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Box office · 1936

1936 Box Office: The Highest-Grossing Movies of 1936

Born to Dance (1936) is the highest-grossing movie released in 1936, with $941.8K worldwide, ahead of Modern Times (1936) at $463.6K and Watch Your Left (1936) at $50.7K. 12 films released in 1936 report a worldwide gross, $1.5M in all, 13% of it from the US & Canada. By genre, Comedy leads with $1.5M across 9 releases.

1936 releases with a gross
12
combined worldwide
$1.5M
Born to Dance (1936), the #1
$941.8K
earned in the US & Canada
13%
Born to Dance (1936) movie poster #1 of 12
#1 movie of 1936

Born to Dance (1936)

1936 · Comedy, Music

$941.8K worldwide · 61% of the chart's total

No US & Canada figure reported
Top 5

What Were the Biggest Hits of 1936?

Born to Dance (1936) leads with $941.8K, 61% of the total. The top 5 together took $1.5M, 98% of what all 12 films earned. Each bar splits a film's gross into the US & Canada and the rest of the world.

  1. Born to Dance (1936) movie poster Number 1
    $941.8K Born to Dance (1936)
    No US & Canada figure reported
  2. Modern Times (1936) movie poster Number 2
    $463.6K Modern Times (1936)
    $163.6K US & Canada · 35% $300K elsewhere · 65%
  3. Watch Your Left (1936) movie poster Number 3
    $50.7K Watch Your Left (1936)
    No US & Canada figure reported
  4. The Crime of Monsieur Lange (1936) movie poster Number 4
    $38K The Crime of Monsieur Lange (1936)
    $36.4K US & Canada · 96% $1.6K elsewhere · 4%
  5. Sisters of the Gion (1936) movie poster Number 5
    $17.8K Sisters of the Gion (1936)
    No US & Canada figure reported

US & Canada (domestic) Rest of the world

The chart

Every Release of 1936, 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 1936.

  1. 1 Born to Dance (1936) movie poster
    Born to Dance (1936) Nov 27, 1936 · English · Comedy, Music $941.8K worldwide
    Nov 27, 1936 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $941.8K
  2. 2 Modern Times (1936) movie poster
    Modern Times (1936) Feb 5, 1936 · English · Drama, Romance $463.6K worldwide
    Feb 5, 1936 US and Canada: $163.6K Rest of the world: $300K Worldwide: $463.6K
  3. 3 Watch Your Left (1936) movie poster
    Watch Your Left (1936) Aug 20, 1936 · French · Comedy $50.7K worldwide
    Aug 20, 1936 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $50.7K
  4. 4 The Crime of Monsieur Lange (1936) movie poster
    The Crime of Monsieur Lange (1936) Jan 24, 1936 · French · Drama, Comedy $38K worldwide
    Jan 24, 1936 US and Canada: $36.4K Rest of the world: $1.6K Worldwide: $38K
  5. 5 Sisters of the Gion (1936) movie poster
    Sisters of the Gion (1936) Oct 15, 1936 · Japanese · Drama $17.8K worldwide
    Oct 15, 1936 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $17.8K
  6. 6 Bullets or Ballots (1936) movie poster
    Bullets or Ballots (1936) May 26, 1936 · English · Drama, Crime $8.6K worldwide
    May 26, 1936 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $8.6K
  7. 7 Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936) movie poster
    Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936) Apr 8, 1936 · English · Romance, Drama $8.4K worldwide
    Apr 8, 1936 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $8.4K
  8. 8 Swing Time (1936) movie poster
    Swing Time (1936) Aug 28, 1936 · English · Comedy, Romance $6.3K worldwide
    Aug 28, 1936 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $6.3K
  9. 9 My Father Was Right (1936) movie poster
    My Father Was Right (1936) Nov 27, 1936 · French · Comedy $3.3K worldwide
    Nov 27, 1936 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $3.3K
  10. 10 The Story of a Cheat (1936) movie poster
    The Story of a Cheat (1936) Oct 2, 1936 · French · Crime, Comedy $2.1K worldwide
    Oct 2, 1936 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $2.1K
  11. 11 Secret Agent (1936) movie poster
    Secret Agent (1936) May 31, 1936 · English · Romance, Thriller $605 worldwide
    May 31, 1936 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $605
  12. 12 Desire (1936) movie poster
    Desire (1936) Feb 28, 1936 · Comedy, Romance $81 worldwide
    Feb 28, 1936 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $81
Gross bands

How Many 1936 Releases Crossed $100 Million?

None of the 12 films reached $100M. 12 films, 100% of the list, earned under $10M. Each band shows its films and its share of the $1.5M 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 0 films, 0% of the list No films
  • Under $10M 12 films, 100% of the list $1.5M · 100% of the gross
By release month

Which Month of 1936 Earned the Most?

November releases took the most, $945.1K from 2 films, led by Born to Dance (1936). April was the quietest month ($8.4K). Each column is a release month and links to that month's chart.

  1. January Jan The Crime of Monsieur Lange (1936) $38K The Crime of Monsieur Lange (1936)
  2. February Feb Modern Times (1936) $463.7K Modern Times (1936)
  3. March Mar No reported grosses – No reported grosses
  4. April Apr Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936) $8.4K Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936)
  5. May May Bullets or Ballots (1936) $9.2K Bullets or Ballots (1936)
  6. June Jun No reported grosses – No reported grosses
  7. July Jul No reported grosses – No reported grosses
  8. August Aug Watch Your Left (1936) $57K Watch Your Left (1936)
  9. September Sep No reported grosses – No reported grosses
  10. October Oct Sisters of the Gion (1936) $19.9K Sisters of the Gion (1936)
  11. November Nov Born to Dance (1936) $945.1K Born to Dance (1936)
  12. December Dec No reported grosses – No reported grosses
Last 10 years

How Does 1936 Compare With Previous Years?

Of these 10 years, 1936 earned the most: $1.5M from 12 films, led by Born to Dance (1936).

Year Films Worldwide Change Biggest film
1927 4 films 4 $245K – Sunrise (1927) $121.8K
1928 5 films · −83% 5 $41.6K −83% The Air Circus (1928) $36.1K
1929 7 films · +114% 7 $89.2K +114% Pandora’s Box (1929) $63K
1930 4 films · −93% 4 $6.1K −93% The Blue Angel (1930) $4.4K
1931 6 films · +2136% 6 $135.8K +2136% Drácula (1931) $89.2K
1932 10 films · −62% 10 $51.1K −62% The Old Dark House (1932) $34.6K
1933 8 films · +222% 8 $164.8K +222% Duck Soup (1933) $106.3K
1934 7 films · −71% 7 $47.3K −71% It Happened One Night (1934) $17K
1935 10 films · +124% 10 $105.9K +124% The 39 Steps (1935) $54.1K
1936 12 films · +1356% 12 $1.5M +1356% Born to Dance (1936) $941.8K
Genres & languages

Which Genres and Languages Earned the Most in 1936?

Comedy took $1.5M across 9 films, 98% of the total, ahead of Romance ($1.4M) and Music ($941.8K). A film counts once for each of its genres. English-language films took $1.4M across 6 films, 93% of the total, ahead of French-language films ($94.1K) and Japanese-language films ($17.8K).

1936 Box Office by Genre

  1. Comedy $1.5M
    9 films · #1 Born to Dance (1936)
  2. Romance $1.4M
    6 films · #1 Born to Dance (1936)
  3. Music $941.8K
    1 film · #1 Born to Dance (1936)
  4. Drama $536.4K
    5 films · #1 Modern Times (1936)
  5. Crime $48.8K
    4 films · #1 The Crime of Monsieur Lange (1936)
  6. Musical $6.3K
    1 film · #1 Swing Time (1936)
  7. Mystery $605
    1 film · #1 Secret Agent (1936)
  8. Thriller $605
    1 film · #1 Secret Agent (1936)

1936 Box Office by Language

  1. English $1.4M
    6 films · #1 Born to Dance (1936)
  2. French $94.1K
    4 films · #1 Watch Your Left (1936)
  3. Japanese $17.8K
    1 film · #1 Sisters of the Gion (1936)
Archive

Box Office Year by Year

Every year from 1918 to 2026 with its total and its biggest film. 2019 leads with $37.1B, led by Avengers: Endgame (2019).

2020s 7 years · $134.1B
2010s 10 years · $325.6B
2000s 10 years · $201.4B
1990s 10 years · $91.9B
1980s 10 years · $36B
1970s 10 years · $11.1B
1960s 10 years · $1.8B
1950s 10 years · $801.3M
1940s 10 years · $936.9M
1930s 10 years · $214M
1920s 9 years · $10M
1910s 2 years · $9.8K
FAQ

Box Office 1936: 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 12 films as the chart.

What is the highest-grossing movie in 1936?

Born to Dance (1936) leads with $941.8K worldwide. Next come Modern Times (1936) at $463.6K and Watch Your Left (1936) at $50.7K.

How much did movies released in 1936 earn?

12 films released in 1936 report a worldwide gross, $1.5M in all, or $128.4K per film on average.

How many movies released in 1936 made $1 billion?

None. The biggest, Born to Dance (1936), earned $941.8K.

How much of the 1936 box office came from the US and Canada?

$200K of the $1.5M total, or 13%, was earned in the US & Canada (the domestic market); the rest came from other countries. 10 films of the 12 report no domestic figure.

How is the 1936 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 1936. 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 1936 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.