Cocktail
Ambitious ex‑soldier Brian Flanagan hustles his way to the top of New York’s bar scene, only to clash with his cynical mentor and a high‑stakes gamble that could cost him everything he’s worked for.
“When he pours, he reigns.”
Synopsis
After being discharged from the Army, Brian Flanagan returns to Queens and takes a job at a bar owned by Doug Coughlin, who instructs Brian in the art of bartending. Brian soon becomes a favorite among patrons due to his flashy style of mixing drinks, and he adopts his mentor's cynical outlook on life, focusing on making money.
Credits
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How many hands made this film
The scale of the collaboration
A crew of 66+ credited
Why a floor?
This is a minimum, not a total. We only count the credits we’ve captured so far, and coverage is uneven — a blockbuster might show a few hundred names while another of the same size shows a couple dozen. The real crews all ran into the thousands. The number here only grows as full credits are enriched — so we frame it as a floor, never a headcount.
Craft leads on file
Edited by Neil TravisShot by Dean SemlerScored by J Peter RobinsonDesigned by Mel Bourne
Box Office
1988 · Box office
💰 Box-office hit — grossed 8.6× its budget
Why 2.5×?
Cinemas keep roughly half of every ticket sold, and a wide release’s marketing often costs about as much again as the film — so a movie needs to gross around 2.5× its production budget just to break even theatrically. It’s a rule of thumb, not the studio’s ledger (home video and streaming come later).
Worldwide gross
$171.5M
US & Canada: $78.2M — 46% of worldwide · International: $93.3M (54%)
Opening weekend: $11.8M — 15% of its US run. It had legs — it kept earning long after opening weekend.
Opening week (7-day): $19.2M — 25% of its US & Canada run.
Peak 1,404 theaters
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Cast & Crew
66 unique people credited
Top billed cast
Supporting cast
44James Eckhouse
as Tourist
Paul Benedict
as Finance Teacher
Andrea Doven
as Dulcey
John Graham
as Soldier
Richard Thorn
as Soldier
Robert Greenberg
as Job Interviewer
Harvey J Alperin
as Job Interviewer
Sandra Will
as Job Interviewer
Allan Wasserman
as Job Interviewer
E Hampton Beagle
as Job Interviewer
Parker Whitman
as Job Interviewer
Richard Livingston
as Job Interviewer
Bill Bateman
as Job Interviewer
Jean St James
as Job Interviewer
Rosalyn Marshall
as Job Interviewer
Jeff Silverman
as Job Interviewer
Rich Crater
as Job Interviewer
Marykate Harris
as Job Interviewer
Lew Saunders
as Job Interviewer
Jack Newman
as Economics Teacher
Diane Douglass
as Mrs. Rivkin
George Sperdakos
as English Teacher
David Chant
as Chinese Porter
Dianne Heatherington
as First Waitress
Arlene Mazerolle
as Second Waitress
Paul Abbott
as Snotty Customer
Ellen Maguire
as Bar Patron
Larry Block
as Bar Owner
Kelly Connell
as Yuppie Poet
Gerry Bamman
as Tourist
Reathel Bean
as Tourist
Peter Boyden
as Tourist
Luther Hansraj
as Ambulance Attendant
Kenneth Mcgregor
as Robert Powell the Sculptor
Liisa Repo Martell
as Young Couple in Deli
Adam Furfaro
as Young Couple in Deli
Kim Nelles
as Female Artist
David L Crowley
as Doorman
James Mainprize
as Butler
Gregg Baker
as Bouncer
Jaap Broeker
as Doorman (uncredited)
Vivian Palermo
as Bar Patron (uncredited)
Garry Pastore
as Well Dressed Man (uncredited)
Andrew Shue
as Wedding Guest (uncredited)
Directors
1Writers
1Producers
2Other crew
6Parents Guide
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