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Comedy box office · 1972

Comedy Box Office 1972: Highest-Grossing Comedy Movies

Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex * But Were Afraid to Ask (1972) is the highest-grossing comedy movie released in 1972, with $18.1M worldwide, ahead of Bombay to Goa (1972) at $886.7K and Victoria No. 203 (1972) at $201.2K. 11 comedy films released in 1972 report a worldwide gross, $19.3M in all, 94% of it from the US & Canada. That is up 80% on 1971, whose releases took $10.7M. By language, English leads with $18.1M across 6 comedy releases.

1972 releases with a gross
11
combined worldwide
$19.3M
Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex * But Were Afraid to Ask (1972), the #1
$18.1M
vs 1971
+80%
Top 5

What Were the Biggest Comedy Hits of 1972?

Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex * But Were Afraid to Ask (1972) leads with $18.1M, 94% of the total. The top 5 together took $19.3M, almost all of what the 11 films earned. Each bar splits a film's gross into the US & Canada and the rest of the world.

  1. Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex * But Were Afraid to Ask (1972) movie poster Number 1
    $18.1M Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex * But Were Afraid to Ask (1972)
    $18M US & Canada · 100% $73.8K elsewhere · <1%
  2. Bombay to Goa (1972) movie poster Number 2
    $886.7K Bombay to Goa (1972)
    No US & Canada figure reported
  3. Victoria No. 203 (1972) movie poster Number 3
    $201.2K Victoria No. 203 (1972)
    No US & Canada figure reported
  4. The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie (1972) movie poster Number 4
    $103.2K The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie (1972)
    $82.5K US & Canada · 80% $20.8K elsewhere · 20%
  5. Avanti! (1972) movie poster Number 5
    $22.8K Avanti! (1972)
    No US & Canada figure reported

US & Canada (domestic) Rest of the world

The chart

Every Comedy Release of 1972, Ranked by Worldwide Gross

Lifetime worldwide grosses in US dollars, not adjusted for inflation; domestic means the US & Canada. Films are grouped by their release date in 1972.

  1. 1 Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex * But Were Afraid to Ask (1972) movie poster
    Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex * But Were Afraid to Ask (1972) Aug 6, 1972 · English · Comedy $18.1M worldwide
    Aug 6, 1972 US and Canada: $18M Rest of the world: $73.8K Worldwide: $18.1M
  2. 2 Bombay to Goa (1972) movie poster
    Bombay to Goa (1972) Mar 3, 1972 · Hindi · Romance, Adventure, Drama $886.7K worldwide
    Mar 3, 1972 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $886.7K
  3. 3 Victoria No. 203 (1972) movie poster
    Victoria No. 203 (1972) Dec 8, 1972 · Hindi · Comedy, Drama $201.2K worldwide
    Dec 8, 1972 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $201.2K
  4. 4 The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie (1972) movie poster
    The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie (1972) Sep 15, 1972 · French · Comedy $103.2K worldwide
    Sep 15, 1972 US and Canada: $82.5K Rest of the world: $20.8K Worldwide: $103.2K
  5. 5 Avanti! (1972) movie poster
    Avanti! (1972) Dec 17, 1972 · English · Romance, Comedy $22.8K worldwide
    Dec 17, 1972 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $22.8K
  6. 6 Play It Again, Sam (1972) movie poster
    Play It Again, Sam (1972) May 5, 1972 · English · Comedy, Romance $15.4K worldwide
    May 5, 1972 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $15.4K
  7. 7 The Canterbury Tales (1972) movie poster
    The Canterbury Tales (1972) Jul 2, 1972 · Italian · Comedy $9K worldwide
    Jul 2, 1972 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $9K
  8. 8 Pink Flamingos (1972) movie poster
    Pink Flamingos (1972) Mar 17, 1972 · English · Comedy, Crime $5.4K worldwide
    Mar 17, 1972 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $5.4K
  9. 9 Buck and the Preacher (1972) movie poster
    Buck and the Preacher (1972) Mar 17, 1972 · English · Action, Adventure, Western $2.8K worldwide
    Mar 17, 1972 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $2.8K
  10. 10 Roma (1972) movie poster
    Roma (1972) Mar 9, 1972 · Italian · Comedy, Drama $807 worldwide
    Mar 9, 1972 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $807
  11. 11 The Hot Rock (1972) movie poster
    The Hot Rock (1972) Jan 26, 1972 · English · Action, Comedy, Crime $250 worldwide
    Jan 26, 1972 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $250
Gross bands

How Many 1972 Releases Crossed $100 Million?

None of the 11 films reached $100M. 10 films, 91% of the list, earned under $10M. Each band shows its films and its share of the $19.3M total.

  • $1B or more 0 films, 0% of the list No films
  • $500M to $1B 0 films, 0% of the list No films
  • $100M to $500M 0 films, 0% of the list No films
  • $10M to $100M 1 film, 9% of the list $18.1M · 94% of the gross
  • Under $10M 10 films, 91% of the list $1.2M · 6% of the gross
By release month

Which Month of 1972 Earned the Most?

August releases took the most, $18.1M from 1 film, led by Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex * But Were Afraid to Ask (1972). January was the quietest month ($250). Each column is a release month and links to that month's chart.

  1. January Jan The Hot Rock (1972) $250 The Hot Rock (1972)
  2. February Feb No reported grosses – No reported grosses
  3. March Mar Bombay to Goa (1972) $895.6K Bombay to Goa (1972)
  4. April Apr No reported grosses – No reported grosses
  5. May May Play It Again, Sam (1972) $15.4K Play It Again, Sam (1972)
  6. June Jun No reported grosses – No reported grosses
  7. July Jul The Canterbury Tales (1972) $9K The Canterbury Tales (1972)
  8. August Aug Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex * But Were Afraid to Ask (1972) $18.1M Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex * But Were Afraid to Ask (1972)
  9. September Sep The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie (1972) $103.2K The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie (1972)
  10. October Oct No reported grosses – No reported grosses
  11. November Nov No reported grosses – No reported grosses
  12. December Dec Victoria No. 203 (1972) $224K Victoria No. 203 (1972)
Last 10 years

How Does 1972 Compare With Previous Years?

Of these 10 years, 1970 earned the most: $209.7M from 11 films, led by The Aristocats (1970). 1972 took $19.3M.

Year Films Worldwide Change Biggest film
1963 8 films 8 $61.9M – It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963) $46.3M
1964 14 films · +132% 14 $143.3M +132% Mary Poppins (1964) $103.1M
1965 6 films · −100% 6 $364.7K −100% Do Not Disturb (1965) $315.7K
1966 11 films · −51% 11 $177.9K −51% Made in U.S.A (1966) $95.3K
1967 12 films · +91002% 12 $162.1M +91002% The Graduate (1967) $105M
1968 9 films · −39% 9 $98.4M −39% Funny Girl (1968) $52.2M
1969 8 films · −33% 8 $66.3M −33% The Love Bug (1969) $51.3M
1970 11 films · +216% 11 $209.7M +216% The Aristocats (1970) $191M
1971 8 films · −95% 8 $10.7M −95% Gentlemen of Fortune (1971) $10.6M
1972 11 films · +80% 11 $19.3M +80% Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex * But Were Afraid to Ask (1972) $18.1M
By language

Which Languages Do the Biggest Comedy Movies Speak in 1972?

English-language comedy films took $18.1M across 6 films, 94% of the total, ahead of Hindi-language comedy films ($1.1M) and French-language comedy films ($103.2K).

1972 Comedy Box Office by Language

  1. English $18.1M
    6 films · #1 Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex * But Were Afraid to Ask (1972)
  2. Hindi $1.1M
    2 films · #1 Bombay to Goa (1972)
  3. French $103.2K
    1 film · #1 The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie (1972)
  4. Italian $9.8K
    2 films · #1 The Canterbury Tales (1972)
Archive

Comedy Box Office Year by Year

Every year from 1921 to 2026 with its total and its biggest film. 2019 leads with $16.1B, led by The Lion King (2019).

2020s 7 years · $40.8B
2010s 10 years · $118B
2000s 10 years · $79.4B
1990s 10 years · $33.7B
1980s 10 years · $17.5B
1970s 10 years · $3.2B
1960s 10 years · $554.7M
1950s 10 years · $162M
1940s 10 years · $188M
1930s 10 years · $31.5M
1920s 7 years · $132.6K
FAQ

Comedy Box Office 1972: Questions & Answers

The chart's numbers in short: the #1 film, the total, the billion-dollar hits and the US & Canada share, answered from the same 11 films as the chart.

What is the highest-grossing comedy movie in 1972?

Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex * But Were Afraid to Ask (1972) leads with $18.1M worldwide, $18M of it in the US & Canada. Next come Bombay to Goa (1972) at $886.7K and Victoria No. 203 (1972) at $201.2K.

How much did comedy movies released in 1972 earn?

11 comedy films released in 1972 report a worldwide gross, $19.3M in all, or $1.8M per film on average. 1971 releases took $10.7M.

How many comedy movies released in 1972 made $1 billion?

None. The biggest, Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex * But Were Afraid to Ask (1972), earned $18.1M.

How much of the 1972 Comedy box office came from the US and Canada?

$18.1M of the $19.3M total, or 94%, was earned in the US & Canada (the domestic market); the rest came from other countries. 9 films of the 11 report no domestic figure.

How is the 1972 comedy box office chart ranked and where do the numbers come from?

Films are ranked by lifetime worldwide gross in US dollars, not adjusted for inflation, and grouped by their release date in 1972. The figures are the reported box office grosses in our database. A gross that looks misattributed, such as one figure shared by two unrelated films or a blockbuster total on an obscure title, is left out rather than shown as a fact.

How often is the 1972 comedy box office chart updated?

Grosses change while films are in theaters and whenever a new figure is reported; this chart reads the latest numbers in our database, so an older film can still move after a re-release.