Skip to content
What's After the Movie?

Jump to
What's After the Movie?
War box office · 1940

War Box Office 1940: Highest-Grossing War Movies

Gone with the Wind (1940) is the highest-grossing war movie released in 1940, with $402.4M worldwide, ahead of The Fighting 69th (1940) at $2.3M and The Great Dictator (1940) at $972.2K. 5 war films released in 1940 report a worldwide gross, $405.7M in all, 50% of it from the US & Canada. One film crossed $100 million; none reached $1 billion. By language, English leads with $405.7M across 5 war releases.

1940 releases with a gross
5
combined worldwide
$405.7M
film crossed $100M
1
earned in the US & Canada
50%
Gone with the Wind (1940) movie poster #1 of 5
#1 war movie of 1940

Gone with the Wind (1940)

1940 · Drama, History

$402.4M worldwide · 99% of the chart's total

$200.9M US & Canada · 50% $201.5M elsewhere · 50%
Top 5

What Were the Biggest War Hits of 1940?

Gone with the Wind (1940) leads with $402.4M, 99% of the total. The top 5 together took $405.7M, almost all of what the 5 films earned. Each bar splits a film's gross into the US & Canada and the rest of the world.

  1. Gone with the Wind (1940) movie poster Number 1
    $402.4M Gone with the Wind (1940)
    $200.9M US & Canada · 50% $201.5M elsewhere · 50%
  2. The Fighting 69th (1940) movie poster Number 2
    $2.3M The Fighting 69th (1940)
    No US & Canada figure reported
  3. The Great Dictator (1940) movie poster Number 3
    $972.2K The Great Dictator (1940)
    No US & Canada figure reported
  4. Waterloo Bridge (1940) movie poster Number 4
    $31.1K Waterloo Bridge (1940)
    No US & Canada figure reported
  5. Foreign Correspondent (1940) movie poster Number 5
    $782 Foreign Correspondent (1940)
    No US & Canada figure reported

US & Canada (domestic) Rest of the world

The chart

Every War Release of 1940, 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 1940.

  1. 1 Gone with the Wind (1940) movie poster
    Gone with the Wind (1940) Jan 17, 1940 · English · Drama, History, Romance $402.4M worldwide
    Jan 17, 1940 US and Canada: $200.9M Rest of the world: $201.5M Worldwide: $402.4M
  2. 2 The Fighting 69th (1940) movie poster
    The Fighting 69th (1940) Jan 26, 1940 · English · Action, Drama, War $2.3M worldwide
    Jan 26, 1940 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $2.3M
  3. 3 The Great Dictator (1940) movie poster
    The Great Dictator (1940) Oct 15, 1940 · English · Comedy, War $972.2K worldwide
    Oct 15, 1940 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $972.2K
  4. 4 Waterloo Bridge (1940) movie poster
    Waterloo Bridge (1940) May 17, 1940 · English · Drama, Romance, War $31.1K worldwide
    May 17, 1940 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $31.1K
  5. 5 Foreign Correspondent (1940) movie poster
    Foreign Correspondent (1940) Aug 16, 1940 · English · Mystery, Thriller, Romance $782 worldwide
    Aug 16, 1940 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $782
By release month

Which Month of 1940 Earned the Most?

January releases took the most, $404.7M from 2 films, led by Gone with the Wind (1940). August was the quietest month ($782). Each column is a release month and links to that month's chart.

  1. January Jan Gone with the Wind (1940) $404.7M Gone with the Wind (1940)
  2. February Feb No reported grosses – No reported grosses
  3. March Mar No reported grosses – No reported grosses
  4. April Apr No reported grosses – No reported grosses
  5. May May Waterloo Bridge (1940) $31.1K Waterloo Bridge (1940)
  6. June Jun No reported grosses – No reported grosses
  7. July Jul No reported grosses – No reported grosses
  8. August Aug Foreign Correspondent (1940) $782 Foreign Correspondent (1940)
  9. September Sep No reported grosses – No reported grosses
  10. October Oct The Great Dictator (1940) $972.2K The Great Dictator (1940)
  11. November Nov No reported grosses – No reported grosses
  12. December Dec No reported grosses – No reported grosses
Last 10 years

How Does 1940 Compare With Previous Years?

Of these 10 years, 1940 earned the most: $405.7M from 5 films, led by Gone with the Wind (1940).

Year Films Worldwide Change Biggest film
1931 1 film 1 $83 – Dishonored (1931) $83
1932 No films 0 – – –
1933 2 films 2 $106.6K – Duck Soup (1933) $106.3K
1934 No films 0 – – –
1935 No films 0 – – –
1936 No films 0 – – –
1937 No films 0 – – –
1938 1 film 1 $2.2K – Alexander Nevsky (1938) $2.2K
1939 1 film · +365% 1 $10.4K +365% Drums Along the Mohawk (1939) $10.4K
1940 5 films · +3915916% 5 $405.7M +3915916% Gone with the Wind (1940) $402.4M
Archive

War Box Office Year by Year

Every year from 1921 to 2026 with its total and its biggest film. 2017 leads with $3.3B, led by Wolf Warrior 2 (2017).

2020s 7 years · $3.5B
2010s 10 years · $11.4B
2000s 10 years · $6.8B
1990s 10 years · $2.9B
1980s 10 years · $1.4B
1970s 8 years · $492.9M
1960s 9 years · $173.6M
1950s 8 years · $125.1M
1940s 7 years · $446.1M
1930s 5 years · $119.7K
1920s 3 years · $9.3M
FAQ

War Box Office 1940: 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 5 films as the chart.

What is the highest-grossing war movie in 1940?

Gone with the Wind (1940) leads with $402.4M worldwide, $200.9M of it in the US & Canada. Next come The Fighting 69th (1940) at $2.3M and The Great Dictator (1940) at $972.2K.

How much did war movies released in 1940 earn?

5 war films released in 1940 report a worldwide gross, $405.7M in all, or $81.1M per film on average.

How many war movies released in 1940 made $1 billion?

None. 1 film crossed $100 million, led by Gone with the Wind (1940) with $402.4M.

How much of the 1940 War box office came from the US and Canada?

$200.9M of the $405.7M total, or 50%, was earned in the US & Canada (the domestic market); the rest came from other countries. 4 films of the 5 report no domestic figure.

How is the 1940 war 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 1940. 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 1940 war 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.