The 1970s was a decade of great change in the movie industry, with the rise of new genres and styles of filmmaking. Some of the popular genres and trends in movies during the 1970s included:
The New Hollywood: The 1970s saw the rise of a new generation of filmmakers who challenged the traditional Hollywood system and produced films with edgier, more personal themes. Directors such as Francis Ford Coppola, Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg, and George Lucas emerged as major figures during this period.
Blaxploitation: A subgenre of action movies featuring black protagonists and themes, blaxploitation films became increasingly popular in the 1970s. Examples of blaxploitation films include "Shaft" (1971), "Super Fly" (1972), and "Coffy" (1973).
Disaster movies: Disaster movies, which depicted large-scale catastrophes such as earthquakes, airplane crashes, and fires, became popular in the 1970s. Films like "Airport" (1970), "The Poseidon Adventure" (1972), and "The Towering Inferno" (1974) were big box office hits.
Horror: Horror films gained popularity in the 1970s, with classics such as "The Exorcist" (1973), "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" (1974), and "Jaws" (1975) becoming major hits.
Crime dramas: Crime dramas, often focusing on police corruption and the seedy underworld of organized crime, were also popular in the 1970s. Examples include "The French Connection" (1971), "Serpico" (1973), and "Dog Day Afternoon" (1975).
Musical films: Musicals continued to be popular in the 1970s, with films such as "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" (1975), "Saturday Night Fever" (1977), and "Grease" (1978) becoming huge hits.
Below we have listed the top movies by boxoffice for each year of the 1970s. Just click on a year to see the top grossing movies for that period. Click on a movie name to see an overview of the movie with cast details.