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Box office · 1938

1938 Box Office: The Highest-Grossing Movies of 1938

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1938) is the highest-grossing movie released in 1938, with $185.1M worldwide, ahead of The Lady Vanishes (1938) at $41.5K and Port of Shadows (1938) at $39.6K. 8 films released in 1938 report a worldwide gross, $185.2M in all, 100% of it from the US & Canada. One film crossed $100 million; none reached $1 billion. By genre, Romance leads with $185.2M across 4 releases.

1938 releases with a gross
8
combined worldwide
$185.2M
film crossed $100M
1
earned in the US & Canada
100%
Top 5

What Were the Biggest Hits of 1938?

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1938) leads with $185.1M, 100% of the total. The top 5 together took $185.2M, almost all of what the 8 films earned. Each bar splits a film's gross into the US & Canada and the rest of the world.

  1. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1938) movie poster Number 1
    $185.1M Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1938)
    $184.9M US & Canada · 100% $172.8K elsewhere · <1%
  2. The Lady Vanishes (1938) movie poster Number 2
    $41.5K The Lady Vanishes (1938)
    No US & Canada figure reported
  3. Port of Shadows (1938) movie poster Number 3
    $39.6K Port of Shadows (1938)
    $27.4K US & Canada · 69% $12.2K elsewhere · 31%
  4. Bringing Up Baby (1938) movie poster Number 4
    $13.1K Bringing Up Baby (1938)
    No US & Canada figure reported
  5. The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) movie poster Number 5
    $5.7K The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)
    No US & Canada figure reported

US & Canada (domestic) Rest of the world

The chart

Every Release of 1938, 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 1938.

  1. 1 Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1938) movie poster
    Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1938) Feb 4, 1938 · English · Fantasy, Romance $185.1M worldwide
    Feb 4, 1938 US and Canada: $184.9M Rest of the world: $172.8K Worldwide: $185.1M
  2. 2 The Lady Vanishes (1938) movie poster
    The Lady Vanishes (1938) Nov 1, 1938 · English · Mystery, Thriller $41.5K worldwide
    Nov 1, 1938 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $41.5K
  3. 3 Port of Shadows (1938) movie poster
    Port of Shadows (1938) May 17, 1938 · French · Drama, Crime $39.6K worldwide
    May 17, 1938 US and Canada: $27.4K Rest of the world: $12.2K Worldwide: $39.6K
  4. 4 Bringing Up Baby (1938) movie poster
    Bringing Up Baby (1938) Feb 18, 1938 · English · Comedy, Romance $13.1K worldwide
    Feb 18, 1938 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $13.1K
  5. 5 The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) movie poster
    The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) May 12, 1938 · English · Romance, History $5.7K worldwide
    May 12, 1938 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $5.7K
  6. 6 The Baker’s Wife (1938) movie poster
    The Baker’s Wife (1938) Sep 7, 1938 · French · Drama, Comedy $5K worldwide
    Sep 7, 1938 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $5K
  7. 7 Alexander Nevsky (1938) movie poster
    Alexander Nevsky (1938) Nov 24, 1938 · Russian · War, History $2.2K worldwide
    Nov 24, 1938 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $2.2K
  8. 8 Angels with Dirty Faces (1938) movie poster
    Angels with Dirty Faces (1938) Nov 26, 1938 · English · Drama, Crime $524 worldwide
    Nov 26, 1938 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $524
By release month

Which Month of 1938 Earned the Most?

February releases took the most, $185.1M from 2 films, led by Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1938). September was the quietest month ($5K). Each column is a release month and links to that month's chart.

  1. January Jan No reported grosses – No reported grosses
  2. February Feb Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1938) $185.1M Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1938)
  3. March Mar No reported grosses – No reported grosses
  4. April Apr No reported grosses – No reported grosses
  5. May May Port of Shadows (1938) $45.4K Port of Shadows (1938)
  6. June Jun No reported grosses – No reported grosses
  7. July Jul No reported grosses – No reported grosses
  8. August Aug No reported grosses – No reported grosses
  9. September Sep The Baker’s Wife (1938) $5K The Baker’s Wife (1938)
  10. October Oct No reported grosses – No reported grosses
  11. November Nov The Lady Vanishes (1938) $44.2K The Lady Vanishes (1938)
  12. December Dec No reported grosses – No reported grosses
Last 10 years

How Does 1938 Compare With Previous Years?

Of these 10 years, 1938 earned the most: $185.2M from 8 films, led by Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1938).

Year Films Worldwide Change Biggest film
1929 7 films 7 $89.2K – 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
1937 7 films · −98% 7 $32.8K −98% Stage Door (1937) $8.8K
1938 8 films · +564466% 8 $185.2M +564466% Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1938) $185.1M
Genres & languages

Which Genres and Languages Earned the Most in 1938?

Romance took $185.2M across 4 films, 100% of the total, ahead of Family ($185.1M) and Animation ($185.1M). A film counts once for each of its genres. English-language films took $185.2M across 5 films, 100% of the total, ahead of French-language films ($44.6K) and Russian-language films ($2.2K).

1938 Box Office by Genre

  1. Romance $185.2M
    4 films · #1 Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1938)
  2. Family $185.1M
    2 films · #1 Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1938)
  3. Animation $185.1M
    1 film · #1 Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1938)
  4. Fantasy $185.1M
    1 film · #1 Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1938)
  5. Musical $185.1M
    1 film · #1 Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1938)
  6. Drama $47.4K
    4 films · #1 Port of Shadows (1938)
  7. Mystery $41.5K
    1 film · #1 The Lady Vanishes (1938)
  8. Thriller $41.5K
    1 film · #1 The Lady Vanishes (1938)
  9. Crime $40.1K
    2 films · #1 Port of Shadows (1938)
  10. Comedy $18K
    2 films · #1 Bringing Up Baby (1938)

1938 Box Office by Language

  1. English $185.2M
    5 films · #1 Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1938)
  2. French $44.6K
    2 films · #1 Port of Shadows (1938)
  3. Russian $2.2K
    1 film · #1 Alexander Nevsky (1938)
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 · $201.3B
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 1938: 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 8 films as the chart.

What is the highest-grossing movie in 1938?

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1938) leads with $185.1M worldwide, $184.9M of it in the US & Canada. Next come The Lady Vanishes (1938) at $41.5K and Port of Shadows (1938) at $39.6K.

How much did movies released in 1938 earn?

8 films released in 1938 report a worldwide gross, $185.2M in all, or $23.2M per film on average.

How many movies released in 1938 made $1 billion?

None. 1 film crossed $100 million, led by Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1938) with $185.1M.

How much of the 1938 box office came from the US and Canada?

$185M of the $185.2M total, or 100%, was earned in the US & Canada (the domestic market); the rest came from other countries. 6 films of the 8 report no domestic figure.

How is the 1938 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 1938. 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 1938 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.