- 1
Continental Divide, Mommie Dearest, Only When I Laugh, Body Heat, First Monday in October
- 2
The French Lieutenant's Woman, Paternity, Prince of the City, Carbon Copy
- 3
So Fine, Gallipoli, Cattle Annie and Little Britches, True Confessions, Rich and Famous
- 5
Stevie, Southern Comfort, Chariots of Fire, All the Marbles
- 7
Halloween II, Priest of Love, Chanel Solitaire, The Watcher in the Woods
- 8
Time Bandits, The Pursuit of D.B. Cooper, The Woman Next Door, Man of Iron
- 9
Tattoo, Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears, Heartland, Raggedy Man
- 10
Buried Treasures: Fingers, Gates of Heaven, The Onion Field, Bye Bye Brazil, The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith, Stroszek
- 11
Borderline, Kagemusha
- 12
Pixote, Ragtime, Buddy Buddy, Absence of Malice
- 13
Neighbors, Sharky's Machine, Ghost Story, Pennies from Heaven
- 14
Taps, Cinderella, Taxi Zum Klo, Heartbeeps
- 15
The Best of 1981
- 16
The Dogs of 1981
- 17
On Golden Pond, Whose Life Is It Anyway?, Four Friends, Modern Problems
- 18
Personal Best/The Border/Venom/Zoot Suit
- 19
Cannery Row/The Boat is Full/Soldier Girls/Making Love
- 20
One from the Heart/Night Crossing/Montenegro/Shoot the Moon
- 21
Quest for Fire/Union City/The Amateur/Evil Under the Sun
- 22
Missing/Ticket to Heaven/Vernon, Florida/The Seduction
- 23
Porky's/El Salvador: Another Vietnam/Das Boot/Deathtrap/Richard Pryor: Live On The Sunset Strip
- 24
Academy Awards Special
- 25
Victor Victoria/Silent Rage/Cat People/I Ought to Be In Pictures
- 26
Some Kind of Hero, Penitentiary 2, Out of the Blue, A Little Sex
- 27
Fantasia/The Kirlean Witness/Diva/Circle of Deceit
- 28
If You Could See What I Hear/Gaijin/Swamp Thing/Death Wish II
- 29
Changing Attitude Toward Homosexuality in Movies
- 30
Conan the Barbarian/Christiane F./Partners/The Sword and The Sorcerer
- 31
Buried Treasures: Cattle Annie and Little Britches/Go Tell the Spartans/Over the Edge/Agatha/The Wanderers/Swamp Thing
- 32
Rocky III, Poltergeist, E.T., Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid
- 33
Hanky Panky/Annie/Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan/Grease 2
- 34
Firefox/A Week's Vacation/Burden of Dreams/Author! Author!
- 35
Blade Runner/Chan Is Missing/Eight Minutes to Midnight/Diner
- 36
The Thing, The Atomic Café, The Weavers: Wasn't That a Time, Megaforce
- 37
The Secret of NIMH/The Devil's Playground/Gregory's Girl/TRON
- 38
The World According to Garp, The Aviator's Wife, Young Doctors in Love, A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy
- 39
Night Shift/Smash Palace/Xica da Silva/An Officer and a Gentleman
- 40
The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Sisters, Barbarosa, The Road Warrior