' Banquet
- Blaze, directed by Ron Shelton, starring Paul Newman and Lolita Davidovich
- Blind Fury, directed by Phillip Noyce, starring Rutger Hauer
- Bloodhounds of Broadway, starring Matt Dillon, Jennifer Grey, Julie Hagerty, Rutger Hauer, Madonna, Esai Morales, Randy Quaid
- Blood Red, directed by Peter Masterson, starring Eric Roberts, Julia Roberts, Dennis Hopper, Burt Young, Giancarlo Giannini
- Born on the Fourth of July, directed by Oliver Stone, starring Tom Cruiseâ"Golden Globe Award for Best Picture (Drama)
- Breaking In, directed by Bill Forsyth, starring Burt Reynolds and Casey Siemaszko
- The 'Burbs, starring Tom Hanks
- Bye Bye Blues, starring Rebecca Jenkins and Michael Ontkean - (Canada)
C
- Cameron's Closet, starring Scott Curtis
- Casualties of War, directed by Brian De Palma, starring Michael J. Fox and Sean Penn
- Cat Chaser, directed by Abel Ferrara, starring Peter Weller and Kelly McGillis
- Chameleon Street, directed by and starring Wendell B. Harris, Jr.
- Chances Are, starring Cybill Shepherd, Robert Downey, Jr., Ryan O'Neal, Mary Stuart Masterson
- Chandni (Moonlight), starring Sridevi - (India)
- Checking Out, starring Jeff Daniels
- Cheetah
- A City of Sadness (Beiqing chengshi), starring Tony Leung - Golden Lion award - (Taiwan)
- Cohen and Tate, starring Roy Scheider and Adam Baldwin
- Cold Feet, starring Keith Carradine, Sally Kirkland, Tom Waits
- Communion, starring Christopher Walken
- The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover, directed by Peter Greenaway, starring Richard Bohringer, Michael Gambon, Helen Mirren - (U.K.)
- Cousins, starring Ted Danson, Isabella Rossellini, Sean Young, William Petersen
- Crimes and Misdemeanors, directed by and starring Woody Allen, with Mia Farrow, Alan Alda, Martin Landau, Sam Waterston, Anjelica Huston
- Criminal Law, starring Gary Oldman and Kevin Bacon
- Crusoe, starring Aidan Quinn - (U.K.)
- Cyborg, starring Jean-Claude Van Damme
D
- Dad, starring Jack Lemmon, Ted Danson, Ethan Hawke, Olympia Dukakis, Kathy Baker, Kevin Spacey
- Dead Bang, starring Don Johnson
- Dead Calm, directed by Phillip Noyce, starring Sam Neill, Nicole Kidman, Billy Zane - (Australia)
- Dead Poets Society, directed by Peter Weir, starring Robin Williams
- The Decalogue (TV series), directed by Krzysztof KieÅlowski - (Poland)
- DeepStar Six, starring Greg Evigan, Taurean Blacque, Miguel Ferrer, Cindy Pickett
- The Delinquents, starring Kylie Minogue and Charlie Schlatter - (Australia)
- Der Todesking, directed by Jörg Buttgereit - (Germany)
- Dimenticare Palermo (To Forget Palermo), directed by Francesco Rosi - (Italy)
- Disorganized Crime, starring Lou Diamond Phillips and Rubén Blades
- Do the Right Thing, directed by and starring Spike Lee, with Danny Aiello, John Turturro, Bill Nunn, Giancarlo Esposito, Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee
- Dream a Little Dream, starring Corey Feldman, Corey Haim, Meredith Salenger
- The Dream Team, starring Michael Keaton, Peter Boyle, Christopher Lloyd, Stephen Furst
- Driving Miss Daisy, directed by Bruce Beresford, starring Jessica Tandy, Morgan Freeman, Dan Aykroyd - Academy and Golden Globe Awards for Best Picture
- Drugstore Cowboy, directed by Gus Van Sant, starring Matt Dillon and Kelly Lynch
- A Dry White Season, starring Donald Sutherland, Janet Suzman, Susan Sarandon, Marlon Brando
E-K
E
- The Ear (Ucho) - (Czechoslovakia) - made in 1970 but banned until 1989
- Echoes of Paradise, directed by Phillip Noyce, starring Wendy Hughes and John Lone - (Australia)
- Edge of Sanity, starring Anthony Perkins
- Eeshwar, starring Anil Kapoor - (India)
- Enemies, a Love Story, directed by Paul Mazursky, starring Ron Silver, Anjelica Huston, Lena Olin, Margaret Sophie Stein
- Erik the Viking, starring Tim Robbins, Terry Jones, John Cleese - (U.K.)
- Everybody's Baby: The Rescue of Jessica McClure, starring Beau Bridges, Pat Hingle, Roxana Zal
- The Experts, starring John Travolta
F
- The Fabulous Baker Boys, starring Jeff Bridges, Michelle Pfeiffer, Beau Bridges
- Farewell to the King, starring Nick Nolte and Nigel Havers
- Fat Man and Little Boy, starring Paul Newman, Dwight Schultz, John Cusack, Laura Dern
- Field of Dreams, starring Kevin Costner, Amy Madigan, James Earl Jones, Ray Liotta, Timothy Busfield, Burt Lancaster
- Fletch Lives, starring Chevy Chase
- Food of the Gods II, directed by Damian Lee
- Fool's Mate (Zugzwang), starring Victoria Tennant - (West Germany)
- For Queen and Country, starring Denzel Washington - (U.K./U.S.A.)
- Freeze Die Come to Life (Zamri, umri, voskresni!) - (U.S.S.R.)
G
- Gang of Four, directed by Jacques Rivette, starring Bulle Ogier - (France)
- Getting It Right, starring Jane Horrocks and Helena Bonham Carter - (U.K.)
- Ghostbusters II, starring Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Sigourney Weaver, Harold Ramis, Rick Moranis, Ernie Hudson, Annie Potts, Peter MacNicol
- Gleaming the Cube, starring Christian Slater
- Glory, directed by Edward Zwick, starring Matthew Broderick, Denzel Washington, Cary Elwes, Morgan Freeman
- God of Gamblers (Du shen), starring Chow Yun-fat and Andy Lau - (Hong Kong)
- Godzilla vs. Biollante - (Japan)
- Great Balls of Fire!, directed by Jim McBride, starring Dennis Quaid, Winona Ryder, Alec Baldwin
- Gross Anatomy, starring Matthew Modine, Daphne Zuniga, Christine Lahti
H
- Harlem Nights, directed by and starring Eddie Murphy, with Richard Pryor, Danny Aiello, Jasmine Guy, Redd Foxx, Della Reese
- Hathyar, starring Dharmendra and Sanjay Dutt - (India)
- Heart of Dixie, starring Ally Sheedy, Virginia Madsen, Phoebe Cates, Treat Williams
- Heathers, directed by Michael Lehmann, starring Winona Ryder and Christian Slater
- Henry V, directed by and starring Kenneth Branagh, with Derek Jacobi, Brian Blessed, Paul Scofield, Emma Thompson - (U.K.)
- Her Alibi, starring Tom Selleck and Paulina Porizkova
- Hit List, starring Jan-Michael Vincent and Rip Torn
- Homer and Eddie, starring Whoopi Goldberg and James Belushi
- Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, starring Rick Moranis, Matt Frewer, Marcia Strassman
- A Hoof Here, a Hoof There (Kopytem sem, kopytem tam) - (Czechoslovakia)
- Houseboat Horror, starring Alan Dale - (Australia)
- How I Got Into College, starring Lara Flynn Boyle and Anthony Edwards
- How to Get Ahead in Advertising, starring Richard E. Grant - (U.K.)
I
- I Love, You Love (Ja milujem, ty miluješ) - (Czechoslovakia)
- The Icicle Thief (Ladri di saponette) - (Italy)
- Immediate Family, starring Glenn Close, James Woods, Mary Stuart Masterson
- In Country, starring Bruce Willis and Emily Lloyd
- Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, directed by Steven Spielberg, starring Harrison Ford and Sean Connery
- An Innocent Man, starring Tom Selleck
- Intergirl (Interdevochka) - (U.S.S.R.)
- Interrogation (Przesluchanie), directed by Ryszard Bugajski - (Poland) - banned for over 7 years, released after overthrow of communist regime in Poland
- Ivan and Alexandra - (Bulgaria)
J
- Jacknife, starring Robert De Niro, Ed Harris, Kathy Baker
- The January Man, starring Kevin Kline, Susan Sarandon, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, Harvey Keitel, Danny Aiello, Rod Steiger
- Je suis le seigneur du château (I'm the King of the Castle) - (France)
- Jesus of Montreal - (Canada/France)
- Johnny Handsome, directed by Walter Hill, starring Mickey Rourke, Forest Whitaker, Ellen Barkin, Elizabeth McGovern, Morgan Freeman
K
- K-9, starring James Belushi
- The Karate Kid, Part III, starring Ralph Macchio and Noriyuki "Pat" Morita
- Kickboxer, starring Jean-Claude Van Damme
- Kiki's Delivery Service (Majo no Takkyūbin) - (Japan)
- The Killer (dip hyut soeng hung), directed by John Woo, starring Chow Yun-fat - (Hong Kong)
- Killing Dad
- Kinjite: Forbidden Subjects, starring Charles Bronson
L-Q
L
- Last Exit to Brooklyn, starring Jennifer Jason Leigh
- Lean on Me, directed by John G. Avildsen, starring Morgan Freeman
- Leningrad Cowboys Go America, directed by Aki Kaurismäki, starring Leningrad Cowboys - (Finland)
- Lethal Weapon 2, starring Mel Gibson and Danny Glover
- Leviathan, starring Peter Weller, Richard Crenna, Meg Foster
- Licence to Kill, 16th of James Bond series, starring Timothy Dalton, Robert Davi, Carey Lowell - (U.K.)
- Life and Nothing But (La vie et rien d'autre), directed by Bertrand Tavernier - (France)
- Listen to Me, starring Kirk Cameron, Jami Gertz, Roy Scheider, Christopher Atkins
- The Little Mermaid, voices of Jodi Benson, Pat Carroll, Buddy Hackett
- Little Monsters, starring Fred Savage and Howie Mandel
- Little Nemo: Adventures in Slumberland, voices of Gabriel Damon, Mickey Rooney, René Auberjonois, Danny Mann, Bernard Erhard
- Lock Up, starring Sylvester Stallone and Donald Sutherland
- Lonesome Dove, TV film, starring Robert Duvall, Tommy Lee Jones, Diane Lane, Anjelica Huston, Chris Cooper, Ricky Schroder, Danny Glover, Frederic Forrest
- Look Who's Talking, starring John Travolta and Kirstie Alley
- Loverboy, starring Patrick Dempsey, Carrie Fisher, Barbara Carrera, Kirstie Alley
M
- Maine Pyar Kiya (I Fell in Love), starring Salman Khan - (India)
- Major League, directed by David S. Ward, starring Tom Berenger, Charlie Sheen, Corbin Bernsen, James Gammon, Margaret Whitton, Wesley Snipes
- Marquis - (Belgium/France)
- The Marriage of the Blessed (Arousi-ye Khouban) - (Iran)
- Meet the Feebles, directed by Peter Jackson - (New Zealand)
- Meet the Hollowheads, starring Juliette Lewis
- The Mighty Quinn, starring Denzel Washington, Robert Townsend, Mimi Rogers, Esther Rolle
- Millennium, starring Kris Kristofferson and Cheryl Ladd
- Miss Firecracker, starring Holly Hunter, Tim Robbins, Mary Steenburgen, Alfre Woodard, Scott Glenn
- Monsieur Hire, directed by Patrice Leconte, starring Michel Blanc and Sandrine Bonnaire - (France)
- Mother (Mat) - (U.S.S.R.)
- Music Box, directed by Costa-Gavras, starring Jessica Lange, Armin Mueller-Stahl, Frederic Forrest, Lukas Haas - Golden Bear award (for 1990)
- My 20th Century - (Hungary/West Germany)
- My Left Foot, directed by Jim Sheridan, starring Daniel Day-Lewis and Brenda Fricker - (Ireland/U.K.)
- Mystery Train, directed by Jim Jarmusch - (Japan/U.S.A.)
- Milo and Otis, narrated by Dudley Moore, directed by Masanori Hata (English translation)
N
- National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, starring Chevy Chase and Beverly D'Angelo
- New York Stories, trilogy directed by Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola and Woody Allen, starring Nick Nolte, Rosanna Arquette, Mia Farrow and Allen
- Next of Kin, starring Patrick Swayze
- Night Game, starring Roy Scheider
- No Holds Barred, starring Hulk Hogan
- Nowhere to Run, directed by Carl Franklin, starring David Carradine
O
- O Sangue (Blood) - (Portugal)
- Old Gringo, starring Jane Fonda, Gregory Peck, Jimmy Smits
- Out of the Dark, starring Karen Black and Bud Cort
P
- The Package, directed by Andrew Davis, starring Gene Hackman, Joanna Cassidy, Tommy Lee Jones
- The Paper Wedding, starring Geneviève Bujold - (Canada)
- Parenthood, directed by Ron Howard, starring Steve Martin, Mary Steenburgen, Jason Robards, Dianne Wiest, Rick Moranis, Tom Hulce, Martha Plimpton
- Parents, directed by Bob Balaban, starring Randy Quaid and Mary Beth Hurt
- Pedicab Driver (Qun long xi feng), directed by and starring Sammo Hung - (Hong Kong)
- Penn & Teller Get Killed
- Pet Sematary, directed by Mary Lambert written by Stephen King, starring Dale Midkiff, Fred Gwynne, Denise Crosby, Miko Hughes
- Physical Evidence, directed by Michael Crichton, starring Burt Reynolds and Theresa Russell
- Pink Cadillac, starring Clint Eastwood and Bernadette Peters
- Prancer, starring Sam Elliott and Cloris Leachman
- The Punisher, starring Dolph Lundgren
- Puppet Master, starring Paul Le Mat
R-Z
R
- The Rainbow, directed by Ken Russell, starring Sammi Davis and Amanda Donohoe - (U.K.)
- Ramji Rav Speaking - (India)
- Red Scorpion, starring Dolph Lundgren
- Relentless, starring Judd Nelson and Robert Loggia
- Renegades, starring Kiefer Sutherland and Lou Diamond Phillips
- The Return of the Musketeers, starring Michael York, Frank Finlay, Richard Chamberlain, Kim Cattrall - (U.K./France/Spain)
- Reunion, starring Jason Robards - (U.K.)
- La Révolution française (The French Revolution), starring Klaus Maria Brandauer - (France/West Germany/Italy/U.K.)
- Road House, starring Terry Funk, Patrick Swayze, Kelly Lynch, Ben Gazzara, Sam Elliott
- Roadkill - (Canada)
- Roger & Me, a documentary by Michael Moore
- Rojo Amanecer (Red Dawn) - (Mexico)
- Rosalie Goes Shopping, starring Marianne Sägebrecht and Judge Reinhold - (West Germany)
S
- Santa Sangre (Holy Blood) - (Mexico)
- Say Anything..., directed by Cameron Crowe, starring John Cusack and Ione Skye
- Scandal, directed by Michael Caton-Jones, starring Joanne Whalley, John Hurt, Ian McKellen, Bridget Fonda - (U.K.)
- Scenes from the Class Struggle in Beverly Hills, directed by Paul Bartel, starring Jacqueline Bisset, Ed Begley, Jr., Rebecca Schaeffer
- Sea of Love, directed by Harold Becker, starring Al Pacino, Ellen Barkin, John Goodman
- Second Sight, starring John Larroquette and Bronson Pinchot
- See No Evil, Hear No Evil, starring Gene Wilder and Richard Pryor
- See You in the Morning, starring Jeff Bridges, Alice Krige, Farrah Fawcett
- The Servant (Sluga) - (U.S.S.R.)
- The Seventh Continent (Der siebente Kontinent), directed by Michael Haneke - (Austria)
- Sex, Lies, and Videotape, directed by Steven Soderbergh, starring James Spader, Andie MacDowell, Peter Gallagher, Laura San Giacomoâ"Palme d'Or award
- Shag, starring Phoebe Cates, Bridget Fonda, Annabeth Gish
- Shaso - (Japan)
- She-Devil, directed by Susan Seidelman, starring Meryl Streep, Roseanne Barr, Ed Begley, Jr.
- She's Out of Control, starring Tony Danza
- Shirley Valentine, directed by Lewis Gilbert, starring Pauline Collins (BAFTA for best actress) - (U.K.)
- Signs of Life, starring Beau Bridges and Kathy Bates
- Sing, starring Lorraine Bracco
- Skin Deep, directed by Blake Edwards, starring John Ritter
- Slaves of New York, directed by James Ivory, starring Bernadette Peters
- Slipstream, starring Mark Hamill, Bill Paxton, Ben Kingsley
- Society, starring Billy Warlock
- Speed Zone!, starring John Candy, Joe Flaherty, Eugene Levy, Tim Matheson, Donna Dixon, the Smothers Brothers
- Spider's Web (Das Spinnennetz), directed by Bernhard Wicki - (West Germany)
- Splendor, starring Marcello Mastroianni - (Italy)
- Split
- Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, directed by and starring William Shatner, with Leonard Nimoy, Laurence Luckinbill
- Staying Together, directed by Lee Grant, starring Sean Astin, Stockard Channing, Melinda Dillon, Levon Helm, Dermot Mulroney, Daphne Zuniga
- Steel Magnolias, directed by Herbert Ross, starring Sally Field, Julia Roberts, Dolly Parton, Olympia Dukakis, Shirley MacLaine, Daryl Hannah
- Strapless, directed by David Hare, starring Blair Brown, Bruno Ganz, Bridget Fonda - (U.K.)
- The Striker with Number 9 (I fanela me to '9') - (Greece)
- Sweet Home - (Japan)
- Sweetie, directed by Jane Campion - (Australia)
T
- The Tall Guy, starring Jeff Goldblum, Emma Thompson, Rowan Atkinson - (U.K.)
- Tango & Cash, starring Sylvester Stallone and Kurt Russell
- Tap, starring Gregory Hines and Sammy Davis, Jr.
- Ten Little Indians, starring Donald Pleasence, Herbert Lom, Brenda Vaccaro, Frank Stallone - (U.K.)
- Tetsuo: The Iron Man - (Japan)
- Thick Skinned (Peaux de vaches), starring Sandrine Bonnaire - (France)
- Three Fugitives, starring Nick Nolte and Martin Short
- Too Beautiful for You (Trop belle pour toi), directed by Bertrand Blier, starring Gérard Depardieu and Carole Bouquet - (France)
- Triumph of the Spirit, starring Willem Dafoe
- Troop Beverly Hills, starring Shelley Long, Betty Thomas, Craig T. Nelson
- Tropical Snow, starring David Carradine
- True Love - won the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival
- Turner & Hooch, starring Tom Hanks, Mare Winningham, Craig T. Nelson, Reginald VelJohnson
U-V
- UHF, written by and starring "Weird Al" Yankovic
- Uncle Buck, directed by John Hughes, starring John Candy and Amy Madigan
- Valmont, directed by Miloš Forman, starring Colin Firth, Annette Bening, Meg Tilly, Fairuza Balk, Henry Thomas - (U.S.A./France)
- Vampire's Kiss, starring Nicolas Cage, MarÃa Conchita Alonso, Jennifer Beals
- Violent Cop (Sono otoko, kyÅbÅ ni tsuki), directed by and starring Takeshi Kitano - (Japan)
W
- Waltzing Regitze (Dansen med Regitze) - (Denmark)
- The War of the Roses, directed by Danny DeVito, starring Michael Douglas, Kathleen Turner and DeVito
- War Requiem, starring Laurence Olivier in his final role - (U.K.)
- Weekend at Bernie's, directed by Ted Kotcheff, starring Andrew McCarthy and Jonathan Silverman
- Welcome Home, directed by Franklin Schaffner, starring Kris Kristofferson, JoBeth Williams, Sam Waterston, Brian Keith
- We're No Angels, directed by Neil Jordan, starring Robert De Niro, Sean Penn, Demi Moore, Hoyt Axton, Bruno Kirby, John C. Reilly
- What Time is it? (Che ora è?), directed by Ettore Scola, starring Marcello Mastroianni - (Italy)
- When Harry Met Sally..., directed by Rob Reiner, starring Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan
- When the Whales Came, starring Paul Scofield, David Threlfall, Helen Mirren - (U.K.)
- Who's Harry Crumb?, starring John Candy, Annie Potts, Jeffrey Jones, Barry Corbin, Tim Thomerson, Shawnee Smith
- Why Has Bodhi-Dharma Left for the East? (Dalmaga dongjjok-euro gan ggadakeun?) - (South Korea)
- Wicked Stepmother, starring Bette Davis, Barbara Carrera, Colleen Camp
- Willy the Sparrow (Vili, a veréb) - (Hungary)
- Wilt, starring Griff Rhys Jones and Mel Smith - (U.K.)
- Winter People, directed by Ted Kotcheff, starring Kurt Russell, Kelly McGillis, Lloyd Bridges
- The Winter War (Talvisota) - (Finland)
- The Wizard, starring Fred Savage, Luke Edwards, Jenny Lewis, Beau Bridges, Christian Slater
- Wodaabe - Herdsmen of the Sun (Wodaabe - Die Hirten der Sonne), directed by Werner Herzog - (West Germany)
- Worth Winning, starring Mark Harmon, Madeleine Stowe, Lesley Ann Warren
XYZ
- Yaaba - (Burkina Faso)
Wide-release films
Januaryâ"March
- January 1989
- January 13
- DeepStar Six
- The Experts
- Gleaming the Cube
- January 27
- Cohen and Tate
- Three Fugitives
- January 13
- February 1989
- February 3
- Gone With the Wind (re-release)
- Her Alibi
- Who's Harry Crumb?
- February 10
- The Fly II
- Tap
- February 17
- Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure
- The 'Burbs, starring Tom Hanks
- February 3
- March 1989
- March 1 - New York Stories (New York City; U.S.A. March 10, 1989)
- March 3
- Lean on Me, starring Morgan Freeman
- Skin Deep
- March 10
- Chances Are, starring Cybill Shepherd and Robert Downey, Jr.
- Jacknife starring Robert De Niro
- Police Academy 6: City Under Siege
- March 16 - Blind Fury
- March 17
- Fletch Lives
- Leviathan
- The Rescuers (re-release)
- March 24 - Troop Beverly Hills
- March 31
- Heathers
- Sing
Aprilâ"June
- April 1989
- April 7
- Cyborg
- Dead Calm
- The Dream Team
- Major League
- April 14 - Say Anything...
- April 20 - Kickboxer
- April 21
- Checking Out
- Field of Dreams, starring Kevin Costner
- Pet Sematary, written by Stephen King
- April 23
- Teen Witch, starring Robyn Lively and Zelda Rubinstein
- April 28
- Criminal Law
- K-9
- April 7
- May 1989
- May 5 - Signs of Life
- May 12 - See No Evil, Hear No Evil
- May 19
- How I Got into College
- Road House
- Gnaw: Food of the Gods 2
- May 24 - Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, directed by Steven Spielberg, starring Harrison Ford and Sean Connery, third entry in the Indiana Jones series
- May 26 - Pink Cadillac, starring Clint Eastwood
- June 1989
- June 2 - Dead Poets Society
- June 3 - Scenes from the Class Struggle in Beverly Hills, starring Jacqueline Bisset, Ed Begley, Jr., Paul Mazursky and Rebecca Schaeffer, directed by Paul Bartel
- June 9 - Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, starring William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, and DeForest Kelley, directed by Shatner
- June 13 - Licence to Kill
- June 16 - Ghostbusters II, starring Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Sigourney Weaver, Harold Ramis, Rick Moranis, Ernie Hudson, Annie Potts and Peter MacNicol
- June 23
- Batman, starring Michael Keaton, Jack Nicholson and Kim Basinger
- Honey, I Shrunk the Kids
- June 30
- Do the Right Thing
- Great Balls of Fire!
- The Karate Kid, Part III
Julyâ"September
- July 1989
- July 5 - Weekend at Bernie's, starring Andrew McCarthy and Jonathan Silverman
- July 7 - Lethal Weapon 2, starring Mel Gibson and Danny Glover, first sequel of the Lethal Weapon series
- July 14
- Peter Pan (1953 film) (re-release)
- When Harry Met Sally...
- July 21 - UHF, written by and starring 'Weird' Al Yankovic
- July 28
- Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan, eighth entry in the Friday the 13th series
- Turner & Hooch, starring Tom Hanks
- August 1989
- August 2 - Parenthood
- August 4 - Lock Up, starring Sylvester Stallone
- August 9 - The Abyss, directed by James Cameron
- August 11 - A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child, fifth entry in A Nightmare on Elm Street series
- August 16 - Uncle Buck
- August 18
- Blood Red
- Casualties of War starring Michael J. Fox and Sean Penn
- Cheetah
- Sex, Lies, and Videotape
- August 30 - Shirley Valentine
- September 1989
- September 15 - True Love
- September 22 - Black Rain
Octoberâ"December
- October 1989
- October 5 - The Punisher
- October 6 - An Innocent Man
- October 9 - Drugstore Cowboy
- October 12 - Puppet Master
- October 13
- Breaking In
- Crimes and Misdemeanors
- The Fabulous Baker Boys
- Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers, fifth entry in the Halloween series
- Look Who's Talking
- October 20
- Fat Man and Little Boy
- Gross Anatomy
- Next of Kin
- October 27
- Worth Winning
- November 1989
- November 8 - Henry V
- November 15 - Steel Magnolias, starring Sally Field, Julia Roberts, Dolly Parton, Olympia Dukakis, Shirley MacLaine and Daryl Hannah, directed by Herbert Ross
- November 17
- All Dogs Go to Heaven
- The Little Mermaid
- November 22 - Back to the Future Part II, starring Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd; the first sequel of Back to the Future trilogy
- December 1989
- December 1 - National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation
- December 8
- She-Devil
- The War of the Roses, starring Michael Douglas, Kathleen Turner and Danny DeVito
- December 14 - Glory
- December 15
- Blaze
- Driving Miss Daisy
- The Wizard
- December 20
- Born on the Fourth of July
- Roger & Me
- December 22
- Always
- Tango & Cash, Starring Sylvester Stallone and Kurt Russell
Births
- January 3 - Alex D. Linz, American actor
- January 9 - Nina Dobrev, Bulgarian-Canadian actress and model
- February 13 - Carly McKillip, Canadian actress and singer
- February 21
- Corbin Bleu, American actor and singer
- Scout Taylor-Compton, American actress and singer
- March 3 - Nathalie Emmanuel, British actress
- March 5 - Jake Lloyd, American actor
- March 11 - Anton Yelchin, Russian-American actor
- March 15 - Caitlin Wachs, American actress
- March 25 - Aly Michalka, American actress and singer
- April 18 - Alia Shawkat, American actress
- April 20 - Alex Black, American actor
- June 14 - Lucy Hale, American actress and singer
- June 27 - Matthew Lewis, British actor
- July 11 - Shareeka Epps, American actress
- July 21
- Juno Temple, British actress
- Rory Culkin, American actor
- July 23 - Daniel Radcliffe, British actor
- July 27 - Charlotte Arnold, Canadian actress
- August 2 - Priscilla Betti, French actress
- August 10 - Brenton Thwaites, Australian actor
- August 15 - Joe Jonas, American singer and actor (Jonas Brothers)
- August 21 - Hayden Panettiere, American actress and singer
- September 5 - Kat Graham, American actress, model, singer and dancer
- October 1 - Brie Larson, American actress
- October 4 - Dakota Johnson, American actress
- October 14 - Mia Wasikowska, Australian actress
- December 2 - Cassie Steele, Canadian actress and singer
- December 7 - Nicholas Hoult, British actor
- December 13 - Taylor Swift, American singer-songwriter, actress, and musician
- December 18 - Ashley Benson, American actress and model
- December 29 - Left Brain, rapper
Deaths
- January 3 - Jean Willes, 65, American actress, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, The King and Four Queens
- January 8 - Kenneth McMillan, 56, American actor, Ragtime, The Pope of Greenwich Village
- January 15 - Joe Spinell, 52, American actor, The Godfather, Rocky, The Godfather Part II
- January 16
- Prem Nazir, 62, Indian actor
- Trey Wilson, 40, American actor, Raising Arizona, Bull Durham
- January 20 - Beatrice Lillie, 94, Canadian actress, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Around the World in 80 Days
- January 27 - Bayani Casimiro, 70, Filipino dancer and actor ("the Filipino Fred Astaire")
- February 3
- John Cassavetes, 59, American actor, director, Shadows, Faces
- Lionel Newman, 73, American composer, Alien, Raiders of the Lost Ark
- February 5 â" Emrys James, 60, Welsh actor, Dragonslayer
- February 11
- George O'Hanlon, 76, actor/director, Rocky, Jetsons: The Movie
- T. E. B. Clarke, 81, English screenwriter, The Lavender Hill Mob, Dead of Night
- February 17 - Marguerite Roberts, 83, American writer, True Grit, Ziegfeld Girl
- March 2 â" John Bryans, actor, The House That Dripped Blood, Henry VIII and His Six Wives
- March 6 - Harry Andrews, 77, British actor, Battle of Britain, Superman
- March 12 - Maurice Evans, 87, English actor, Planet of the Apes, Rosemary's Baby
- March 27 - May Allison, 98, American actress, A Fool There Was, Almost Married
- April 12 - Gerald Flood, 61, British actor, Patton, Frightmare
- April 15 - Charles Vanel, 96, French actor and director, The Wages of Fear, Diabolique
- April 25 - George Coulouris, 85, English actor, Citizen Kane, The Assassination Bureau
- April 26 - Lucille Ball, 77, American actress, Yours, Mine and Ours, Mame
- April 30 - Sergio Leone, 60, Italian director, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, Once Upon a Time in the West
- May 3 - William Squire, 71, Welsh actor, Where Eagles Dare, The Lord of the Rings
- May 19
- Anton Diffring, 72, German actor, Circus of Horrors, The Blue Max
- Robert Webber, 64, American actor, 12 Angry Men, 10
- May 20 - Gilda Radner, 42, American actress, The Woman in Red, Haunted Honeymoon
- June 10 - Richard Quine, 68, American director, Bell, Book and Candle, Operation Mad Ball
- June 15 - Victor French, 54, American actor, Flap, Chato's Land
- June 27 - Jack Buetel, 73, American actor, The Outlaw, Rose of Cimarron
- June 28 - Joris Ivens, 90, Dutch filmmaker
- July 2 - Franklin J. Schaffner, 79, Japanese-born American director, Patton, Planet of the Apes
- July 3 - Jim Backus, 76, American actor, Rebel Without a Cause, Pete's Dragon
- July 10 - Mel Blanc, 81, American voice actor, Jetsons: The Movie, Who Framed Roger Rabbit
- July 11 - Laurence Olivier, 82, English actor, Rebecca, Spartacus
- July 18 - Rebecca Schaeffer, 21, American actress, The End of Innocence, Radio Days
- August 4 - Maurice Colbourne, 49, British actor, Hawk the Slayer
- August 16 - Amanda Blake, 60, American actress, A Star Is Born, Lili
- September 22 - Irving Berlin, 101, Russian-born American composer and songwriter
- October 4 - Graham Chapman, 48, English comedian, Life of Brian, Monty Python and the Holy Grail
- October 6 - Bette Davis, 81, American actress, All About Eve, Jezebel
- October 8 - Onest Conley, 82, American actor, This Day and Age
- October 16 - Cornel Wilde, 77, American actor, The Greatest Show on Earth, A Song to Remember
- October 20 - Anthony Quayle, 76, English actor, The Guns of Navarone
- October 22 - Roland Winters, 84, American actor, Charlie Chan and the Chinese Ring, Blue Hawaii
- November 1 - Peter Childs, 50, English actor, Sweeney!
- November 6 - Margit Makay, 98, Hungarian actress
- November 20 - Lynn Bari, 75, American actress, The Bridges of San Luis Rey, Shock
- December 6
- Frances Bavier, 86, American actress, The Day the Earth Stood Still, The Stooge
- John Payne, 77, American actor, Miracle on 34th Street, The Razor's Edge
- December 12 - Howard Lang, 78, English actor, Gorgo
- December 15
- Jock Mahoney, 70, American actor and stuntman, The Land Unknown, Tarzan Goes to India
- Edward Underdown, 81, British actor, Dr. Terror's House of Horrors, Thunderball
- December 16
- Aileen Pringle, 94, American actress, Three Weeks, Wall Street
- Lee Van Cleef, 64, American actor, For a Few Dollars More, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
- Silvana Mangano, 59, Italian actress, Bitter Rice, Death in Venice
Film debuts
- Adrien Brody - New York Stories
- Vincent Cassel - Les cigognes n'en font qu'à leur tête
- Michael Chiklis - Wired
- Kirsten Dunst - New York Stories
- Vivica A. Fox - Born on the Fourth of July
- Carla Gugino - Troop Beverly Hills
- Rebecca Harrell - Prancer
- Jared Harris - The Rachel Papers
- Teri Hatcher - The Big Picture
- Bryce Dallas Howard - Parenthood
- Jason Isaacs - The Tall Guy
- Allison Janney - Who Shot Patakango?
- Martin Lawrence - Do the Right Thing
- Rosie Perez - Do the Right Thing
- John C. Reilly - Casualties of War
- Sam Rockwell - Clownhouse
- Rene Russo - Major League
- Adam Sandler - Going Overboard
- Molly Shannon - The Phantom of the Opera
- Tom Sizemore - Blue Steel
- Emma Thompson - The Tall Guy
- Elijah Wood - Back to the Future Part II
- Michael Jai White - The Toxic Avenger Part II
See also
- List of American films of 1989
- List of British films of 1989
- List of French films of 1989
- List of German films of the 1980s
- List of Bollywood films of 1989
- List of Italian films of 1989r
- List of Japanese films of 1989
- List of Swedish films of the 1980s
External links
- "The Summer Of '89" - www.screenrush.co.uk