Most Popular Movies 1961
This chart shows the 1961 movie releases that have attracted the most interest on The Numbers web site over the past 24 hours. A share of 100 corresponds to 1 percent of the total views for all 1961 releases.
See also: Domestic Release Schedule for 1961 - Top 1961 Worldwide
1
| Breakfast at Tiffany's |
| Director: Blake Edwards |
| Lead Roles: Audrey Hepburn as Holly Golightly (Lulamae Barnes), George Peppard as Paul 'Fred' Varjak |
| Initial Theatrical Release: October 5, 1961 (Wide) by Paramount Pictures |
| Keywords: Romance, Sugar Daddy, Whitewashed Casting, Yellowface |
| Classification: Based on Fiction Book/Short Story, Romantic Comedy, Live Action, Contemporary Fiction |
|
Domestic BO: $9,551,904 |
|
International BO: $235,399 |
2
| 101 Dalmatians |
| Director: Clyde Geronimi, Hamilton Luske, Wolfgang Reitherman |
| Lead Roles: Rod Taylor as Pongo |
| Initial Theatrical Release: January 25, 1961 (Wide) by Walt Disney |
| Keywords: Animal Lead, Talking Animals, Voiceover/Narration, Fashion, Kidnap, Rescue, Family Adventure |
| Classification: Based on Fiction Book/Short Story, Adventure, Hand Animation, Contemporary Fiction |
|
Domestic BO: $153,000,000 |
|
International BO: $302,565 |
3
| The Young Savages |
| Director: John Frankenheimer |
| Initial Theatrical Release: May 24, 1961 (Limited) |
| Classification: Original Screenplay, Drama, Live Action, Contemporary Fiction |
4
| The City of the Dead |
| Director: John Llewellyn Moxey |
| Initial Theatrical Release: August 30, 1961 (Wide), released as Shiryo no machi (Japan) |
| Classification: Based on Fiction Book/Short Story, Horror, Live Action, Contemporary Fiction |
5
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| The Wonders of Aladdin |
| Director: Mario Bava, Henry Levin |
| Initial Theatrical Release: December 13, 1961 (Limited) by MGM |
| Classification: Adventure, Live Action, Fantasy |
6
| King of Kings |
| Director: Nicholas Ray |
| Initial Theatrical Release: October 30, 1961 (Wide) by MGM |
| Keywords: Faith-Based Drama, Faith-Based Film, Bible Epic |
| Classification: Based on Real Life Events, Drama, Live Action, Factual |
|
Domestic BO: $14,483,352 |
7
| La Notte |
| Director: Michelangelo Antonioni |
| Lead Roles: Marcello Mastroianni as Giovanni Pontano, Jeanne Moreau as Lidia, Monica Vitti as Valentina Gherardini |
| Initial Theatrical Release: January 24, 1961 (Limited) (Italy) |
| Keywords: Writing and Writers, Infidelity, Terminal Illness, Medical and Hospitals, Nightclub, Jazz |
| Classification: Based on Fiction Book/Short Story, Drama, Live Action, Contemporary Fiction |
|
Domestic BO: $39,236 |
|
International BO: $3,859 |
Synopsis
A talented but callow novelist enjoys the acclaim afforded his just-published novel, while his marriage to a well-to-do Milanese woman deteriorates. As she grieves for a dying friend she once loved, he is both bemused by and attracted to the advances of other women, particularly the ravishing daughter of a potential new benefactor. An empty evening of visiting decrepit neighborhoods, exotic nightclubs, and a swanky villa party leads to a final confrontation, which reveals the somber truth that love does not always conquer all.
8
| Chunhyangjeon |
| Director: Seong-ki Hong |
| Initial Theatrical Release: January 28, 1961 (Wide), released as Seong Chun-Hyang (South Korea) |
| Classification: Drama, Live Action, Historical Fiction |
|
International BO: $17,685 |
9
| Come September |
| Initial Theatrical Release: August 9, 1961 (Wide) by Universal |
|
Domestic BO: $12,710,696 |
10
| One-Eyed Jacks |
| Director: Marlon Brando |
| Initial Theatrical Release: March 30, 1961 (Limited) |
| Classification: Original Screenplay, Western, Live Action, Historical Fiction |
|
International BO: $415 |
11
| El analfabeto |
| Director: Miguel M. Delgado |
| Initial Theatrical Release: September 7, 1961 (Limited) (Mexico) |
| Classification: Original Screenplay, Comedy, Live Action, Contemporary Fiction |
12
| Something Wild |
| Director: Jack Garfein |
| Initial Theatrical Release: December 20, 1961 (Limited) |
| Classification: Drama |
13
| Ercole alla conquista di Atlantide |
| Director: Vittorio Cottafavi |
| Initial Theatrical Release: August 19, 1961 (Limited) (Italy) |
| Classification: Adventure, Live Action, Fantasy |
14
| The Misfits |
| Director: John Huston |
| Initial Theatrical Release: February 1, 1961 (Wide) by United Artists |
| Keywords: Romance, Divorcée Romance, May / December Romance, Directing Yourself, Posthumous Release |
|
Domestic BO: $8,200,000 |
15
| The Sins of Rachel Cade |
| Director: Gordon Douglas |
| Lead Roles: Peter Finch as Colonel Henry Derode, Angie Dickinson as Rachel Cade, Roger Moore as Paul Wilton |
| Initial Theatrical Release: April 2, 1961 (Wide) by Warner Bros. |
16
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| Back Street |
| Director: David Miller |
| Lead Roles: Susan Hayward, John Gavin |
| Initial Theatrical Release: October 12, 1961 (Limited) by Universal |
| Classification: Based on Fiction Book/Short Story, Drama, Live Action, Contemporary Fiction |
17
| The Hustler |
| Lead Roles: Paul Newman as Eddie Felson |
| Initial Theatrical Release: September 25, 1961 (Wide) |
| Keywords: Gambling, Confidence Men |
|
Domestic BO: $7,600,000 |
18
| Pleins feux sur l’assassin |
| Director: Georges Franju |
| Initial Theatrical Release: March 31, 1961 (Limited) (France) |
| Classification: Thriller/Suspense |
19
| West Side Story |
| Director: Robert Wise, Jerome Robbins |
| Lead Roles: Natalie Wood as Maria, Richard Beymer as Tony |
| Initial Theatrical Release: October 18, 1961 (Wide) |
| Keywords: Gangs, Romantic Musical, 1950s, Set in New York City, Set in New York, Modern Adaptation, Romeo and Juliet Romance |
| Classification: Based on Play, Musical, Live Action, Contemporary Fiction |
|
Domestic BO: $43,700,000 |
|
International BO: $3,896,274 |
20
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| Una vita difficile |
| Director: Dino Risi |
| Lead Roles: Alberto Sordi as Silvio, Lea Massari as Elena |
| Initial Theatrical Release: December 22, 1961 (Limited) (Italy) |
| Keywords: Comedy Drama, Romance, Relationships Gone Wrong, Investigative Journalist, Political |
| Classification: Original Screenplay, Drama, Live Action, Historical Fiction |
|
Domestic BO: $71,630 |
Synopsis
Silvio, a leftist resistance fighter turned journalist, clings to his political convictions at the cost of providing for his wife Elena and family. When she leaves him, Silvio tries to win her back by agreeing to a compromise with a rich industrialist.
21
| Léon Morin, prêtre |
| Director: Jean-Pierre Melville |
| Initial Theatrical Release: September 22, 1961 (Wide) (France) |
| Keywords: Christians, Atheism, World War II, Jewish, Holocaust, Romance, Unrequited Love, 1940s, Set in France, Occupying Army |
| Classification: Based on Fiction Book/Short Story, Drama, Live Action, Historical Fiction |
|
Domestic BO: $46,436 |
22
| Viva L’Italia |
| Director: Roberto Rossellini |
| Initial Theatrical Release: February 2, 1961 (Wide) (Italy) |
| Keywords: Direct-to-Video |
| Classification: Based on Real Life Events, Documentary, Live Action, Factual |
23
| The Guns of Navarone |
| Director: Jack Lee Thompson |
| Initial Theatrical Release: June 22, 1961 (Wide), released as The Guns of Naverone |
| Keywords: Action Adventure, War, World War II, 1940s, Special Ops, Death of a Spouse or Fiancée / Fiancé, Death of a Son or Daughter |
| Classification: Based on Fiction Book/Short Story, Adventure, Live Action, Historical Fiction |
|
Domestic BO: $28,900,000 |
|
International BO: $19,394 |
24
| You Have to Run Fast |
| Director: Edward L. Cahn |
| Initial Theatrical Release: July, 1961 (Limited) |
| Classification: Original Screenplay, Drama, Live Action, Contemporary Fiction |
25
| A Thunder of Drums |
| Initial Theatrical Release: September 26, 1961 (Limited) by MGM |
| Classification: Western |