Poltergeist

1982 | Horror, Thriller, Supernatural

Synopsis

A family's home becomes the center of paranormal activity that opens a doorway to the "other side." With help, they must cross over to get their daughter back.

Scores

Overall Score
89.9
Popularity Percentile (Year)
91.4%
Box Office Percentile (Year)
93.2%
Review Aggregate
81.1

Critic Consensus

88.5% Fresh • 61 critic reviews

Critic reception is largely positive, with 89% of 61 logged reviews marked Fresh. Across reviews, critics repeatedly emphasize family-friendly, scary, lighthearted. Most critics frame the film as an effective delivery of its core style and intent.

family-friendlyscarylightheartedstylizedpsychologicalsatiricalcharacter-drivendarkemotional

Cast

CastYearReported SalaryInflation AdjustedNotes
JoBeth Williams1982$1,029,000$3,346,000(est)
Craig T. Nelson1982$634,000$2,060,000(est)
Beatrice Straight1982$477,000$1,551,000(est)

Aggregated Reviews

Rotten Tomatoes critic score88.0
RT critic review count77
Rotten Tomatoes audience score79.0
RT audience rating count100,000
IMDb rating7.3
IMDb votes189,992

Box Office ?

CategoryYearReportedInflation Adjusted
Domestic1982$76,606,280$249,029,949
International1982N/AN/A
Worldwide1982$76,607,421$249,033,658

Earnings / Profitability

Estimated net revenues and net expenses for films based on reported and estimated numbers. This income statement should be considered most viable for the first 24 months after the inital movie's release (ie after most lucrative pay windows).
CategoryYearReportedInflation Adjusted
Revenues
Theatrical Net Revenue1982$38,303,140$124,514,974
Digital Rentals ?1982N/AN/A
Digital Purchases ?1982N/AN/A
Physical Rentals ?1982$9,535,000$30,996,161
Physical Purchases ?1982$7,545,000$24,527,114
TV & Streaming Revenue1982$21,449,758$69,728,386
Total Revenues1982$76,832,898$249,766,634
Expenses
Budget ?1982$10,700,000$34,783,316
Print & Advertising (P&A) ? source1982$9,000,000$29,256,995
Participations1982$6,147,000$19,982,527
Residuals ?1982$2,285,000$7,428,026
Interest & Overhead1982$2,140,000$6,956,663
Total Expenses1982$30,272,000$98,407,527
Movie Net Profit or Loss1982$46,560,898$151,359,107

Similar Movies

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PosterMovieYearMatchOverallEst. Profit
Poltergeist posterPoltergeist2015Shared franchise (1)74.8$6,092,991
Poltergeist III posterPoltergeist III1988Shared franchise (1)60.7$24,890,721
Poltergeist II: The Other Side posterPoltergeist II: The Other Side1986Shared franchise (1)70.7$31,003,499
A Quiet Place Part II posterA Quiet Place Part II2021Shared genres: 395.0$77,440,364
The Conjuring posterThe Conjuring2013Shared genres: 394.0$128,938,909