Dirty Dancing, Back to the Future and E.T. have been named the best 80s movies ever. The 1987 classic starring Patrick Swayze won 12 awards after its release – including an Academy Award for best music.
A poll, of 2,000, adults found 43% believe filmmaking has never been better than the era of big hair and legwarmers. Top Gun, Die Hard and The Terminator, also appeared in the top 10. While one in 10 (9%) consider Raiders of the Lost Ark to be among the best from that decade.
Arnold Schwarzenegger, Tom Hanks and Tom Cruise were named the most iconic 80s stars. With Steven Spielberg, George Lucas and Ridley Scott coming in as the most influential directors of the decade.
A spokesperson for Lottoland.co.uk, which commissioned the research to celebrate its range of retro games, said: “80s movies have some serious nostalgia power. Many of the films on the list are popular with younger people who weren’t even around in the decade, and we’re even seeing the clothes and music coming back around now which I never thought I’d witness again.
“It goes to show how truly iconic the 80s were, and I’m sure it’s one of the reasons our vintage games are becoming so popular, they take you back to a time of big hair and even bigger movies.”
The research went on to find a third (33%) believe they should remake E.T. and 22% would welcome a modern rendition of The Goonies. With the 2022 version of Top Gun (Maverick) being almost as good as the original for 16%. Whereas, only 3% believe the latest release of Footloose in 2011 was on par with the 1984 classic.
This might be why 35% have encouraged their own children to watch films from the 80s. As 66% feel passionate about keeping films from the decade alive for future generations, with exactly six in 10 claiming ‘they don’t make films like they used to’. And more than half (52%) even wish they could turn back time and relive the 80s all over again, according to the stats by OnePoll.
The Lottoland spokesperson added: “It’s great to see how many people want to keep their favourite classics alive and even encourage their own kids to watch them. And for those one in five people who wanted a Goonies remake, our own Goonies-themed game might be right up your alley.”
