This is a list of films which placed number one at the weekly box office in the United States during 1952 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] |
# | Week ending | Film | Notes | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | January 2, 1952 | Quo Vadis | [2] | |
2 | January 9, 1952 | I'll See You in My Dreams | I'll See You in My Dreams reached number one in its fifth week of release. | [2] |
3 | January 16, 1952 | Quo Vadis | Quo Vadis earned $255,000 from 9 key cities in its ninth week of release. | [3] |
4 | January 23, 1952 | [4] | ||
5 | January 30, 1952 | Quo Vadis grossed $260,000 from the cities sampled. | [5] | |
6 | February 6, 1952 | Quo Vadis grossed $200,000 from the cities sampled. | [6] | |
7 | February 13, 1952 | Sailor Beware | [7] | |
8 | February 20, 1952 | Quo Vadis | Quo Vadis returned to number one in its 14th week of release. | [8] |
9 | February 27, 1952 | The Greatest Show on Earth † | The Greatest Show on Earth grossed $390,000 from 9 key cities. | [9] |
10 | March 5, 1952 | [10] | ||
11 | March 12, 1952 | [11] | ||
12 | March 19, 1952 | The Greatest Show on Earth grossed $502,000 from the cities sampled. | [12] | |
13 | March 26, 1952 | [13] | ||
14 | April 2, 1952 | The Greatest Show on Earth grossed $230,000 from the cities sampled. | [14] | |
15 | April 9, 1952 | The Battle at Apache Pass | [15] | |
16 | April 16, 1952 | Singin' in the Rain | [16] | |
17 | April 23, 1952 | Singin' in the Rain With a Song in My Heart | Both Singin' in the Rain and With a Song in My Heart tied for first place. | [17] |
18 | April 30, 1952 | Singin' in the Rain | Singin' in the Rain grossed $240,000 from the cities sampled. | [18] |
19 | May 7, 1952 | The African Queen | The African Queen reached number one in its 11th week of release. | [19] |
20 | May 14, 1952 | Belles on Their Toes | Belles on Their Toes reached number one in its second week of release. | [20] |
21 | May 21, 1952 | Red Ball Express | [21] | |
22 | May 28, 1952 | Skirts Ahoy! | [22] | |
23 | June 4, 1952 | [23] | ||
24 | June 11, 1952 | [24] | ||
25 | June 18, 1952 | About Face | About Face reached number one in its 16th week of release. | [25] |
26 | June 25, 1952 | Pat and Mike | Pat and Mike reached number one in its second week of release. | [26] |
27 | July 2, 1952 | Scaramouche | [27] | |
28 | July 9, 1952 | The Story of Robin Hood | The Story of Robin Hood reached number one in its second week of release. | [28] |
29 | July 16, 1952 | Lovely to Look At | Lovely to Look At reached number one in its second week of release. | [29] |
30 | July 23, 1952 | Jumping Jacks | Jumping Jacks reached number one in its sixth week of release. | [30] |
31 | July 30, 1952 | [31] | ||
32 | August 6, 1952 | [32] | ||
33 | August 13, 1952 | High Noon | High Noon reached number one in its third week of release. | [33] |
34 | August 20, 1952 | Affair in Trinidad | Affair in Trinidad reached number one in its third week of release. | [34] |
35 | August 27, 1952 | The World in His Arms | [35] | |
36 | September 3, 1952 | What Price Glory | What Price Glory reached number one in its sixth week of release. | [36] |
37 | September 10, 1952 | Son of Paleface | Son of Paleface reached number one in its eighth week of release. | [37] |
38 | September 17, 1952 | The Merry Widow | The Merry Widow reached number one in its second week of release. | [38] |
39 | September 24, 1952 | The Quiet Man | The Quiet Man reached number one in its fifth week of release. | [39] |
40 | October 1, 1952 | Ivanhoe | Ivanhoe reached number one in its ninth week of release. | [40] |
41 | October 8, 1952 | [41] | ||
42 | October 15, 1952 | Ivanhoe grossed $460,000 from the cities sampled. | [42] | |
43 | October 22, 1952 | Ivanhoe grossed $429,000 from the cities sampled. | [43] | |
44 | October 29, 1952 | The Snows of Kilimanjaro | [44] | |
45 | November 5, 1952 | [45] | ||
46 | November 12, 1952 | [46] | ||
47 | November 19, 1952 | [47] | ||
48 | November 26, 1952 | [48] | ||
49 | December 3, 1952 | The Iron Mistress | The Iron Mistress reached number one in its second week of release. | [49] |
50 | December 10, 1952 | Because of You | [50] | |
51 | December 17, 1952 | The Thief | The Thief reached number one in its tenth week of release. | [51] |
52 | December 24, 1952 | Because of You | Because of You returned to number one in its third week of release. | [52] |
53 | December 31, 1952 | Million Dollar Mermaid | Million Dollar Mermaid reached number one in its fourth week of release. | [53] |
The highest-grossing films during the calendar year based on theatrical rentals were as follows:
Rank | Title | Distributor | Rental [1] |
---|---|---|---|
1 | The Greatest Show on Earth | Paramount Pictures | $12,000,000 |
2 | Quo Vadis | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer | $10,500,000 |
3 | Ivanhoe | $7,000,000 | |
4 | The Snows of Kilimanjaro | 20th Century Fox | $6,500,000 |
5 | Sailor Beware | Paramount Pictures | $4,300,000 |
6 | The African Queen | United Artists | $4,000,000 |
7 | Jumping Jacks | Paramount Pictures | $4,000,000 |
8 | High Noon | United Artists | $3,400,000 |
9 | Son of Paleface | Paramount Pictures | $3,400,000 |
10 | Singin' in the Rain | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer | $3,300,000 |