Molly Ringwald’s 10 Highest Earning Movies

Molly Ringwald was the “it” teen actress of the 80s staring in several 80s classics, many of them penned by the legendary John Hughes. In fact, she was a core member of the “Brat Pack,” a nickname coined by the media referring to several young actors who starred in multiple coming-of-age films in the 80s. Despite being known best for her film roles, Molly Ringwald actually got her start on television in the NBC sitcom The Facts of Life. From there she went on to star in several films which would turn her into 80s royalty.

In recent years Molly Ringwald has returned to television to star as Mary Andrews in The CW series Riverdale. She also appears in Netflix’s original film The Kissing Booth as the mother of Noah and Lee. Though she now appears mainly on television, many still considered Molly Ringwald to be the quintessential coming-of-age actress. With several roles under her belt, Molly Ringwald’s films have made quite an impression at the box office.

10 Fresh Horses (1988) – $6.6 Million

In 1988 Molly Ringwald starred in the film Fresh Horses alongside Andrew McCarthy, a fellow Brat Pack member. The film centered around an engineering student (McCarthy) who falls in love with a country teenager (Ringwald). As if age wasn’t enough of a complication, it’s also rumored that she is pregnant.

Fresh Horses was released in November of 1988 and went on to make $6.6 million at the domestic box office making it Molly Ringwald’s tenth highest-earning film of all time. Despite this, it was considered a box office flop due to its $14 million budget.

9 Teaching Mrs. Tingle (1999) – $8.9 Million

Though Molly Ringwald is not the main character in Teaching Mrs. Tingle, her character does play an important role in the overall narrative of the film. Teaching Mrs. Tingle centers around an overachieving high school student (Katie Holmes) who kidnaps her history teacher (Helen Mirren) after receiving a poor grade on a project. Molly Ringwald plays Miss Banks in the film, a young teacher at the school.

Teaching Mrs. Tingle earned $8.9 million at the box office against a $13 million budget which landed it in box-office bomb territory.

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8 The Pick-Up Artist (1987) – $13.4 Million

In 1987, Molly Ringwald starred alongside Robert Downey Jr., an honorary Brat Pack member, in The Pick-Up Artist. Much like the previous films on the list so far, The Pick-Up Artist was a box-office bomb earning $13.4 million against a $15 million budget, though its still Ringwald’s eighth highest-earning film of all time.

The film centers around Jack Jericho (Downey Jr.), a serial pick-up artist who takes an interest in Randy Jenson (Ringwald) who always has a retort for all of Jack’s pick up lines. While Randy is originally uninterested in Jack, he manages to win her over by helping her deal with her father’s gambling debt.

7 Spacehunter: Adventures In The Forbidden Zone (1983) – $16.4 Million

Before becoming the 1980s golden girl in teen coming-of-age stories, Molly Ringwald starred as Niki in the space western film Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone.  The film is cent in the 22nd century and centers on a salvage operator who must journey to a Terra XI, a failed planet that is dealing with a deadly plague and civil warfare, in order to save three women who were kidnapped. It’s there that he meets Niki who helps him find the women.

The film earned $16.5 million at the box office against a $14.4 million budget saving it from becoming a box-office flop. In addition, the film, which released in 3D, helped revitalize the use of 3D in the 1980s.

6 For Keeps (1988) – $17 Million

Molly Ringwald returned to her coming-of-age film roots to star as Darcy Elliot in the John G. Avildsen (The Karate Kid, Rocky) film For Keeps. The film centered around Dary and her boyfriend Stan who are enjoying their time together before high school ends and they are off in different directions. Things get complicated when Darcy becomes pregnant and the young couple decides to put their college plans on hold to raise their child.

The film earned $17 million at the box office making it Molly Ringwald’s sixth highest-earning film of her career. In addition, its credited as being Ringwald’s last “teen” film she ever starred in.

5 Betsy’s Wedding (1990) – $19.7 Million

Molly Ringwald spent much of the 90s hoping to prove that she was more than just an actress who played angsty teenagers. In 1990 she starred in the romantic comedy Betsy’s Wedding which follows Betsy (Ringwald) and Jake (Dylan Walsh) who are hoping to have an intimate wedding surrounded by their close friends and family. However, things go awry when Betsy’s parents get involved and decide to throw them an over the top party.

Though the film is Molly Ringwald’s fifth highest-earning film with a box office total of $19.7 million, it was considered a flop given its estimated $35 million budget.

4 Sixteen Candles (1984) – $23.6 Million

Though Sixteen Candles was Molly Ringwald’s third film, its the film that catapulted her into stardom and the one that began her relationship with the late legendary writer/director John Hughes.  The film centers around Samantha (Ringwald) whose sixteenth birthday is overshadowed by her older sister’s wedding. In addition, Randy is dealing with the realities of having a crush on the most popular guy in school, Jake Ryan.

Sixteen Candles was a massive success earning $23.6 million at the box office against a $6.5 million budget. Despite its success and icon status, the film does receive criticism for its racial stereotypes of Asian Americans and has also been said to have condoned date rape.

3 Not Another Teen Movie (2001) – $37.8 Million

An adult Molly Ringwald stars in the 2001 film Not Another Teen Movie which takes all the best and worst tropes of the teen genre and combines them all to parody the teen genre. The film stars an impressive cast that includes Chris Evans and Chyler Leigh as the main characters who attend the fictional John Hughes High School in Southern California.

Since Molly Ringwald was a massive teen star in the 80s she appears in the parody film as “The Rude, Hot Flight Attendant.” The film went on to earn $37.8 million against a $15 million budget.

2 Pretty In Pink (1986) – $40.4 Million

For the third and final time of her career, Molly Ringwald worked alongside John Hughes as Andie in the 1986 romantic comedy Pretty in Pink. The film centers around Andie who is infatuated with the rich kid at school while her best friend Duckie (Jon Cryer) is hopelessly in love with her.

The film earned $40.4 million against a $9 million budget proving that John Hughes had once again struck gold when it came to his teen films. In fact, the film managed to earn $6.1 million during its opening weekend which is an extraordinary feat for a romantic comedy.

1 The Breakfast Club (1985) – $45.8 Million

Molly Ringwald’s highest-earning film is none other than John Hughes’ iconic film The Breakfast Club. Released in 1985, the film earned $51.5 million against a measly $1 million budget. The film stars several members of the Brat Pack as they spend the day in Saturday detention for various offenses.

Like many people around the world, Molly Ringwald has said that The Breakfast Club is her favorite Hughes’ movie and one of her most favorite roles. The film has since become a pop culture icon and reguarly makes lists of greatest films of all time.

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