Yearly chart

1936 Box Office Rankings

Year-specific reference chart with worldwide gross, reported budgets, openings and ROI where available.

About the 1936 chart

This 1936 box office chart highlights films released in 1936, using available worldwide gross, budget, gross-minus-budget and ROI data. Some titles may have richer financial detail than others, depending on source coverage and later corrections.

Year gross$38.6Mvisible records

Avg budget$840,377budgeted titles

Top opening—San Francisco

Releases19available for year

1936 quick chart highlights

Additional ways to explore the year’s highest-performing titles.

Top gross

San Francisco$5.3M The Great Ziegfeld$4.7M Rose Marie$3.5M After the Thin Man$3.2M Anthony Adverse$2.8M

Best ROI

San Francisco4.06x Anthony Adverse2.31x The Charge of the Light Brigade2.28x The Great Ziegfeld2.14x The Gorgeous Hussy1.80x

Gross-minus-budget leaders

San Francisco$4.0M Rose Marie$2.6M After the Thin Man$2.5M The Great Ziegfeld$2.5M Follow the Fleet$2.0M

1936 movie chart

Sorted by worldwide gross.

#	Movie	Year	Worldwide	Budget	Gross - budget	ROI	Studio / Distributor
1	San Francisco WW Financial	1936	$5.3M	$1.3M	$4.0M	4.06x	Metro Goldwyn Mayer
2	The Great Ziegfeld WW Financial	1936	$4.7M	$2.2M	$2.5M	2.14x	Metro Goldwyn Mayer
3	Rose Marie WW Financial	1936	$3.5M	$875,000	$2.6M	4.02x	Metro Goldwyn Mayer
4	After the Thin Man WW Financial	1936	$3.2M	$673,000	$2.5M	4.70x	Metro Goldwyn Mayer
5	Anthony Adverse WW Financial	1936	$2.8M	$1.2M	$1.6M	2.31x	Warner Bros. Pictures
6	The Charge of the Light Brigade WW Financial	1936	$2.7M	$1.2M	$1.5M	2.28x	Warner Bros. Pictures
7	Follow the Fleet WW Financial	1936	$2.7M	$747,000	$2.0M	3.65x	RKO Radio Pictures
8	Swing Time WW Financial	1936	$2.6M	$886,000	$1.7M	2.93x	RKO Radio Pictures
9	The Gorgeous Hussy WW Financial	1936	$2.0M	$1.1M	$900,000	1.80x	Metro Goldwyn Mayer
10	Modern Times WW Financial	1936	$1.8M	$1.5M	$300,000	1.20x	Charles Chaplin Productions
11	The White Angel WW Financial	1936	$1.4M	$506,000	$910,000	2.80x	Warner Bros. Pictures
12	Fury WW Financial	1936	$1.3M	$604,000	$696,000	2.15x	Metro Goldwyn Mayer
13	Mary of Scotland WW Financial	1936	$1.3M	$864,000	$412,000	1.48x	RKO Radio Pictures
14	Little Lord Fauntleroy WW Financial	1936	$1.0M	$590,000	$447,000	1.76x	Selznick International Pictures
15	My Man Godfrey WW Financial	1936	$684,200	$575,375	$108,825	1.19x	Universal Pictures
16	The Bride Walks Out WW Financial	1936	$670,000	$289,000	$381,000	2.32x	RKO Radio Pictures
17	A Woman Rebels WW Financial	1936	$583,000	$574,000	$9,000	1.02x	RKO Radio Pictures
18	Big Brown Eyes WW Financial	1936	$359,009	$289,696	$69,313	1.24x	Walter Wanger Productions
19	Old and New Shanghai WW Financial	1936	$100	$100	—	1.00x	—

San Francisco 1936 · WW Budget $1.3M · Metro Goldwyn Mayer

$5.3M ROI 4.06x

The Great Ziegfeld 1936 · WW Budget $2.2M · Metro Goldwyn Mayer

$4.7M ROI 2.14x

Rose Marie 1936 · WW Budget $875,000 · Metro Goldwyn Mayer

$3.5M ROI 4.02x

After the Thin Man 1936 · WW Budget $673,000 · Metro Goldwyn Mayer

$3.2M ROI 4.70x

Anthony Adverse 1936 · WW Budget $1.2M · Warner Bros. Pictures

$2.8M ROI 2.31x

The Charge of the Light Brigade 1936 · WW Budget $1.2M · Warner Bros. Pictures

$2.7M ROI 2.28x

Follow the Fleet 1936 · WW Budget $747,000 · RKO Radio Pictures

$2.7M ROI 3.65x

Swing Time 1936 · WW Budget $886,000 · RKO Radio Pictures

$2.6M ROI 2.93x

The Gorgeous Hussy 1936 · WW Budget $1.1M · Metro Goldwyn Mayer

$2.0M ROI 1.80x

Modern Times 1936 · WW Budget $1.5M · Charles Chaplin Productions

$1.8M ROI 1.20x

The White Angel 1936 · WW Budget $506,000 · Warner Bros. Pictures

$1.4M ROI 2.80x

Fury 1936 · WW Budget $604,000 · Metro Goldwyn Mayer

$1.3M ROI 2.15x

Mary of Scotland 1936 · WW Budget $864,000 · RKO Radio Pictures

$1.3M ROI 1.48x

Little Lord Fauntleroy 1936 · WW Budget $590,000 · Selznick International Pictures

$1.0M ROI 1.76x

My Man Godfrey 1936 · WW Budget $575,375 · Universal Pictures

$684,200 ROI 1.19x

The Bride Walks Out 1936 · WW Budget $289,000 · RKO Radio Pictures

$670,000 ROI 2.32x

A Woman Rebels 1936 · WW Budget $574,000 · RKO Radio Pictures

$583,000 ROI 1.02x

Big Brown Eyes 1936 · WW Budget $289,696 · Walter Wanger Productions

$359,009 ROI 1.24x

Old and New Shanghai 1936 · WW Budget $100

$100 ROI 1.00x

1936 box office FAQ

Helpful answers about the 1936 box office chart.

How many movies are included in the 1936 box office chart?

The number of titles depends on available box office data for that release year. More records can appear as source coverage improves.

Why do some movies have more detailed box office pages?

Some titles have more complete financial, ranking and source information available. Titles with less reliable supporting data may remain listed in ranking tables until more detail is available.

What does worldwide gross mean?

Worldwide gross refers to reported theatrical box office revenue across all available markets before any later home entertainment or streaming revenue.

How is ROI calculated?

ROI is calculated from available gross and budget data. Where budget or revenue is missing, ROI may be unavailable or marked as estimated depending on the source quality.

Can more films be expanded with full box office details later?

Yes. A title can receive a more detailed page when reliable financial data, source links and useful context become available.