This is a list of films which placed number one at the weekly box office in the United States during 1960 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 6, 1960 | Operation Petticoat | [2] | |
| 2 | January 13, 1960 | [3] | ||
| 3 | January 20, 1960 | [4] | ||
| 4 | January 27, 1960 | [2] | ||
| 5 | February 3, 1960 | Ben-Hur † | Ben-Hur reached number one in its eleventh week of release | [5] |
| 6 | February 10, 1960 | [6] | ||
| 7 | February 17, 1960 | On the Beach | [7] | |
| 8 | February 24, 1960 | Ben-Hur † | Ben-Hur returned to number one in its 14th week of release | [8] |
| 9 | March 2, 1960 | [9] | ||
| 10 | March 9, 1960 | [10] | ||
| 11 | March 16, 1960 | [11] | ||
| 12 | March 23, 1960 | [12] | ||
| 13 | March 30, 1960 | [13] | ||
| 14 | April 6, 1960 | [14] | ||
| 15 | April 13, 1960 | [15] | ||
| 16 | April 20, 1960 | Please Don't Eat the Daisies | [16] | |
| 17 | April 27, 1960 | [17] | ||
| 18 | May 4, 1960 | Ben-Hur † | Ben-Hur returned to number one in its 24th week of release | [18] |
| 19 | May 11, 1960 | [19] | ||
| 20 | May 18, 1960 | [20] | ||
| 21 | May 25, 1960 | [21] | ||
| 22 | June 1, 1960 | [22] | ||
| 23 | June 8, 1960 | [23] | ||
| 24 | June 15, 1960 | [24] | ||
| 25 | June 22, 1960 | Ben-Hur grossed in excess of $409,000 in the key cities sampled | [25] | |
| 26 | June 29, 1960 | [26] | ||
| 27 | July 6, 1960 | Bells Are Ringing | [27] | |
| 28 | July 13, 1960 | Ben-Hur † | Ben-Hur returned to number one in its 34th week of release | [28] |
| 29 | July 20, 1960 | [29] | ||
| 30 | July 27, 1960 | [30] | ||
| 31 | August 3, 1960 | [31] | ||
| 32 | August 10, 1960 | [32] | ||
| 33 | August 17, 1960 | Ocean's 11 | [33] | |
| 34 | August 24, 1960 | [34] | ||
| 35 | August 31, 1960 | [35] | ||
| 36 | September 7, 1960 | Ben-Hur † | Ben-Hur returned to number one in its 42nd week of release | [36] |
| 37 | September 14, 1960 | [37] | ||
| 38 | September 21, 1960 | [38] | ||
| 39 | September 28, 1960 | [39] | ||
| 40 | October 5, 1960 | [40] | ||
| 41 | October 12, 1960 | The Dark at the Top of the Stairs | [41] | |
| 42 | October 19, 1960 | Ben-Hur † | Ben-Hur returned to number one in its 48th week of release | [42] |
| 43 | October 26, 1960 | [43] | ||
| 44 | November 2, 1960 | [44] | ||
| 45 | November 9, 1960 | Midnight Lace | [45] | |
| 46 | November 16, 1960 | BUtterfield 8 | [46] | |
| 47 | November 23, 1960 | [47] | ||
| 48 | November 30, 1960 | [48] | ||
| 49 | December 7, 1960 | [49] | ||
| 50 | December 14, 1960 | Ben-Hur † | Ben-Hur returned to number one in its 56th week of release | [50] |
| 51 | December 21, 1960 | Cinderfella | [51] | |
| 52 | December 28, 1960 | Exodus | [52] | |
The highest-grossing films during the calendar year based on theatrical rentals were as follows:
| Rank | Title | Distributor | Rental [1] |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ben-Hur | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer | $17,300,000 |
| 2 | South Pacific | 20th Century Fox-Magna | $9,900,000 [53] [54] |
| 3 | Psycho | Paramount Pictures | $8,500,000 |
| 4 | Operation Petticoat | Universal Pictures | $6,800,000 |
| 5 | Suddenly, Last Summer | Columbia Pictures | $5,500,000 |
| 6 | On the Beach | United Artists | $5,300,000 |
| 7 | Solomon and Sheba | $5,250,000 | |
| 8 | The Apartment | $5,100,000 | |
| 9 | From the Terrace | 20th Century Fox | $5,000,000 |
| Please Don't Eat the Daisies | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer | ||
$16,300,000
$6,400,000