This is a list of films which placed number one at the weekly box office in the United States during 1936 per Variety's weekly National Boxoffice Survey. The results are based on a sample of 20-25 key cities and therefore, any box office amounts quoted may not be the total that the film grossed nationally in the week.
| † | This implies the highest-grossing movie of the year. [1] |
| Date | Title | Ref |
|---|---|---|
| January 1 | Captain Blood | [2] |
| January 8 | [2] | |
| January 15 | [2] | |
| January 22 | Strike Me Pink | [2] |
| January 29 | Rose Marie | [2] |
| February 5 | [3] | |
| February 12 | [3] | |
| February 19 | [3] | |
| February 26 | Modern Times | [3] |
| March 4 | [4] | |
| March 11 | [4] | |
| March 18 | [4] | |
| March 25 | [4] | |
| April 1 | [5] | |
| April 8 | The Great Ziegfeld † | [5] |
| April 15 | Mr. Deeds Goes to Town | [5] |
| April 22 | [5] | |
| April 29 | Captain January | [5] |
| May 6 | [6] | |
| May 13 | [6] | |
| May 20 | [6] | |
| May 27 | [6] | |
| June 3 | [7] | |
| June 10 | Fury | [7] |
| June 17 | [7] | |
| June 24 | [7] | |
| July 1 | San Francisco | [8] |
| July 8 | [8] | |
| July 15 | [8] | |
| July 22 | [8] | |
| July 29 | [8] | |
| August 5 | [9] | |
| August 12 | [9] | |
| August 19 | [9] | |
| August 26 | [9] | |
| September 2 | Anthony Adverse | [10] |
| September 9 | Swing Time | [10] |
| September 16 | [10] | |
| September 23 | Dodsworth | [10] |
| September 30 | [10] | |
| October 7 | [11] | |
| October 14 | Libeled Lady | [11] |
| October 21 | The Charge of the Light Brigade | [11] |
| October 28 | [11] | |
| November 4 | [12] | |
| November 11 | [12] | |
| November 18 | The Plainsman | [12] |
| November 25 | [12] | |
| December 2 | [13] | |
| December 9 | [13] | |
| December 16 | [13] | |
| December 23 | [13] | |
| December 30 | After the Thin Man | [13] |