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

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.

Number-one films

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

Highest-grossing films

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

Rank Title Distributor Rental[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

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. ^ a b "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. ^ a b "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. ^ a b "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. ^ a b 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. ^ a b "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
  • v
  • t
  • e
Americas
Argentina
Brazil
Canada
Chile
Colombia
Ecuador
Mexico
Paraguay
United States
Venezuela
Asia-Pacific
Australia
China
Hong Kong
India
Japan
New Zealand
Pakistan
Philippines
South Korea
Taiwan
Taipei
Thailand
Europe, the
Middle East,
and Africa
(EMEA)
Austria
Belgium
France
Greece
Ireland
Italy
Lithuania
Netherlands
Poland
Romania
Spain
Turkey
United Kingdom
Related
  • Category

Chronology

Preceded by 1961 Succeeded by