<P> During the 1980s, audiences began increasingly watching films on their home VCRs . In the early part of that decade, the film studios tried legal action to ban home ownership of VCRs as a violation of copyright, which proved unsuccessful . Eventually, the sale and rental of films on home video became a significant "second venue" for exhibition of films, and an additional source of revenue for the film industries . </P> <P> The Lucas--Spielberg combine would dominate "Hollywood" cinema for much of the 1980s, and lead to much imitation . Two follow - ups to Star Wars, three to Jaws, and three Indiana Jones films helped to make sequels of successful films more of an expectation than ever before . Lucas also launched THX Ltd, a division of Lucasfilm in 1982, while Spielberg enjoyed one of the decade's greatest successes in E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial the same year . 1982 also saw the release of Disney's Tron which was one of the first films from a major studio to use computer graphics extensively . American independent cinema struggled more during the decade, although Martin Scorsese's Raging Bull (1980), After Hours (1985), and The King of Comedy (1983) helped to establish him as one of the most critically acclaimed American film makers of the era . Also during 1983 Scarface was released, which was very profitable and resulted in even greater fame for its leading actor Al Pacino . Probably the most successful film commercially was vended during 1989: Tim Burton's version of Bob Kane's creation, Batman, exceeded box - office records . Jack Nicholson's portrayal of the demented Joker earned him a total of $60,000,000 after figuring in his percentage of the gross . </P> <P> British cinema was given a boost during the early 1980s by the arrival of David Puttnam's company Goldcrest Films . The films Chariots of Fire, Gandhi, The Killing Fields and A Room with a View appealed to a "middlebrow" audience which was increasingly being ignored by the major Hollywood studios . While the films of the 1970s had helped to define modern blockbuster motion pictures, the way "Hollywood" released its films would now change . Films, for the most part, would premiere in a wider number of theatres, although, to this day, some films still premiere using the route of the limited / roadshow release system . Against some expectations, the rise of the multiplex cinema did not allow less mainstream films to be shown, but simply allowed the major blockbusters to be given an even greater number of screenings . However, films that had been overlooked in cinemas were increasingly being given a second chance on home video . </P> <P> During the 1980s, Japanese cinema experienced a revival, largely due to the success of anime films . At the beginning of the 1980s, Space Battleship Yamato (1973) and Mobile Suit Gundam (1979), both of which were unsuccessful as television series, were remade as films and became hugely successful in Japan . In particular, Mobile Suit Gundam sparked the Gundam franchise of Real Robot mecha anime . The success of Macross: Do You Remember Love? also sparked a Macross franchise of mecha anime . This was also the decade when Studio Ghibli was founded . The studio produced Hayao Miyazaki's first fantasy films, Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984) and Castle in the Sky (1986), as well as Isao Takahata's Grave of the Fireflies (1988), all of which were very successful in Japan and received worldwide critical acclaim . Original video animation (OVA) films also began during this decade; the most influential of these early OVA films was Noboru Ishiguro's cyberpunk film Megazone 23 (1985). The most famous anime film of this decade was Katsuhiro Otomo's cyberpunk film Akira (1988), which although initially unsuccessful at Japanese theaters, went on to become an international success . </P>

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