Carbon Copy_
"Any resemblance between father and son is purely hysterical."
A middle-aged married wealthy white corporate executive is surprised to discover that he has a working-class black teen-age son who wants to be adopted into the almost-exclusively-white upper-middle-class community of San Marino, California.
Starring
Denzel Washington, George Segal, Susan Saint James
Box Office
$9.6M
Updated Feb 16, 2026
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Box office
Carbon Copy earned $9.6M worldwide on a $6.0M budget — a 59% return on investment.
Year context
Carbon Copy was released 45 years ago in 1981.
Carbon Copy is a Comedy, Drama film with a runtime of 1h 32m.
CAST (20)
Denzel Washington
Roger Porter
George Segal
Walter Whitney
Susan Saint James
Vivian Whitney
Jack Warden
Nelson Longhurst
Paul Winfield
Bob Garvey
Macon McCalman
Tubby Wederholt
VD
Vicky Dawson
Mary Ann
Parley Baer
Dr. Bristol
Dick Martin
Victor Bard
Carmen Filpi
Wino
Tom Poston
Reverend Hayworth
KW
Kenneth White
Burly Man
Vernon Weddle
Wardlow
EM
Edward Marshall
Freddie
AE
Angelina Estrada
Bianca
EC
Ed Call
Basketball Father
Greg Finley
1st Guard
Warren Munson
2nd Guard
Lee Garlington
(uncredited)
Jim Greenleaf
Basketball Boy
BOX OFFICE
$6.0M
Budget
$9.6M
Revenue
+59%
ROI
PROFITABLE
Verdict
DETAILS
Release
Status
Released
Runtime
92 min (1h 32m)
Country
Rating
5.8/10 (62 votes)
Budget
$6,000,000
Box Office
$9,566,593
Profit
+$3,566,593
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What is Carbon Copy about?
A middle-aged married wealthy white corporate executive is surprised to discover that he has a working-class black teen-age son who wants to be adopted into the almost-exclusively-white upper-middle-class community of San Marino, California.
How long is Carbon Copy?
Carbon Copy has a runtime of 92 minutes (1h 32m).
Who stars in Carbon Copy?
The cast of Carbon Copy includes Denzel Washington, George Segal, Susan Saint James, Jack Warden, Paul Winfield.
How much did Carbon Copy make at the box office?
Carbon Copy earned $9,566,593 worldwide at the box office. The production budget was $6,000,000.
What is the rating of Carbon Copy?
Carbon Copy has a rating of 5.8 out of 10 based on 62 votes on TMDB.
GENRES (2)
Comedy
Drama