Market Charts > 1961 > Movie Chart
North America (US and Canada) Domestic Movie Chart for 1961
Note: We only have detailed box office data from 1977 onwards. For earlier years the total box office is sometimes assigned to the release year of a movie, while the
box office amount could have been earned during two or even more years.
Inflation-adjusted figures are based on ticket sale estimates.
See Movie Index 1961 for an overview of all movies released in 1961.
Top Grossing Movies of 1961
Rank | Movie | Release Date | Distributor | Genre | 1961 Gross | Tickets Sold |
1 |
101 Dalmatians |
Jan 25, 1961 |
Walt Disney |
Adventure |
$102,399,701 |
148,405,363 |
2 |
West Side Story |
Oct 18, 1961 |
|
Musical |
$43,700,000 |
63,333,333 |
3 |
The Guns of Naverone |
Jun 22, 1961 |
|
Adventure |
$28,900,000 |
41,884,057 |
4 |
El Cid |
Dec 14, 1961 |
|
|
$26,600,000 |
38,550,724 |
5 |
The Absent Minded Professor |
Mar 16, 1961 |
Walt Disney |
Comedy |
$25,381,407 |
36,784,647 |
6 |
The Parent Trap |
Jun 21, 1961 |
|
Comedy |
$25,150,385 |
36,449,833 |
7 |
La Dolce Vita |
Apr 19, 1961 |
|
Comedy |
$19,500,000 |
28,260,869 |
8 |
Lover Come Back |
Dec 20, 1961 |
Universal |
Romantic Comedy |
$16,937,969 |
24,547,781 |
9 |
Gone with the Wind |
Dec 15, 1939 |
MGM |
Drama |
$14,888,889 |
21,578,100 |
10 |
King of Kings |
Oct 30, 1961 |
MGM |
Drama |
$14,483,352 |
20,990,365 |
11 |
Come September |
Aug 9, 1961 |
Universal |
|
$12,710,696 |
18,421,298 |
12 |
Flower Drum Song |
Nov 9, 1961 |
Universal |
|
$10,738,117 |
15,562,488 |
13 |
Blue Hawaii |
Nov 22, 1961 |
Paramount Pictures |
Musical |
$10,440,453 |
15,131,091 |
14 |
Babes in Toyland |
Dec 14, 1961 |
Walt Disney |
Musical |
$10,218,316 |
14,809,153 |
15 |
Judgment at Nuremberg |
Dec 19, 1961 |
|
Drama |
$10,000,000 |
14,492,753 |
16 |
Return to Peyton Place |
May 5, 1961 |
|
Drama |
$9,996,178 |
14,487,214 |
17 |
Fanny |
Jun 28, 1961 |
|
|
$9,996,178 |
14,487,214 |
18 |
Breakfast at Tiffany's |
Oct 5, 1961 |
Paramount Pictures |
Romantic Comedy |
$9,551,904 |
13,843,339 |
19 |
The Misfits |
Feb 1, 1961 |
United Artists |
|
$8,200,000 |
11,884,057 |
20 |
The Hustler |
Sep 25, 1961 |
|
|
$7,600,000 |
11,014,492 |
21 |
Pocketful of Miracles |
Dec 19, 1961 |
United Artists |
|
$5,000,000 |
7,246,376 |
Total Gross of All Movies | $422,393,545 | |
Total Tickets Sold | 612,164,547 |
Our Theatrical Market pages are based on the Domestic Theatrical Market performance only. The Domestic Market is defined as the North American movie territory (consisting of the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico and Guam).
The yearly amounts on our Theatrical Market pages are based on box office years. Each box office year starts on the first Monday of the year, so the previous year ends on the Sunday before the first Monday. For example, the "2017 box office year" started on January 2, 2017 so the "2016 box office year" ended on Sunday, January 1, 2017.