| # | Week ending | Film | Gross | Notes | Ref |
|---|
| 1 | January 6, 1971 | Love Story † | $800,400 | For the weekend ending January 3, 1971, Love Story grossed $2,493,167 from all markets in the United States and Canada. | [1] [2] |
| 2 | January 13, 1971 | $910,500 | For the weekend ending January 10, 1971, Love Story grossed $2,405,809 from all markets in the United States and Canada. | [3] [2] |
| 3 | January 20, 1971 | $926,100 | | [4] |
| 4 | January 27, 1971 | $892,200 | | [5] |
| 5 | February 3, 1971 | $815,900 | | [6] |
| 6 | February 10, 1971 | The Owl and the Pussycat | $1,051,428 | The Owl and the Pussycat reached number one in its 14th week of release | [7] |
| 7 | February 17, 1971 | Love Story † | $1,191,227 | Love Story returned to number one in its ninth week of release | [8] |
| 8 | February 24, 1971 | $908,800 | | [9] |
| 9 | March 3, 1971 | $821,500 | | [10] |
| 10 | March 10, 1971 | $673,300 | | [11] |
| 11 | March 17, 1971 | $634,600 | | [12] |
| 12 | March 24, 1971 | $599,100 | | [13] |
| 13 | March 31, 1971 | Husbands | $556,000 | Husbands reached number one in its 16th week of release | [14] |
| 14 | April 7, 1971 | A New Leaf | $535,950 | A New Leaf reached number one in its fourth week of release | [15] |
| 15 | April 14, 1971 | Cold Turkey | $715,833 | Cold Turkey reached number one in its tenth week of release | [16] |
| 16 | April 21, 1971 | Patton / MASH (double bill) | $740,421 | | [17] |
| 17 | April 28, 1971 | $567,500 | | [18] |
| 18 | May 5, 1971 | $373,100 | | [19] |
| 19 | May 12, 1971 | Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice / Cactus Flower (double bill) | $340,000 | | [20] |
| 20 | May 19, 1971 | Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song | $357,500 | Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song reached number one in its seventh week on the chart | [21] |
| 21 | May 26, 1971 | $421,000 | | [22] |
| 22 | June 2, 1971 | A New Leaf | $778,100 | A New Leaf returned to number one in its 12th week on the chart | [23] |
| 23 | June 9, 1971 | Gimme Shelter | $283,027 | Gimme Shelter reached number one in its 21st week on the chart | [24] |
| 24 | June 16, 1971 | Lawrence of Arabia (reissue) | $549,500 | Lawrence of Arabia reissue reached number one in its 14th week on the chart | [25] |
| 25 | June 23, 1971 | $255,000 | | [26] |
| 26 | June 30, 1971 | Love Story † | $2,242,900 | Love Story returned to number one after 28 weeks of release. First film to gross over $2 million in a week in the cities sampled | [27] |
| 27 | July 7, 1971 | $1,116,951 | | [28] |
| 28 | July 14, 1971 | $672,207 | | [29] |
| 29 | July 21, 1971 | Summer of '42 | $666,435 | Summer of '42 reached number one in its 13th week on the chart | [30] |
| 30 | July 28, 1971 | Willard | $1,329,970 | Willard reached number one in its sixth week on the chart | [31] |
| 31 | August 4, 1971 | $755,500 | | [32] |
| 32 | August 11, 1971 | Klute | $596,000 | Klute reached number one in its seventh week on the chart | [33] |
| 33 | August 18, 1971 | The Andromeda Strain | $479,000 | The Andromeda Strain reached number one in its 20th week on the chart | [34] |
| 34 | August 25, 1971 | The Anderson Tapes | $654,200 | The Anderson Tapes reached number one in its tenth week on the chart | [35] |
| 35 | September 1, 1971 | The Omega Man | $500,000 | The Omega Man reached number one in its fifth week on the chart | [36] |
| 36 | September 8, 1971 | Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song | $387,000 | Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song returned to number one in its 19th week on the chart | [37] |
| 37 | September 15, 1971 | $283,000 | | [38] |
| 38 | September 22, 1971 | McCabe & Mrs. Miller | $343,652 | McCabe & Mrs. Miller reached number one in its eleventh week on the chart | [39] |
| 39 | September 29, 1971 | The Stewardesses | $450,070 | The Stewardesses reached number one in its 43rd week on the chart | [40] |
| 40 | October 6, 1971 | $526,216 | | [41] |
| 41 | October 13, 1971 | $454,700 | | [42] |
| 42 | October 20, 1971 | The Omega Man | $500,000 | The Omega Man returned to number one in its tenth week on the chart | [43] |
| 43 | October 27, 1971 | The Organization | $646,500 | | [44] |
| 44 | November 3, 1971 | $473,600 | | [45] |
| 45 | November 10, 1971 | Cry Uncle! | $502,500 | Cry Uncle! reached number one in its twelfth week on the chart | [46] |
| 46 | November 17, 1971 | The French Connection | $489,600 | The French Connection reached number one in its sixth week on the chart | [47] |
| 47 | November 24, 1971 | $776,050 | | [48] |
| 48 | December 1, 1971 | $914,700 | | [49] |
| 49 | December 8, 1971 | $628,078 | | [50] |
| 50 | December 15, 1971 | $508,207 | | [51] |
| 51 | December 22, 1971 | Diamonds Are Forever | $1,521,800 | For the weekend ending December 19, 1971, Diamonds Are Forever grossed $1,569,249 from all markets in the United States and Canada. | [52] [53] |
| 52 | December 29, 1971 | $2,033,500 | | [54] |
|