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

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# 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

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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

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References

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  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

Chronology

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Preceded by 1961 Succeeded by