1989 in film

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.)
 * A director's cut of Lawrence of Arabia is released with a 216-minute length (plus overture, intermission, and exit music).The restoration was undertaken by Robert A. Harris under the supervision of director David Lean.
 * April 23 – Field of Dreams, starring Kevin Costner, James Earl Jones, and Burt Lancaster, is released.
 * 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.
 * 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 7 – Lethal Weapon 2 is released and becomes the highest-grossing film in the franchise. As well as the highest grossing R-rated film of the year at the domestic box office.
 * 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 – Sony announce its intention to buy Columbia Pictures and Tri-Star Pictures. The deal is completed in November for a total cost of nearly $5 billion.  They appoint Peter Guber and Jon Peters as co-chairman, in a further deal that cost up to $1 billion, after settling a lawsuit with Warner Bros..
 * November 7 - Andrew G. Vajna agrees to sell his stake in Carolco Pictures to his co-chairman and co-founder Mario Kassar for $106 million.
 * November 17 – The Little Mermaid becomes a critical and commercial success and brings new life to Walt Disney Feature Animation. 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.

Notable films released in 1989
U.S.A. unless stated

A–D
A
 * A Better Tomorrow III, directed by Tsui Hark, starring Chow Yun-fat, Anita Mui and Tony Leung – (Hong Kong)
 * 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./U.S.)
 * 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
 * Bashu, the Little Stranger (Bashu, gharibeye koochak) – (Iran)
 * Batman, directed by Tim Burton, starring Michael Keaton, Jack Nicholson, Kim Basinger, Jack Palance, Robert Wuhl
 * Before the Bat's Flight Is Done (Mielőtt 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 García, 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 Cruise—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
 * Cage, directed by Lang Elliott, starring Reb Brown and Lou Ferrigno
 * 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
 * DeepStar Six, starring Greg Evigan, Taurean Blacque, Miguel Ferrer, Cindy Pickett
 * Dekalog, directed by Krzysztof Kieślowski – (Poland)
 * 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
 * Doggie Adventure, a novelty video made for dogs and released on VHS
 * 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)
 * Eddie and the Cruisers II: Eddie Lives!, starring Michael Pare and Marina Orsini – (Canada)
 * Edge of Sanity, starring Anthony Perkins
 * Eeshwar, starring Anil Kapoor – (India)
 * Elves
 * 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, Arye Gross, Kelly Preston

F
 * The Fabulous Baker Boys, starring Jeff Bridges, Michelle Pfeiffer, Beau Bridges
 * Family Business, starring Sean Connery, Dustin Hoffman, Matthew Broderick
 * 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.)
 * Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan, directed by Rob Hedden, starring Jensen Daggett and Scott Reeves

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, directed by Ivan Reitman, 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)
 * ‘’A Grand Day Out’’ - (U.K.)
 * 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)
 * Ice Pawn, starring Dan Haggerty
 * 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, directed by Ron Clements and John Musker, voices of Jodi Benson, Pat Carroll, Buddy Hackett
 * Little Monsters, starring Fred Savage and Howie Mandel – (Ireland/U.K./U.S.)
 * 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
 * Lost Angels, directed by Hugh Hudson, starring Donald Sutherland, Adam Horovitz, and Amy Locane
 * 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
 * Miracles, starring Jackie Chan, Anita Mui and Richard Ng (Hong Kong)
 * 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, directed by Jeremiah S. Chechik, starring Chevy Chase and Beverly D'Angelo
 * The Newcomer in The Cabbage
 * 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
 * A Nightmare on Drug Street, starring Adam Jeffries
 * 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 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 Giacomo—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
 * Sinbad of the Seven Seas
 * 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
 * Souvenir, starring Christopher Plummer
 * 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, María Conchita Alonso, Jennifer Beals
 * Violent Cop (Sono otoko, kyōbō ni tsuki), directed by and starring Takeshi Kitano – (Japan)

W XYZ
 * Waltzing Regitze (Dansen med Regitze) – (Denmark)
 * Warlock
 * 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
 * Yaaba – (Burkina Faso)

Births

 * January 3 – Alex D. Linz, American actor
 * January 9 – Nina Dobrev, Bulgarian-Canadian actress and model
 * January 17 – Kelly Marie Tran, American actress
 * January 26 – Hannah Arterton, American actress
 * February 4
 * Märt Pius, Estonian actor
 * Priit Pius, Estonian actor
 * February 5 – Jeremy Sumpter, American actor
 * February 13
 * Carly McKillip, Canadian actress and singer
 * Katie Volding, American actress
 * February 16 – Elizabeth Olsen, American actress
 * February 21
 * Corbin Bleu, American actor and singer
 * Scout Taylor-Compton, American actress and singer
 * February 24 – Daniel Kaluuya, British actor
 * March 1 – Daniella Monet, American actress and singer
 * March 3 – Nathalie Emmanuel, British actress
 * March 5
 * Jake Lloyd, American actor
 * Sterling Knight, American actor and musician
 * March 11 – Anton Yelchin, Russian-American actor (died 2016)
 * March 15 – Caitlin Wachs, American actress
 * March 18 – Lily Collins, British-American actress
 * March 25 – Aly Michalka, American actress and singer
 * April 2 – Liis Lass, Estonian actress
 * April 5 – Lily James, British actress
 * April 18 – Alia Shawkat, American actress
 * April 20 – Alex Black, American actor
 * May 10 – Lindsey Shaw, American actress
 * May 16 – Pääru Oja, Estonian actor
 * June 3
 * Imogen Poots, English actress
 * Megumi Han, Japanese voice actress
 * June 3 – Daniela Vega, Chilean actress
 * June 14 – Lucy Hale, American actress and singer
 * June 20 – Christopher Mintz-Plasse, American actor
 * June 27 – Matthew Lewis, British actor
 * July 11
 * David Henrie, American actor
 * Shareeka Epps, American actress
 * July 21
 * Rory Culkin, American actor
 * Juno Temple, British actress
 * Jing Tian, Chinese actress
 * 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 14 – Artyom Bogucharsky, Russian actor
 * August 11 – Alexis Tipton, American voice actress
 * August 15
 * Joe Jonas, American singer and actor (Jonas Brothers)
 * Carlos PenaVega, actor (Big Time Rush)
 * August 21 – Hayden Panettiere, American actress and singer
 * September 5 – Kat Graham, American actress, model, singer and dancer
 * September 14 – Logan Henderson, actor (Big Time Rush)
 * October 1 – Brie Larson, American actress
 * October 4 – Dakota Johnson, American actress
 * October 14 – Mia Wasikowska, Australian actress
 * November 10 – Taron Egerton, Welsh actor
 * November 22 - Alden Ehrenreich, American actor
 * 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 – Jane Levy, American actress
 * December 29 – Left Brain, American rapper

Film debuts

 * William Baldwin – Born on the Fourth of July
 * Adrien Brody – New York Stories
 * Vincent Cassel – Les cigognes n'en font qu'à leur tête
 * Michael Chiklis – Wired
 * Kirsten Dunst – New York Stories
 * Ron Eldard – True Love
 * Vivica A. Fox – Born on the Fourth of July
 * Carla Gugino – Troop Beverly Hills
 * Jared Harris – The Rachel Papers
 * Teri Hatcher – The Big Picture
 * John Michael Higgins – Vampire's Kiss
 * Bryce Dallas Howard – Parenthood
 * Jason Isaacs – The Tall Guy
 * Allison Janney – Who Shot Patakango?
 * Martin Lawrence – Do the Right Thing
 * Tobey Maguire – The Wizard
 * Mary-Louise Parker – Signs of Life
 * Rosie Perez – Do the Right Thing
 * John C. Reilly – Casualties of War
 * Sam Rockwell – Clownhouse
 * Rene Russo – Major League
 * Adam Sandler – Going Overboard
 * Annabella Sciorra – True Love
 * Molly Shannon – The Phantom of the Opera
 * Emma Thompson – The Tall Guy
 * Elijah Wood – Back to the Future Part II
 * Michael Jai White – The Toxic Avenger Part II