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Box office · May 1971

May 1971 Box Office: The Highest-Grossing May Releases

Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971) is the highest-grossing movie released in May 1971, with $12.3M worldwide, ahead of Wake in Fright (1971) at $269.3K and Four Nights of a Dreamer (1971) at $72.1K. 4 films released in May 1971 report a worldwide gross, $12.7M in all, 98% of it from the US & Canada.

May 1971 releases with a gross
4
combined worldwide
$12.7M
Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971), the #1
$12.3M
earned in the US & Canada
98%
Top 4

What Were the Biggest Hits of May 1971?

Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971) leads with $12.3M, 97% of the total. The top 4 together took $12.7M, 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.

  1. Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971) movie poster Number 1
    $12.3M Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971)
    $12.3M US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%
  2. Wake in Fright (1971) movie poster Number 2
    $269.3K Wake in Fright (1971)
    $50.4K US & Canada · 19% $218.9K elsewhere · 81%
  3. Four Nights of a Dreamer (1971) movie poster Number 3
    $72.1K Four Nights of a Dreamer (1971)
    $56.6K US & Canada · 79% $15.5K elsewhere · 21%
  4. Daughters of Darkness (1971) movie poster Number 4
    $1.1K Daughters of Darkness (1971)
    No US & Canada figure reported

US & Canada (domestic) Rest of the world

The chart

Every Release of May 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 May 1971.

  1. 1 Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971) movie poster
    Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971) May 21, 1971 · English · Action, Sci-Fi $12.3M worldwide
    May 21, 1971 US and Canada: $12.3M Rest of the world: Worldwide: $12.3M
  2. 2 Wake in Fright (1971) movie poster
    Wake in Fright (1971) May 12, 1971 · English · Thriller, Drama $269.3K worldwide
    May 12, 1971 US and Canada: $50.4K Rest of the world: $218.9K Worldwide: $269.3K
  3. 3 Four Nights of a Dreamer (1971) movie poster
    Four Nights of a Dreamer (1971) May 13, 1971 · French · Drama, Romance $72.1K worldwide
    May 13, 1971 US and Canada: $56.6K Rest of the world: $15.5K Worldwide: $72.1K
  4. 4 Daughters of Darkness (1971) movie poster
    Daughters of Darkness (1971) May 28, 1971 · English · Thriller, Horror $1.1K worldwide
    May 28, 1971 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $1.1K
US & Canada vs the world

Where Did the Money Come From in May 1971?

Of the top 4, Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971) earned the biggest share at home (100% in the US & Canada), while Wake in Fright (1971) made 81% of its gross abroad. Across all 4 films, $12.5M (98%) came from the US & Canada. 1 film of the top 4 reports no US & Canada figure.

  1. 1 Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971) $12.3M
    $12.3M US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%
  2. 2 Wake in Fright (1971) $269.3K
    $50.4K US & Canada · 19% $218.9K elsewhere · 81%
  3. 3 Four Nights of a Dreamer (1971) $72.1K
    $56.6K US & Canada · 79% $15.5K elsewhere · 21%
  4. 4 Daughters of Darkness (1971) $1.1K
    No US & Canada figure reported
By release week

Which Week of May 1971 Had the Biggest Releases?

Films released in week 21 (May 16–22) took $12.3M, led by Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971). Each column links to that week's chart; weeks are Sunday to Saturday.

  1. Week 18 Wk 18 Apr 25–May 1 No reported grosses – No reported grosses
  2. Week 19 Wk 19 May 2–8 No reported grosses – No reported grosses
  3. Week 20 Wk 20 May 9–15 Wake in Fright (1971) $341.4K Wake in Fright (1971)
  4. Week 21 Wk 21 May 16–22 Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971) $12.3M Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971)
  5. Week 22 Wk 22 May 23–29 Daughters of Darkness (1971) $1.1K Daughters of Darkness (1971)
  6. Week 23 Wk 23 May 30–Jun 5 No reported grosses – No reported grosses
Earlier years

How Does May 1971 Compare With May in Earlier Years?

Of these 10 years, May 1968 earned the most: $44.9M from 5 films, led by The Odd Couple (1968). May 1971 took $12.7M.

Month Films Worldwide Change Biggest film
May 1962 4 films 4 $54.9K – Le Combat dans l’île (1962) $50K
May 1963 2 films · +29371% 2 $16.2M +29371% Dr. No (1963) $16.1M
May 1964 2 films · +53% 2 $24.8M +53% From Russia with Love (1964) $24.8M
May 1965 2 films · −100% 2 $82.2K −100% Alphaville (1965) $66.7K
May 1966 4 films · +110% 4 $172.7K +110% A Man and a Woman (1966) $136.5K
May 1967 5 films · +5926% 5 $10.4M +5926% The War Wagon (1967) $6M
May 1968 5 films · +332% 5 $44.9M +332% The Odd Couple (1968) $44.5M
May 1969 5 films · ±0% 5 $44.9M ±0% Midnight Cowboy (1969) $44.8M
May 1970 2 films · −28% 2 $32.3M −28% Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970) $19M
May 1971 4 films · −61% 4 $12.7M −61% Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971) $12.3M
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).

FAQ

Box Office May 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 4 films as the chart.

What is the highest-grossing movie in May 1971?

Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971) leads with $12.3M worldwide, $12.3M of it in the US & Canada. Next come Wake in Fright (1971) at $269.3K and Four Nights of a Dreamer (1971) at $72.1K.

How much did movies released in May 1971 earn?

4 films released in May 1971 report a worldwide gross, $12.7M in all, or $3.2M per film on average.

How many movies released in May 1971 made $1 billion?

None. The biggest, Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971), earned $12.3M.

How much of the May 1971 box office came from the US and Canada?

$12.5M of the $12.7M total, or 98%, was earned in the US & Canada (the domestic market); the rest came from other countries. 1 film of the 4 report no domestic figure.

How is the May 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 May 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 May 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.