Short Circuit

1986 | Comedy, Family, Sci-Fi, Robot

Synopsis

Number 5 of a group of experimental robots in a lab is electrocuted, suddenly becomes intelligent, and escapes.

Scores

Overall Score
84.1
Popularity Percentile (Year)
89.2%
Box Office Percentile (Year)
88.6%
Review Aggregate
64.8

Critic Consensus

66.7% Fresh • 27 critic reviews

Critic reception is mixed, with 67% of 27 logged reviews marked Fresh. Across reviews, critics repeatedly emphasize family-friendly, lighthearted, funny. Common reservations focus on execution consistency, even when reviewers praise standout elements.

family-friendlylightheartedfunnyromanticemotionalcharacter-driven

Cast

CastYearReported SalaryInflation AdjustedNotes
Ally Sheedy1986$1,078,000$3,086,000(est)
Steve Guttenberg1986$664,000$1,900,000(est)
Fisher Stevens1986$500,000$1,430,000(est)
Austin Pendleton1986$409,000$1,170,000(est)
G. W. Bailey1986$350,000$1,000,000(est)

Aggregated Reviews

Rotten Tomatoes critic score62.0
RT critic review count39
Rotten Tomatoes audience score67.0
RT audience rating count100,000
IMDb rating6.6
IMDb votes69,281

Box Office ?

CategoryYearReportedInflation Adjusted
Domestic1986$40,697,761$116,486,201
International1986N/AN/A
Worldwide1986$40,698,303$116,487,752

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 Revenue1986$20,348,880$58,243,100
Digital Rentals ?1986N/AN/A
Digital Purchases ?1986N/AN/A
Physical Rentals ?1986$28,564,000$81,756,631
Physical Purchases ?1986$12,265,000$35,105,205
TV & Streaming Revenue1986$10,174,440$29,121,550
Total Revenues1986$71,352,321$204,226,487
Expenses
Budget ?1986$15,000,000$42,933,394
Print & Advertising (P&A) ?1986$8,248,000 (est)$23,607,642 (est)
Participations1986$5,708,000$16,337,588
Residuals ?1986$3,501,000$10,020,654
Interest & Overhead1986$3,000,000$8,586,679
Total Expenses1986$35,457,000$101,485,957
Movie Net Profit or Loss1986$35,895,321$102,740,530

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