#1 of 4 #1 war movie of 1946
The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)
1946 · Drama, Romance
$23.7M worldwide · 70% of the chart's total
$23.7M US & Canada · 100% $17.1K elsewhere · <1%
War box office · 1946
War Box Office 1946: Highest-Grossing War Movies
The Best Years of Our Lives (1946) is the highest-grossing war movie released in 1946, with $23.7M worldwide, ahead of Cloak and Dagger (1946) at $9.7M and A Matter of Life and Death (1946) at $231.3K. 4 war films released in 1946 report a worldwide gross, $33.6M in all, 99% of it from the US & Canada.
- 1946 releases with a gross
- 4
- combined worldwide
- $33.6M
- The Best Years of Our Lives (1946), the #1
- $23.7M
- earned in the US & Canada
- 99%
#1 of 4 Top 4
What Were the Biggest War Hits of 1946?
The Best Years of Our Lives (1946) leads with $23.7M, 70% of the total. The top 4 together took $33.6M, almost all of what the 4 films earned. Each bar splits a film's gross into the US & Canada and the rest of the world.
- Number 1
-
Number 2 -
Number 3 -
Number 4
US & Canada (domestic) Rest of the world
The chart
Every War Release of 1946, 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 1946.
- 1 Dec 25, 1946 US and Canada: $23.7M Rest of the world: $17.1K Worldwide: $23.7M
- 2 Sep 5, 1946 US and Canada: $9.7M Rest of the world: Worldwide: $9.7M
- 3 Nov 1, 1946 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $231.3K
- 4 Sep 18, 1946 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $967
By release month
Which Month of 1946 Earned the Most?
December releases took the most, $23.7M from 1 film, led by The Best Years of Our Lives (1946). November was the quietest month ($231.3K). Each column is a release month and links to that month's chart.
- January Jan No reported grosses – No reported grosses
- February Feb No reported grosses – No reported grosses
- March Mar No reported grosses – No reported grosses
- April Apr No reported grosses – No reported grosses
- May May No reported grosses – No reported grosses
- June Jun No reported grosses – No reported grosses
- July Jul No reported grosses – No reported grosses
- August Aug No reported grosses – No reported grosses
- September Sep Cloak and Dagger (1946) $9.7M Cloak and Dagger (1946)
- October Oct No reported grosses – No reported grosses
- November Nov A Matter of Life and Death (1946) $231.3K A Matter of Life and Death (1946)
- December Dec The Best Years of Our Lives (1946) $23.7M The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)
Last 10 years
How Does 1946 Compare With Previous Years?
Of these 10 years, 1940 earned the most: $405.7M from 5 films, led by Gone with the Wind (1940). 1946 took $33.6M.
| Year | Films | Worldwide | Change | Biggest film |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| 1941 No films | 0 | – | – | – |
| 1942 4 films | 4 | $1.9M | – | Reunion in France (1942) $1.9M |
| 1943 2 films · +148% | 2 | $4.7M | +148% | Casablanca (1943) $4.7M |
| 1944 3 films · −99% | 3 | $62.7K | −99% | Henry V (1944) $62.6K |
| 1945 3 films · −30% | 3 | $43.6K | −30% | Rome, Open City (1945) $28.6K |
| 1946 4 films · +76945% | 4 | $33.6M | +76945% | The Best Years of Our Lives (1946) $23.7M |
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
- 2026 so far $119.7M #1 Young Washington (2026)
- 2025 $872.4M #1 Dead to Rights (2025)
- 2024 $75.6M #1 The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare (2024)
- 2023 $793.9M #1 The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (2023)
- 2022 $161.4M #1 Hansan: Rising Dragon (2022)
- 2021 $1B #1 The Battle at Lake Changjin (2021)
- 2020 $479M #1 The Eight Hundred (2020)
2010s 10 years · $11.4B
- 2019 $1B #1 1917 (2019)
- 2018 $755.1M #1 Operation Red Sea (2018)
- 2017 $3.3B #1 Wolf Warrior 2 (2017)
- 2016 $1.6B #1 Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)
- 2015 $920.3M #1 The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2 (2015)
- 2014 $1.9B #1 American Sniper (2014)
- 2013 $412.3M #1 Lone Survivor (2013)
- 2012 $760.8M #1 Battleship (2012)
- 2011 $313.2M #1 War Horse (2011)
- 2010 $309.1M #1 Dear John (2010)
2000s 10 years · $6.8B
- 2009 $651.8M #1 Inglourious Basterds (2009)
- 2008 $1B #1 Australia (2008)
- 2007 $945M #1 300 (2007)
- 2006 $358.6M #1 Pan's Labyrinth (2006)
- 2005 $446.9M #1 Jarhead (2005)
- 2004 $680.7M #1 Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004)
- 2003 $889.6M #1 The Last Samurai (2003)
- 2002 $463.2M #1 The Pianist (2002)
- 2001 $893.6M #1 Pearl Harbor (2001)
- 2000 $433.4M #1 The Patriot (2000)
1990s 10 years · $2.9B
- 1999 $451.1M #1 The General's Daughter (1999)
- 1998 $713.1M #1 Saving Private Ryan (1998)
- 1997 $139.5M #1 Seven Years in Tibet (1997)
- 1996 $345M #1 The English Patient (1996)
- 1995 $469.1M #1 Braveheart (1995)
- 1994 $20M #1 The War (1994)
- 1993 $494.5M #1 Schindler's List (1993)
- 1992 $122.6M #1 The Last of the Mohicans (1992)
- 1991 $48.4M #1 For the Boys (1991)
- 1990 $54.6M #1 Memphis Belle (1990)
1980s 10 years · $1.4B
- 1989 $199.1M #1 Born on the Fourth of July (1989)
- 1988 $151.6M #1 Good Morning, Vietnam (1988)
- 1987 $92.3M #1 Full Metal Jacket (1987)
- 1986 $226.5M #1 Platoon (1986)
- 1985 $351.1M #1 Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985)
- 1984 $80.6M #1 Missing in Action (1984)
- 1983 $81.7M #1 Uncommon Valor (1983)
- 1982 $49.8M #1 Some Kind of Hero (1982)
- 1981 $131M #1 Stripes (1981)
- 1980 $81.3M #1 Private Benjamin (1980)
1970s 8 years · $492.9M
- 1979 $228.1M #1 Apocalypse Now (1979)
- 1978 $89M #1 The Deer Hunter (1978)
- 1977 $51.8M #1 A Bridge Too Far (1977)
- 1975 $20.4M #1 Love and Death (1975)
- 1974 $32K #1 Hearts and Minds (1974)
- 1972 $20.8K #1 Chinese Glory (1972)
- 1971 $9.4K #1 Liberation: The Last Assault (1971)
- 1970 $103.6M #1 Patton (1970)
1960s 9 years · $173.6M
- 1969 $8M #1 Where Eagles Dare (1969)
- 1968 $3.6M #1 Hell in the Pacific (1968)
- 1967 $8.1K #1 Far from Vietnam (1967)
- 1966 $1M #1 The Battle of Algiers (1966)
- 1965 $112.7M #1 Doctor Zhivago (1965)
- 1963 $230.6K #1 The Great Escape (1963)
- 1962 $46M #1 Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
- 1961 $32.8K #1 The Guns of Navarone (1961)
- 1960 $1.9M #1 Spartacus (1960)
1950s 8 years · $125.1M
- 1959 $74.4M #1 Ben-Hur (1959)
- 1958 $561.3K #1 South Pacific (1958)
- 1957 $27.3M #1 The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)
- 1956 $75.5K #1 The Burmese Harp (1956)
- 1955 $789.5K #1 The Dam Busters (1955)
- 1954 $21.8M #1 The Caine Mutiny (1954)
- 1953 $36.4K #1 From Here to Eternity (1953)
- 1952 $101.2K #1 The African Queen (1952)
1940s 7 years · $446.1M
- 1949 $25.1K #1 The Small Back Room (1949)
- 1946 $33.6M #1 The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)
- 1945 $43.6K #1 Rome, Open City (1945)
- 1944 $62.7K #1 Henry V (1944)
- 1943 $4.7M #1 Casablanca (1943)
- 1942 $1.9M #1 Reunion in France (1942)
- 1940 $405.7M #1 Gone with the Wind (1940)
1930s 5 years · $119.7K
FAQ
War Box Office 1946: 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 4 films as the chart.
What is the highest-grossing war movie in 1946?
The Best Years of Our Lives (1946) leads with $23.7M worldwide, $23.7M of it in the US & Canada. Next come Cloak and Dagger (1946) at $9.7M and A Matter of Life and Death (1946) at $231.3K.
How much did war movies released in 1946 earn?
4 war films released in 1946 report a worldwide gross, $33.6M in all, or $8.4M per film on average.
How many war movies released in 1946 made $1 billion?
None. The biggest, The Best Years of Our Lives (1946), earned $23.7M.
How is the 1946 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 1946. 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 1946 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.