#1 of 3 #1 movie of May 1959
1959 · Drama
$289.7K worldwide · 66% of the chart's total
$509 US & Canada · <1% $289.2K elsewhere · 100%
Box office · May 1959
May 1959 Box Office: The Highest-Grossing May Releases
The 400 Blows (1959) is the highest-grossing movie released in May 1959, with $289.7K worldwide, ahead of Hiroshima Mon Amour (1959) at $139.9K and Warlock (1959) at $8.9K. 3 films released in May 1959 report a worldwide gross, $438.5K in all, 22% of it from the US & Canada.
- May 1959 releases with a gross
- 3
- combined worldwide
- $438.5K
- The 400 Blows (1959), the #1
- $289.7K
- earned in the US & Canada
- 22%
#1 of 3 Top 3
What Were the Biggest Hits of May 1959?
The 400 Blows (1959) leads with $289.7K, 66% of the total. The top 3 together took $438.5K, almost all of what the 3 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
US & Canada (domestic) Rest of the world
The chart
Every Release of May 1959, 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 May 1959.
- 1 May 4, 1959 US and Canada: $509 Rest of the world: $289.2K Worldwide: $289.7K
- 2 May 8, 1959 US and Canada: $96.4K Rest of the world: $43.5K Worldwide: $139.9K
- 3 May 15, 1959 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $8.9K
By release week
Which Week of May 1959 Had the Biggest Releases?
Films released in week 19 (May 3–9) took $429.6K, led by The 400 Blows (1959). Each column links to that week's chart; weeks are Sunday to Saturday.
- Week 18 Wk 18 Apr 26–May 2 No reported grosses – No reported grosses
- Week 19 Wk 19 May 3–9 The 400 Blows (1959) $429.6K The 400 Blows (1959)
- Week 20 Wk 20 May 10–16 Warlock (1959) $8.9K Warlock (1959)
- Week 21 Wk 21 May 17–23 No reported grosses – No reported grosses
- Week 22 Wk 22 May 24–30 No reported grosses – No reported grosses
- Week 23 Wk 23 May 31–Jun 6 No reported grosses – No reported grosses
Earlier years
How Does May 1959 Compare With May in Earlier Years?
Of these 10 years, May 1952 earned the most: $36M from 2 films, led by The Greatest Show on Earth (1952). May 1959 took $438.5K.
| Month | Films | Worldwide | Change | Biggest film |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 1950 3 films | 3 | $821.2K | – | Shadow on the Wall (1950) $769K |
| May 1951 No films | 0 | – | – | – |
| May 1952 2 films | 2 | $36M | – | The Greatest Show on Earth (1952) $36M |
| May 1953 2 films · −100% | 2 | $11.1K | −100% | Julius Caesar (1953) $10.8K |
| May 1954 5 films · +661% | 5 | $84.4K | +661% | Dial M for Murder (1954) $45.3K |
| May 1955 4 films · +820% | 4 | $776.5K | +820% | The Dam Busters (1955) $765.4K |
| May 1956 5 films · −92% | 5 | $64.5K | −92% | The Red Balloon (1956) $49K |
| May 1957 3 films · +1164% | 3 | $814.6K | +1164% | Nights of Cabiria (1957) $799.9K |
| May 1958 1 film · +879% | 1 | $8M | +879% | Vertigo (1958) $8M |
| May 1959 3 films · −94% | 3 | $438.5K | −94% | The 400 Blows (1959) $289.7K |
Archive
Box Office in 1959, Month by Month
The months of 1959 with their totals: November leads with $74.5M, led by Ben-Hur (1959).
- January $51.6M #1 Sleeping Beauty (1959)
- February No grosses
- March $213.8K #1 Some Like It Hot (1959)
- April $28K #1 Rio Bravo (1959)
- May $438.5K #1 The 400 Blows (1959)
- June No grosses
- July $1K #1 Plan 9 from Outer Space (1959)
- August $289.7K #1 North by Northwest (1959)
- September $34.4K #1 Maigret and the St. Fiacre Case (1959)
- October $30K #1 Solomon and Sheba (1959)
- November $74.5M #1 Ben-Hur (1959)
- December $18.9K #1 On the Beach (1959)
FAQ
Box Office May 1959: 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 3 films as the chart.
What is the highest-grossing movie in May 1959?
The 400 Blows (1959) leads with $289.7K worldwide, $509 of it in the US & Canada. Next come Hiroshima Mon Amour (1959) at $139.9K and Warlock (1959) at $8.9K.
How much did movies released in May 1959 earn?
3 films released in May 1959 report a worldwide gross, $438.5K in all, or $146.2K per film on average.
How many movies released in May 1959 made $1 billion?
None. The biggest, The 400 Blows (1959), earned $289.7K.
How is the May 1959 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 May 1959. 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 May 1959 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.