Theatrical releases[]
Feature films[]
- January 22 - Death Valley (Santa Cruz, CA)
- January 29 - The Border (limited)
- February 12
- On Golden Pond
- The Border
- Missing (limited)
- February 19 - Barbarosa
- March 5 - Evil Under the Sun
- March 12 - Missing
- April 2
- May 4 - Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid (USA Film Festival)
- May 7 - Death Valley
- May 14 - Conan the Barbarian
- May 21 - Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid
- June 10 - E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial premiered in Los Angeles, California
- June 11 - E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
- June 25 - The Thing
- July 23 - The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas
- August 13 - Fast Times at Ridgemont High
- September 26 - Moonlighting
- October 22 - Halloween III: Season of the Witch
- December 3 - Frances (limited)
- December 8 - Sophie's Choice (limited)
- December 10 - La Traviata (Los Angeles, California)
- December 17
- The Dark Crystal
- Six Weeks
- Six Weeks (New York City, New York)
Shorts[]
Television[]
Home video releases[]
Character debuts[]
People[]
Births[]
Deaths[]
| << | 1981 | Timeline | 1983 | >> |