The US box office chart for 1985 makes for interesting reading. It's no surprise to see all-time classic "Back to the Future" at the top of the pile, propped up by bombastic Sylvester Stallone sequels "Rambo: First Blood Part II" and "Rocky IV". Things then take a turn for the unexpected, however, with the awards-friendly "The Color Purple" and "Out of Africa" rounding out the top five, and — perhaps most improbable of all — a treacly confection about aliens and septuagenarians at number six.
"Cocoon" made more money than Harrison Ford cop drama "Witness", beloved kids' adventure "The Goonies", and Roger Moore's rather less beloved final outing as James Bond, "A View to a Kill". Forty years on from its original release, this sci-fi precursor to "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel" feels like one of the most unlikely box office smashes of all time, its blockbuster success defying all conventional logic.
