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 | |
2 | January 11, 1961 | |||
3 | January 18, 1961 | Exodus | ||
4 | January 25, 1961 | Spartacus | Spartacus returned to number one in its 16th week of release | |
5 | February 1, 1961 | Swiss Family Robinson | Swiss Family Robinson grossed $265,000 in the key cities sampled | |
6 | February 8, 1961 | The Misfits | ||
7 | February 15, 1961 | Exodus | ||
8 | February 22, 1961 | The Misfits | ||
9 | March 1, 1961 | Exodus | ||
10 | March 8, 1961 | |||
11 | March 15, 1961 | |||
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. | ||
13 | March 29, 1961 | |||
14 | April 5, 1961 | |||
15 | April 12, 1961 | |||
16 | April 19, 1961 | The Absent-Minded Professor | ||
17 | April 26, 1961 | |||
18 | May 3, 1961 | |||
19 | May 10, 1961 | Gone with the Wind (reissue) | Gone with the Wind grossed $250,000 from 17 key cities. | |
20 | May 17, 1961 | The Absent-Minded Professor | ||
21 | May 24, 1961 | Gone with the Wind (reissue) | ||
22 | May 31, 1961 | The Young Savages | The Young Savages grossed around $300,000 from 18 key cities. | |
23 | June 7, 1961 | The Pleasure of His Company | ||
24 | June 14, 1961 | |||
25 | June 21, 1961 | |||
26 | June 28, 1961 | |||
27 | July 5, 1961 | The Parent Trap | ||
28 | July 12, 1961 | Fanny | Fanny opened at Radio City Music Hall where it grossed over $200,000. | |
29 | July 19, 1961 | |||
30 | July 26, 1961 | Fanny was still grossing $200,000 at Radio City Music Hall | ||
31 | August 2, 1961 | The Guns of Navarone | ||
32 | August 9, 1961 | |||
33 | August 16, 1961 | |||
34 | August 23, 1961 | |||
35 | August 30, 1961 | Come September | ||
36 | September 6, 1961 | |||
37 | September 13, 1961 | |||
38 | September 20, 1961 | |||
39 | September 27, 1961 | |||
40 | October 4, 1961 | |||
41 | October 11, 1961 | The Hustler | The Hustler grossed over $200,000 from 11 key cities | |
42 | October 18, 1961 | Breakfast at Tiffany's | Breakfast at Tiffany's reached number one despite playing in only 5 key cities | |
43 | October 25, 1961 | |||
44 | November 1, 1961 | |||
45 | November 8, 1961 | |||
46 | November 15, 1961 | |||
47 | November 22, 1961 | King of Kings | ||
48 | November 29, 1961 | The Comancheros | The Comancheros grossed nearly $300,000 from 21 key cities | |
49 | December 6, 1961 | King of Kings | ||
50 | December 13, 1961 | |||
51 | December 20, 1961 | West Side Story | ||
52 | December 27, 1961 | Flower Drum Song |
Highest-grossing films
The highest-grossing films during the calendar year based on theatrical rentals were as follows:
Rank | Title | Distributor | Rental |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Ben-Hur | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer | $14,700,000 |
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
- List of American films — American films by year
- Lists of box office number-one films
References
- 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.
- "National Boxoffice Survey". Variety. January 11, 1961. p. 10. Retrieved November 10, 2020 – via Archive.org.
- "National Boxoffice Survey". Variety. January 18, 1961. p. 10. Retrieved November 10, 2020 – via Archive.org.
- "National Boxoffice Survey". Variety. January 25, 1961. p. 5. Retrieved November 10, 2020 – via Archive.org.
- "National Boxoffice Survey". Variety. February 1, 1961. p. 7. Retrieved November 10, 2020 – via Archive.org.
- ^ "National Boxoffice Survey". Variety. February 15, 1961. p. 17. Retrieved November 10, 2020 – via Archive.org.
- "National Boxoffice Survey". Variety. February 22, 1961. p. 10. Retrieved November 10, 2020 – via Archive.org.
- ^ "National Boxoffice Survey". Variety. March 8, 1961. p. 4. Retrieved January 25, 2022 – via Archive.org.
- "National Boxoffice Survey". Variety. March 15, 1961. p. 6. Retrieved January 25, 2022 – via Archive.org.
- "National Boxoffice Survey". Variety. March 22, 1961. p. 22. Retrieved January 25, 2022 – via Archive.org.
- "National Boxoffice Survey". Variety. March 29, 1961. p. 16. Retrieved January 25, 2022 – via Archive.org.
- "National Boxoffice Survey". Variety. April 5, 1961. p. 5. Retrieved January 25, 2022 – via Archive.org.
- "National Boxoffice Survey". Variety. April 12, 1961. p. 11. Retrieved January 25, 2022 – via Archive.org.
- "National Boxoffice Survey". Variety. April 19, 1961. p. 10. Retrieved January 25, 2022 – via Archive.org.
- "National Boxoffice Survey". Variety. April 26, 1961. p. 19. Retrieved January 25, 2022 – via Archive.org.
- "National Boxoffice Survey". Variety. May 3, 1961. p. 23. Retrieved January 25, 2022 – via Archive.org.
- "National Boxoffice Survey". Variety. May 10, 1961. p. 8. Retrieved January 25, 2022 – via Archive.org.
- "National Boxoffice Survey". Variety. May 17, 1961. p. 10. Retrieved January 25, 2022 – via Archive.org.
- "National Boxoffice Survey". Variety. May 24, 1961. p. 3. Retrieved January 25, 2022 – via Archive.org.
- "National Boxoffice Survey". Variety. May 31, 1961. p. 10. Retrieved January 25, 2022 – via Archive.org.
- "National Boxoffice Survey". Variety. June 7, 1961. p. 10. Retrieved January 25, 2022 – via Archive.org.
- "National Boxoffice Survey". Variety. June 14, 1961. p. 5. Retrieved January 25, 2022 – via Archive.org.
- "National Boxoffice Survey". Variety. June 21, 1961. p. 7. Retrieved January 25, 2022 – via Archive.org.
- "National Boxoffice Survey". Variety. June 28, 1961. p. 7. Retrieved January 25, 2022 – via Archive.org.
- "National Boxoffice Survey". Variety. July 5, 1961. p. 10. Retrieved January 25, 2022 – via Archive.org.
- "National Boxoffice Survey". Variety. July 12, 1961. p. 10. Retrieved January 25, 2022 – via Archive.org.
- "National Boxoffice Survey". Variety. July 19, 1961. p. 19. Retrieved January 25, 2022 – via Archive.org.
- "National Boxoffice Survey". Variety. July 26, 1961. p. 17. Retrieved January 25, 2022 – via Archive.org.
- "National Boxoffice Survey". Variety. August 2, 1961. p. 4. Retrieved January 25, 2022 – via Archive.org.
- "National Boxoffice Survey". Variety. August 9, 1961. p. 18. Retrieved January 25, 2022 – via Archive.org.
- "National Boxoffice Survey". Variety. August 16, 1961. p. 11. Retrieved January 25, 2022 – via Archive.org.
- "National Boxoffice Survey". Variety. August 23, 1961. p. 11. Retrieved January 25, 2022 – via Archive.org.
- "National Boxoffice Survey". Variety. August 30, 1961. p. 11. Retrieved January 25, 2022 – via Archive.org.
- ^ "National Boxoffice Survey". Variety. September 13, 1961. p. 3. Retrieved January 25, 2022 – via Archive.org.
- "National Boxoffice Survey". Variety. September 20, 1961. p. 17. Retrieved January 25, 2022 – via Archive.org.
- "National Boxoffice Survey". Variety. September 27, 1961. p. 13. Retrieved January 25, 2022 – via Archive.org.
- "National Boxoffice Survey". Variety. October 4, 1961. p. 10. Retrieved January 25, 2022 – via Archive.org.
- "National Boxoffice Survey". Variety. October 11, 1961. p. 24. Retrieved January 25, 2022 – via Archive.org.
- "National Boxoffice Survey". Variety. October 18, 1961. p. 20. Retrieved January 25, 2022 – via Archive.org.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "National Boxoffice Survey". Variety. November 15, 1961. p. 10. Retrieved January 25, 2022 – via Archive.org.
- "National Boxoffice Survey". Variety. November 22, 1961. p. 10. Retrieved January 25, 2022 – via Archive.org.
- "National Boxoffice Survey". Variety. November 29, 1961. p. 16. Retrieved January 25, 2022 – via Archive.org.
- "National Boxoffice Survey". Variety. December 6, 1961. p. 17. Retrieved January 25, 2022 – via Archive.org.
- "National Boxoffice Survey". Variety. December 13, 1961. p. 11. Retrieved January 25, 2022 – via Archive.org.
- "National Boxoffice Survey". Variety. December 20, 1961. p. 10. Retrieved January 25, 2022 – via Archive.org.
- "National Boxoffice Survey". Variety. December 27, 1961. p. 10. Retrieved January 25, 2022 – via Archive.org.
- "1961: Rentals and Potential". Variety. January 10, 1962. p. 13. Retrieved January 25, 2022 – via Archive.org.
- "All-Time Top Gross Films". Variety. January 10, 1962. p. 13. Retrieved January 25, 2021 – via Archive.org.
$32,000,000 already taken
- "Rental Potentials of 1960". Variety. January 4, 1961. p. 47. Retrieved January 25, 2022 – via Archive.org.
$17,300,000
Lists of box office number-one films | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Americas |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Asia-Pacific |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Related | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Chronology
Preceded by1960 | 1961 | Succeeded by1962 |