Overview of the events of 1978 in film
The year 1978 in film involved some significant events.
Highest-grossing films (U.S.)[ edit ]
The top ten 1978 released films by box office gross in the United States and Canada are as follows:
Highest-grossing films of 1978
Rank
Title
Distributor
Box-office gross
1
Grease
Paramount
$159,978,870[ 1]
2
Superman
Warner Bros.
$134,218,018[ 2]
3
National Lampoon's Animal House
Universal
$120,091,123[ 3]
4
Every Which Way but Loose
Warner Bros.
$85,196,485[ 4]
5
Heaven Can Wait
Paramount
$81,640,278[ 5]
6
Hooper
Warner Bros.
$78,000,000[ 6]
7
Jaws 2
Universal
$77,737,272[ 7]
8
Revenge of the Pink Panther
United Artists
$49,579,269[ 8]
9
The Deer Hunter
Universal
$48,979,328[ 9]
10
Halloween
Compass International
$47,000,000[ 10]
February 6 – David Begelman resigns as president of Columbia Pictures .
March 1 – Charlie Chaplin 's coffin is stolen from a Swiss cemetery three months after burial. After recovery a few weeks later, the casket is sealed in a concrete vault prior to reburial.
March – Leigh Brackett completes the first draft for The Empire Strikes Back , but dies only two weeks later.
June – Daniel Melnick becomes head of Columbia Pictures after the David Begelman scandal.
June 4 – Grease , starring John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John , has its world premiere at Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood . It becomes the highest-grossing musical ever and Paramount Pictures ' highest-grossing film.
July 20 – Alan Hirschfield is fired as president and CEO of Columbia Pictures . He is replaced by Francis T. Vincent .
August – Production begins on Star Trek: The Motion Picture .
September – George Lucas purchases Bulltail Ranch, on Lucas Valley Road, for the development of Skywalker Ranch .
October 25 – Halloween is released.
November 17 – Star Wars Holiday Special airs on CBS . The special gives fans their first glimpse of Boba Fett , a character from the upcoming sequel. But he was not enough for the special to avoid negative reviews upon airing.
December 10 – Superman premieres at the Kennedy Centre in Washington, D.C. , and has a European Royal Charity Premiere at the Empire, Leicester Square in London three days later in the presence of HM Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Andrew, Duke of York .
Palme d'Or (Cannes Film Festival):
The Tree of Wooden Clogs (L'Albero degli zoccoli), directed by Ermanno Olmi , Italy
Golden Bear (Berlin Film Festival):
Trout (Las Truchas ), directed by José Luis García Sánchez , Spain
What Max Said (Las Palabras de Max ), directed by Emilio Martínez-Lázaro , Spain
January 1 – Christian Tessier , Canadian actor
January 2
January 3 – Kimberley Locke , American singer-songwriter and model
January 5
January 6 – Tara Spencer-Nairn , Canadian actress
January 8 – Scott Whyte , American actor
January 9 – AJ McLean , American musician, singer, dancer, actor, and entertainer
January 10 – Antonio Cupo , Canadian film and television actor
January 14 - Blake Ritson , English actor
January 15
January 17
January 20 – Omar Sy , French actor
January 24
January 25 – Volodymyr Zelenskyy , Ukrainian actor and politician
January 27 – Jake Pavelka , American pilot, television personality
January 28 – Stephen Farrelly , Irish actor, professional wrestler
February 7 – Ashton Kutcher , American actor
February 9 – A. J. Buckley , Canadian actor
February 10 - Don Omar , Puerto Rican singer, rapper and actor
February 11 - Lymari Nadal , Puerto Rican actress, producer and screenwriter
February 12 –
February 14 – Danai Gurira , actress, playwright
February 17
February 20
February 23 – Kris Lemche , Canadian actor
February 24 – Nicole Lyn , Canadian actress
February 28 - Geoffrey Arend , American actor
March 1 – Jensen Ackles , American actor
March 3 – Aarti Mann , Indian-American actress
March 5 – Kimberly McCullough , American actress, dancer, director
March 8 – Nick Zano , American actor
March 9 – Katherine Parkinson , English actress
March 16 – Sophie Hunter , English actress and singer
March 17 – Patrick Seitz , American voice actor
March 21
Kevin Federline , American rapper, DJ, actor, television personality, professional wrestler, and fashion model
Rani Mukerji , Indian actress
March 23 – Nicholle Tom and David Tom , American actress and actor
March 24 – Amanda Brugel , Canadian actress
March 25 – Teddy Lussi-Modeste , French film director, screenwriter and literature teacher[ 11]
March 27 - Romesh Ranganathan , British actor, comedian and presenter
March 31 - Daniel Mays , English actor
April 1
April 2 – Deon Richmond , American actor
April 3 – Matthew Goode , English actor
April 6 - Lauren Ridloff , deaf American actress
April 7
April 8
April 12 – Riley Smith , American actor
April 13 – Kyle Howard , American actor
April 14 - Michelle Duncan , Scottish-Canadian actress
April 16 – Lara Dutta , Indian actress
April 17 – Ido Mosseri , Israeli actor, singer and musician
April 19
April 20
April 23 – Ian Brennan , American writer, actor, producer
April 26
April 28
Nate Richert , American actor, musician
Drew Scott , Canadian actor, realtor, and entrepreneur
Jonathan Scott , Canadian reality television personality, contractor, illusionist, and television and film producer
April 29 – Tyler Labine , Canadian actor
April 30 – Sandra Huller , German actress
May 1 – James Badge Dale , American actor
May 2 - Kumail Nanjiani , Pakistani-American comedian, actor and screenwriter
May 4 – Daisuke Ono , Japanese voice actor and singer
May 5 – Santiago Cabrera , Venezuelan-born Chilean actor
May 8
May 9 – Daniel Franzese , American actor, comedian and activist
May 10
May 11 – Warren Brown , English actor and former professional Thai boxer
May 12
May 13 - Patrick Hughes , Australian director and screenwriter
May 15
May 16 – Jim Sturgess , English actor
May 17
May 18 – Chad Donella , Canadian actor
May 21 – Chris Santos , American actor
May 22 – Ginnifer Goodwin , American actress
May 24 – Bryan Greenberg , American actor
May 25 – Brian Urlacher , former American football linebacker
May 26 – Laurence Fox , English actor, singer-songwriter, and guitarist
May 28 – Jake Johnson , actor, comedian
May 29 – Adam Rickitt , English actor, singer and model
June 2
June 4
June 5
June 6 - Judith Barsi , American child actress (d. 1988)
June 7
June 8 – Maria Menounos , American actress
June 9 – Michaela Conlin , American actress
June 10
June 11 – Joshua Jackson , Canadian actor
June 12 - Timothy Simons , American actor and comedian
June 13 – Ethan Embry , American actor
June 14 - Diablo Cody , Canadian writer
June 16 – Daniel Brühl , German actor
June 18 – Tara Platt , American voice actress
June 19
June 20
Quinton Jackson , American mixed martial artist, actor and former professional wrestler
Mike Birbiglia , American stand-up comedian, actor, and writer
June 21 – Erica Durance , Canadian actress
June 27 – Courtney Ford , actress
June 28 – Ha Ji-won , South Korean actress
June 29 –
July 2 – Owain Yeoman , Welsh actor
July 3 – Ian Anthony Dale , American actor
July 4
July 6
July 8 – Rachael Lillis , American voice actress (d. 2024)
July 9 – Kyle Davis , American actor
July 11
July 12
July 15 – Greg Sestero , American actor, writer
July 17
July 20
July 21
July 22 – A. J. Cook , Canadian actress
July 23 - Pearry Reginald Teo , Singaporean filmmaker (d. 2023)
July 24 – Jeff Mauro , American actor, chef
July 29 - Paul King , British writer and director
August 2 – Natashia Williams , American actress, model
August 3
August 4 – Mick Cain, American actor
August 6 – Lee Ji-ah , South Korean actress
August 8 – Countess Vaughn , American actress
August 10
August 18 – Andy Samberg , American actor, comedian
August 19 - Michelle Borth , American actress
August 20 – Kris Smith , English Australian model, television presenter and rugby league footballer
August 22 – James Corden , English singer, actor, television host
August 23
August 24 – Beth Riesgraf , American actress
August 25 – Kel Mitchell , American actor, comedian
August 28 – Sam Wills , New Zealand prop comic, busker, clown, and mime
August 30 – Gianpaolo Venuta , Canadian actor
August 31 – Mike Erwin , American actor
September 3 – Nick Wechsler , American actor
September 4 – Wes Bentley , American actor
September 5 - Yu Nan , Chinese actress
September 7 – Devon Sawa , Canadian actor
September 12 – Benjamin McKenzie , American actor
September 16
September 18 – Billy Eichner , American comedian, actor, writer, and television personality
September 20 – Charlie Weber , American actor
September 21 – Paulo Costanzo , Canadian actor
September 22 – Daniella Alonso , American actress and fashion model
September 23 – Anthony Mackie , American actor
September 24 - Christopher Nowinski , American author, co-founder and executive director of the Concussion Legacy Foundation; as well as a former professional wrestler with World Wrestling Entertainment
September 25 – Rossif Sutherland , Canadian actor
September 28 – Lucas Bryant , Canadian actor
September 29 – Nathan West , American actor
September 30 - Stark Sands , American actor
October 1 – Katie Aselton , American actress, film director and producer
October 3
October 6 - Lindsey Pearlman , American actress (d. 2022)
October 7
October 9 – Randy Spelling , American actor
October 10
October 11
October 14 – Usher , American singer, actor
October 15
October 16 – Kala Savage , American actress
October 18 – Wesley Jonathan , American actor
October 21
October 26 –
CM Punk , American mixed martial artist, comic book writer and retired professional wrestler
Anthony Carrino , American contractor, designer, developer and television personality
October 27 – David Walton , American actor
October 28
October 30 - Matthew Morrison , American singer, actor
October 31 – Brian Hallisay , American actor
November 1 – Mary Kate Schellhardt , American actress
November 2
November 7 - Will Gluck , American director, producer, screenwriter and composer
November 8 – Keir O'Donnell , Australian-American actor
November 9 – Sisqó , American singer, actor, songwriter
November 10
David Paetkau , Canadian actor
Diplo , American actor, DJ, record producer, rapper, songwriter
November 12
November 13 - Marit Velle Kile , Norwegian former actress
November 17
November 19 – Eric Nenninger , American actor
November 20 - Nadine Velazquez , American actress and model
November 21 – Yasmine Al Massri , International actress, dancer, video artist and human rights advocate
November 23 – Kayvan Novak , British actor, voice actor, and comedian
November 24 – Katherine Heigl , American actress
November 25 – Taís Araújo , Brazilian actress
November 26 – Jun Fukuyama , Japanese voice actor and singer
November 28 – Jodie Resther , Canadian actress
November 29 – Lauren German , actress
November 30
December 1 – Stefan Kapičić , Serbian actor
December 7
December 8 – Ian Somerhalder , American actor
December 9 – Jesse Metcalfe , American actor
December 10 - Summer Phoenix , American actress
December 12 - Gbenga Akinnagbe , American actor and writer
December 13 – Cameron Douglas , American actor
December 15 – Will Wikle , American actor and reality television personality
December 16 – Joe Absolom , English actor
December 17 – Douglas Tait , American actor, stuntman, filmmaker
December 18
December 21
Charles Dera , American pornographic actor, dancer, model, martial artist, and former U.S. Marine
Mike Vitar , American actor
December 22 – Mia Tyler , American actress, model, author, visual artist, media personality, socialite, fashion designer, talent manager and music promoter
December 23 - Josh Cowdery , American actor
December 24 – Carlson Twins , American actors, models
December 25 – Jeremy Strong , American film, television, and stage actor
December 27 - Lisa Jakub , Canadian writer and former actress
December 28 – John Legend , American composer and actor
December 30 – Tyrese Gibson , American actor, singer, model
December 31 – Johnny Sins , pornographic actor, director, and Internet personality
^ " 'Grease,' $4,500,000, In 1,248 Situations For Re-Re-Runs". Variety . May 23, 1979. p. 27.
^ "Superman , Box Office Information" . Box Office Mojo . Retrieved February 12, 2012 .
^ "Animal House , Box Office Information" . Box Office Mojo . Retrieved February 12, 2012 .
^ "Every Which Way But Loose , Box Office Information" . Box Office Mojo . Retrieved May 26, 2014 .
^ "Heaven Can Wait , Box Office Information" . Box Office Mojo . Retrieved May 26, 2014 .
^ "Hooper , Box Office Information" . Box Office Mojo . Retrieved June 24, 2012 .
^ "Jaws 2 , Box Office Information" . Box Office Mojo . Retrieved February 12, 2012 .
^ "Revenge of the Pink Panther , Box Office Information" . Box Office Mojo . Retrieved February 12, 2012 .
^ "The Deer Hunter , Box Office Information" . Box Office Mojo . Retrieved May 26, 2014 .
^ "Halloween" . Box Office Mojo . Retrieved 2023-05-24 .
^ "Teddy-Lussi-Modeste attendu mardi à l'Autre cité" . L'Est Républicain (in French). 1 October 2017.
^ "Justine Triet" . La Semaine de la Critique of Festival de Cannes . Retrieved 7 June 2023 .
^ "Kobe Bryant, 1978-2020: Coverage from The Athletic" . The New York Times . ISSN 0362-4331 . Retrieved 2024-09-04 .