List of 1961 box office number-one films in the United States

Last updated

This is a list of films which placed number one at the weekly box office in the United States during 1961 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.

Contents

Number-one films

#Week endingFilmNotesRef
1January 4, 1961 Spartacus Spartacus reached number one in its 13th week of release [1]
2January 11, 1961 [2]
3January 18, 1961 Exodus [3]
4January 25, 1961SpartacusSpartacus returned to number one in its 16th week of release [4]
5February 1, 1961 Swiss Family Robinson Swiss Family Robinson grossed $265,000 in the key cities sampled [5]
6February 8, 1961 The Misfits [6]
7February 15, 1961Exodus [6]
8February 22, 1961The Misfits [7]
9March 1, 1961Exodus [8]
10March 8, 1961 [8]
11March 15, 1961 [9]
12March 22, 1961Although Variety listed Exodus as the champ for the week based on their cities sampled, it noted that The Alamo likely grossed more nationally. [10]
13March 29, 1961 [11]
14April 5, 1961 [12]
15April 12, 1961 [13]
16April 19, 1961 The Absent-Minded Professor [14]
17April 26, 1961 [15]
18May 3, 1961 [16]
19May 10, 1961 Gone with the Wind (reissue)Gone with the Wind grossed $250,000 from 17 key cities. [17]
20May 17, 1961The Absent-Minded Professor [18]
21May 24, 1961Gone with the Wind (reissue) [19]
22May 31, 1961 The Young Savages The Young Savages grossed around $300,000 from 18 key cities. [20]
23June 7, 1961 The Pleasure of His Company [21]
24June 14, 1961 [22]
25June 21, 1961 [23]
26June 28, 1961 [24]
27July 5, 1961 The Parent Trap [25]
28July 12, 1961 Fanny Fanny opened at Radio City Music Hall where it grossed over $200,000. [26]
29July 19, 1961 [27]
30July 26, 1961Fanny was still grossing $200,000 at Radio City Music Hall [28]
31August 2, 1961 The Guns of Navarone [29]
32August 9, 1961 [30]
33August 16, 1961 [31]
34August 23, 1961 [32]
35August 30, 1961 Come September [33]
36September 6, 1961 [34]
37September 13, 1961 [34]
38September 20, 1961 [35]
39September 27, 1961 [36]
40October 4, 1961 [37]
41October 11, 1961 The Hustler The Hustler grossed over $200,000 from 11 key cities [38]
42October 18, 1961 Breakfast at Tiffany's Breakfast at Tiffany's reached number one despite playing in only 5 key cities [39]
43October 25, 1961 [40]
44November 1, 1961 [40]
45November 8, 1961 [41]
46November 15, 1961 [41]
47November 22, 1961 King of Kings [42]
48November 29, 1961 The Comancheros The Comancheros grossed nearly $300,000 from 21 key cities [43]
49December 6, 1961King of Kings [44]
50December 13, 1961 [45]
51December 20, 1961 West Side Story [46]
52December 27, 1961 Flower Drum Song [47]

Highest-grossing films

The highest-grossing films during the calendar year based on theatrical rentals were as follows:

RankTitleDistributorRental [48]
1 Ben-Hur Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer $14,700,000 [49] [50]
2 The Guns of Navarone Columbia Pictures $8,600,000
3 The Absent-Minded Professor Buena Vista $8,200,000
4 The Parent Trap $8,000,000
5 Swiss Family Robinson $7,500,000
6 Exodus United Artists $7,350,000
7 The World of Suzie Wong Paramount Pictures $7,300,000
8 The Alamo United Artists$7,250,000
9 Gone with the Wind Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer $6,000,000
10 One Hundred and One Dalmatians Buena Vista$5,800,000

See also

Related Research Articles

Box office Place where tickets are sold to the public for admission to an event

A box office or ticket office is a place where tickets are sold to the public for admission to an event. Patrons may perform the transaction at a countertop, through a hole in a wall or window, or at a wicket. By extension, the term is frequently used, especially in the context of the film industry, as a synonym for the amount of business a particular production, such as a film or theatre show, receives.

<i>South Pacific</i> (1958 film) 1958 film by Joshua Logan

South Pacific is a 1958 American romantic musical film based on the 1949 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical South Pacific, which in turn is loosely based on James A. Michener's 1947 short-story collection Tales of the South Pacific. The film, directed by Joshua Logan, stars Rossano Brazzi, Mitzi Gaynor, John Kerr and Ray Walston in the leading roles with Juanita Hall as Bloody Mary, the part that she had played in the original stage production. The film was nominated for three Academy Awards, winning the Academy Award for Best Sound for Fred Hynes. It is set in 1943, during World War II, on an island in the South Pacific.

2021 in film is an overview of events, including award ceremonies, film festivals, a list of country-specific lists of films released, and notable deaths.

References

  1. ↑ Wear, Mike (February 1, 1961). "'Spartacus' Tops Jan. Estimates; Tailed By 'Exodus' and 'Grass'; Late-Month Biz-Blitz Slows All". Variety . p. 7. Retrieved November 10, 2020– via Archive.org.
  2. ↑ "National Boxoffice Survey". Variety . January 11, 1961. p. 10. Retrieved November 10, 2020– via Archive.org.
  3. ↑ "National Boxoffice Survey". Variety . January 18, 1961. p. 10. Retrieved November 10, 2020– via Archive.org.
  4. ↑ "National Boxoffice Survey". Variety . January 25, 1961. p. 5. Retrieved November 10, 2020– via Archive.org.
  5. ↑ "National Boxoffice Survey". Variety . February 1, 1961. p. 7. Retrieved November 10, 2020– via Archive.org.
  6. 1 2 "National Boxoffice Survey". Variety . February 15, 1961. p. 17. Retrieved November 10, 2020– via Archive.org.
  7. ↑ "National Boxoffice Survey". Variety . February 22, 1961. p. 10. Retrieved November 10, 2020– via Archive.org.
  8. 1 2 "National Boxoffice Survey". Variety . March 8, 1961. p. 4. Retrieved January 25, 2022– via Archive.org.
  9. ↑ "National Boxoffice Survey". Variety . March 15, 1961. p. 6. Retrieved January 25, 2022– via Archive.org.
  10. ↑ "National Boxoffice Survey". Variety . March 22, 1961. p. 22. Retrieved January 25, 2022– via Archive.org.
  11. ↑ "National Boxoffice Survey". Variety . March 29, 1961. p. 16. Retrieved January 25, 2022– via Archive.org.
  12. ↑ "National Boxoffice Survey". Variety . April 5, 1961. p. 5. Retrieved January 25, 2022– via Archive.org.
  13. ↑ "National Boxoffice Survey". Variety . April 12, 1961. p. 11. Retrieved January 25, 2022– via Archive.org.
  14. ↑ "National Boxoffice Survey". Variety . April 19, 1961. p. 10. Retrieved January 25, 2022– via Archive.org.
  15. ↑ "National Boxoffice Survey". Variety . April 26, 1961. p. 19. Retrieved January 25, 2022– via Archive.org.
  16. ↑ "National Boxoffice Survey". Variety . May 3, 1961. p. 23. Retrieved January 25, 2022– via Archive.org.
  17. ↑ "National Boxoffice Survey". Variety . May 10, 1961. p. 8. Retrieved January 25, 2022– via Archive.org.
  18. ↑ "National Boxoffice Survey". Variety . May 17, 1961. p. 10. Retrieved January 25, 2022– via Archive.org.
  19. ↑ "National Boxoffice Survey". Variety . May 24, 1961. p. 3. Retrieved January 25, 2022– via Archive.org.
  20. ↑ "National Boxoffice Survey". Variety . May 31, 1961. p. 10. Retrieved January 25, 2022– via Archive.org.
  21. ↑ "National Boxoffice Survey". Variety . June 7, 1961. p. 10. Retrieved January 25, 2022– via Archive.org.
  22. ↑ "National Boxoffice Survey". Variety . June 14, 1961. p. 5. Retrieved January 25, 2022– via Archive.org.
  23. ↑ "National Boxoffice Survey". Variety . June 21, 1961. p. 7. Retrieved January 25, 2022– via Archive.org.
  24. ↑ "National Boxoffice Survey". Variety . June 28, 1961. p. 7. Retrieved January 25, 2022– via Archive.org.
  25. ↑ "National Boxoffice Survey". Variety . July 5, 1961. p. 10. Retrieved January 25, 2022– via Archive.org.
  26. ↑ "National Boxoffice Survey". Variety . July 12, 1961. p. 10. Retrieved January 25, 2022– via Archive.org.
  27. ↑ "National Boxoffice Survey". Variety . July 19, 1961. p. 19. Retrieved January 25, 2022– via Archive.org.
  28. ↑ "National Boxoffice Survey". Variety . July 26, 1961. p. 17. Retrieved January 25, 2022– via Archive.org.
  29. ↑ "National Boxoffice Survey". Variety . August 2, 1961. p. 4. Retrieved January 25, 2022– via Archive.org.
  30. ↑ "National Boxoffice Survey". Variety . August 9, 1961. p. 18. Retrieved January 25, 2022– via Archive.org.
  31. ↑ "National Boxoffice Survey". Variety . August 16, 1961. p. 11. Retrieved January 25, 2022– via Archive.org.
  32. ↑ "National Boxoffice Survey". Variety . August 23, 1961. p. 11. Retrieved January 25, 2022– via Archive.org.
  33. ↑ "National Boxoffice Survey". Variety . August 30, 1961. p. 11. Retrieved January 25, 2022– via Archive.org.
  34. 1 2 "National Boxoffice Survey". Variety . September 13, 1961. p. 3. Retrieved January 25, 2022– via Archive.org.
  35. ↑ "National Boxoffice Survey". Variety . September 20, 1961. p. 17. Retrieved January 25, 2022– via Archive.org.
  36. ↑ "National Boxoffice Survey". Variety . September 27, 1961. p. 13. Retrieved January 25, 2022– via Archive.org.
  37. ↑ "National Boxoffice Survey". Variety . October 4, 1961. p. 10. Retrieved January 25, 2022– via Archive.org.
  38. ↑ "National Boxoffice Survey". Variety . October 11, 1961. p. 24. Retrieved January 25, 2022– via Archive.org.
  39. ↑ "National Boxoffice Survey". Variety . October 18, 1961. p. 20. Retrieved January 25, 2022– via Archive.org.
  40. 1 2 Wear, Mike (November 8, 1961). "October's Golden Glow in 'Tiffany's'; 'Splendor in Grass' & 'The Hustler' Rank 2-3, 'Devil' Following". Variety . p. 7. Retrieved January 25, 2022– via Archive.org.
  41. 1 2 "National Boxoffice Survey". Variety . November 15, 1961. p. 10. Retrieved January 25, 2022– via Archive.org.
  42. ↑ "National Boxoffice Survey". Variety . November 22, 1961. p. 10. Retrieved January 25, 2022– via Archive.org.
  43. ↑ "National Boxoffice Survey". Variety . November 29, 1961. p. 16. Retrieved January 25, 2022– via Archive.org.
  44. ↑ "National Boxoffice Survey". Variety . December 6, 1961. p. 17. Retrieved January 25, 2022– via Archive.org.
  45. ↑ "National Boxoffice Survey". Variety . December 13, 1961. p. 11. Retrieved January 25, 2022– via Archive.org.
  46. ↑ "National Boxoffice Survey". Variety . December 20, 1961. p. 10. Retrieved January 25, 2022– via Archive.org.
  47. ↑ "National Boxoffice Survey". Variety . December 27, 1961. p. 10. Retrieved January 25, 2022– via Archive.org.
  48. ↑ "1961: Rentals and Potential". Variety . January 10, 1962. p. 13. Retrieved January 25, 2022– via Archive.org.
  49. ↑ "All-Time Top Gross Films". Variety . January 10, 1962. p. 13. Retrieved January 25, 2021– via Archive.org. $32,000,000 already taken
  50. ↑ "Rental Potentials of 1960". Variety . January 4, 1961. p. 47. Retrieved January 25, 2022– via Archive.org. $17,300,000

Chronology

Preceded by 1961 Succeeded by
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.