Yearly chart

1940 Box Office Rankings

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

About the 1940 chart

This 1940 box office chart highlights films released in 1940, 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$290.3Mvisible records

Avg budget$1.1Mbudgeted titles

Top opening—Pinocchio

Releases21available for year

1940 quick chart highlights

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

Top gross

Pinocchio$164.0M Fantasia$76.4M The Great Dictator$11.0M Boom Town$5.0M The Mark of Zorro$4.0M

Best ROI

Pinocchio63.08x Fantasia33.51x The Great Dictator5.50x The Mark of Zorro4.00x Boom Town3.13x

Gross-minus-budget leaders

Pinocchio$161.4M Fantasia$74.1M The Great Dictator$9.0M Boom Town$3.4M The Mark of Zorro$3.0M

1940 movie chart

Sorted by worldwide gross.

#	Movie	Year	Worldwide	Budget	Gross - budget	ROI	Studio / Distributor
1	Pinocchio WW Financial	1940	$164.0M	$2.6M	$161.4M	63.08x	Walt Disney Productions
2	Fantasia WW Financial	1940	$76.4M	$2.3M	$74.1M	33.51x	Walt Disney Productions
3	The Great Dictator WW Financial	1940	$11.0M	$2.0M	$9.0M	5.50x	Charles Chaplin Productions
4	Boom Town WW Financial	1940	$5.0M	$1.6M	$3.4M	3.13x	Metro Goldwyn Mayer
5	The Mark of Zorro WW Financial	1940	$4.0M	$1.0M	$3.0M	4.00x	20th Century Fox
6	The Philadelphia Story WW Financial	1940	$3.3M	$914,000	$2.4M	3.61x	Metro Goldwyn Mayer
7	Road to Singapore WW Financial No budget	1940	$3.2M	—	—	—	Paramount Pictures
8	Andy Hardy Meets Debutante WW Financial	1940	$2.6M	$436,000	$2.2M	6.02x	Metro Goldwyn Mayer
9	Süss, the Jew WW Financial	1940	$2.5M	$800,000	$1.7M	3.16x	Terra Filmkunst
10	New Moon WW Financial	1940	$2.5M	$1.5M	$1.0M	1.70x	Metro Goldwyn Mayer
11	Waterloo Bridge WW Financial	1940	$2.5M	$1.2M	$1.3M	2.08x	Metro Goldwyn Mayer
12	Virginia City WW Financial	1940	$2.4M	$1.2M	$1.2M	2.01x	Warner Bros. Pictures
13	Bitter Sweet WW Financial	1940	$2.2M	$1.1M	$1.1M	2.00x	Metro Goldwyn Mayer
14	My Favorite Wife WW Financial	1940	$2.1M	$921,000	$1.1M	2.23x	RKO Radio Pictures
15	The Sea Hawk WW Financial	1940	$2.0M	$1.7M	$300,000	1.18x	Warner Bros. Pictures
16	They Drive by Night WW Financial	1940	$1.6M	$539,000	$1.1M	2.96x	Warner Bros. Pictures
17	The Grapes of Wrath WW Financial	1940	$1.6M	$800,000	$791,000	1.99x	20th Century Fox
18	The House Across the Bay WW Financial	1940	$684,374	$713,965	-$29,591	0.96x	Walter Wanger Productions
19	The Invisible Woman WW Financial	1940	$659,600	$269,062	$390,538	2.45x	Universal Pictures
20	The Spook Speaks WW Financial	1940	$52,500	$15,000	$37,500	3.50x	Columbia Pictures
21	Karusellen går WW Financial	1940	$60	$50	$10	1.20x	Svensk Talfilm

Pinocchio 1940 · WW Budget $2.6M · Walt Disney Productions

$164.0M ROI 63.08x

Fantasia 1940 · WW Budget $2.3M · Walt Disney Productions

$76.4M ROI 33.51x

The Great Dictator 1940 · WW Budget $2.0M · Charles Chaplin Productions

$11.0M ROI 5.50x

Boom Town 1940 · WW Budget $1.6M · Metro Goldwyn Mayer

$5.0M ROI 3.13x

The Mark of Zorro 1940 · WW Budget $1.0M · 20th Century Fox

$4.0M ROI 4.00x

The Philadelphia Story 1940 · WW Budget $914,000 · Metro Goldwyn Mayer

$3.3M ROI 3.61x

Road to Singapore 1940 · WW Budget — · Paramount Pictures

$3.2M ROI —

Andy Hardy Meets Debutante 1940 · WW Budget $436,000 · Metro Goldwyn Mayer

$2.6M ROI 6.02x

Süss, the Jew 1940 · WW Budget $800,000 · Terra Filmkunst

$2.5M ROI 3.16x

New Moon 1940 · WW Budget $1.5M · Metro Goldwyn Mayer

$2.5M ROI 1.70x

Waterloo Bridge 1940 · WW Budget $1.2M · Metro Goldwyn Mayer

$2.5M ROI 2.08x

Virginia City 1940 · WW Budget $1.2M · Warner Bros. Pictures

$2.4M ROI 2.01x

Bitter Sweet 1940 · WW Budget $1.1M · Metro Goldwyn Mayer

$2.2M ROI 2.00x

My Favorite Wife 1940 · WW Budget $921,000 · RKO Radio Pictures

$2.1M ROI 2.23x

The Sea Hawk 1940 · WW Budget $1.7M · Warner Bros. Pictures

$2.0M ROI 1.18x

They Drive by Night 1940 · WW Budget $539,000 · Warner Bros. Pictures

$1.6M ROI 2.96x

The Grapes of Wrath 1940 · WW Budget $800,000 · 20th Century Fox

$1.6M ROI 1.99x

The House Across the Bay 1940 · WW Budget $713,965 · Walter Wanger Productions

$684,374 ROI 0.96x

The Invisible Woman 1940 · WW Budget $269,062 · Universal Pictures

$659,600 ROI 2.45x

The Spook Speaks 1940 · WW Budget $15,000 · Columbia Pictures

$52,500 ROI 3.50x

Karusellen går 1940 · WW Budget $50 · Svensk Talfilm

$60 ROI 1.20x

1940 box office FAQ

Helpful answers about the 1940 box office chart.

How many movies are included in the 1940 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.