#1 of 6 #1 movie of December 1971
1971 · Action, Thriller
$36M worldwide · 49% of the chart's total
$36M US & Canada · 100% $1.7K elsewhere · <1%
Box office · December 1971
December 1971 Box Office: The Highest-Grossing December Releases
Dirty Harry (1971) is the highest-grossing movie released in December 1971, with $36M worldwide, ahead of A Clockwork Orange (1971) at $27M and Gentlemen of Fortune (1971) at $10.6M. 6 films released in December 1971 report a worldwide gross, $73.6M in all, 85% of it from the US & Canada. That is 3.5 times the total of November 1971, whose releases took $21.3M. By genre, Crime leads with $73.6M across 3 releases.
- December 1971 releases with a gross
- 6
- combined worldwide
- $73.6M
- Dirty Harry (1971), the #1
- $36M
- vs November 1971
- ×3.5
#1 of 6 Top 5
What Were the Biggest Hits of December 1971?
Dirty Harry (1971) leads with $36M, 49% of the total. The top 5 together took $73.6M, almost all of what the 6 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 -
Number 5
US & Canada (domestic) Rest of the world
The chart
Every Release of December 1971, 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 December 1971.
- 1 Dec 23, 1971 US and Canada: $36M Rest of the world: $1.7K Worldwide: $36M
- 2 Dec 20, 1971 US and Canada: $26.6M Rest of the world: $416.6K Worldwide: $27M
- 3 Dec 13, 1971 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $10.6M
- 4 Dec 20, 1971 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $4.5K
- 5 Dec 22, 1971 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $2.3K
- 6
Dec 13, 1971 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $844
By release week
Which Week of December 1971 Had the Biggest Releases?
Films released in week 52 (Dec 19–25) took $63M, led by Dirty Harry (1971). Each column links to that week's chart; weeks are Sunday to Saturday.
- Week 49 Wk 49 Nov 28–Dec 4 No reported grosses – No reported grosses
- Week 50 Wk 50 Dec 5–11 No reported grosses – No reported grosses
- Week 51 Wk 51 Dec 12–18 Gentlemen of Fortune (1971) $10.6M Gentlemen of Fortune (1971)
- Week 52 Wk 52 Dec 19–25 Dirty Harry (1971) $63M Dirty Harry (1971)
- Week 53 Wk 53 Dec 26–31 No reported grosses – No reported grosses
Earlier years
How Does December 1971 Compare With December in Earlier Years?
Of these 10 years, December 1970 earned the most: $222.9M from 11 films, led by The Aristocats (1970). December 1971 took $73.6M.
| Month | Films | Worldwide | Change | Biggest film |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 1962 4 films | 4 | $46.7M | – | Lawrence of Arabia (1962) $46M |
| December 1963 2 films · −74% | 2 | $12.2M | −74% | The Sword in the Stone (1963) $12M |
| December 1964 4 films · +497% | 4 | $72.7M | +497% | My Fair Lady (1964) $72.7M |
| December 1965 7 films · +142% | 7 | $176M | +142% | Doctor Zhivago (1965) $112.1M |
| December 1966 8 films · −100% | 8 | $379K | −100% | Andrei Rublev (1966) $181K |
| December 1967 7 films · +49256% | 7 | $187M | +49256% | The Graduate (1967) $105M |
| December 1968 4 films · −94% | 4 | $11.7M | −94% | Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968) $7.5M |
| December 1969 5 films · +99% | 5 | $23.3M | +99% | On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969) $22.8M |
| December 1970 11 films · +856% | 11 | $222.9M | +856% | The Aristocats (1970) $191M |
| December 1971 6 films · −67% | 6 | $73.6M | −67% | Dirty Harry (1971) $36M |
Archive
Box Office in 1971, Month by Month
The months of 1971 with their totals: October leads with $80.9M, led by The French Connection (1971).
- January $1.6K #1 The Music Lovers (1971)
- February $41.6K #1 Max and the Junkmen (1971)
- March $16.1M #1 Vanishing Point (1971)
- April $142.3K #1 Bananas (1971)
- May $12.7M #1 Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971)
- June $795K #1 Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971)
- July $484.7K #1 The Red Tent (1971)
- August $17.1K #1 Beware of a Holy Whore (1971)
- September No grosses
- October $80.9M #1 The French Connection (1971)
- November $21.3M #1 Play Misty for Me (1971)
- December $73.6M #1 Dirty Harry (1971)
FAQ
Box Office December 1971: 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 6 films as the chart.
What is the highest-grossing movie in December 1971?
Dirty Harry (1971) leads with $36M worldwide, $36M of it in the US & Canada. Next come A Clockwork Orange (1971) at $27M and Gentlemen of Fortune (1971) at $10.6M.
How much did movies released in December 1971 earn?
6 films released in December 1971 report a worldwide gross, $73.6M in all, or $12.3M per film on average. November 1971 releases took $21.3M.
How many movies released in December 1971 made $1 billion?
None. The biggest, Dirty Harry (1971), earned $36M.
How is the December 1971 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 December 1971. 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 December 1971 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.