Yearly chart

1949 Box Office Rankings

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

About the 1949 chart

This 1949 box office chart highlights films released in 1949, 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$93.8Mvisible records

Avg budget$1.6Mbudgeted titles

Top opening—Samson and Delilah

Releases32available for year

1949 quick chart highlights

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

Top gross

Samson and Delilah$11.5M Adam's Rib$9.5M Little Women$5.9M A Letter to Three Wives$5.4M She Wore a Yellow Ribbon$5.4M

Best ROI

Adam's Rib5.48x Samson and Delilah3.83x She Wore a Yellow Ribbon3.38x White Heat2.68x Any Number Can Play2.35x

Gross-minus-budget leaders

Samson and Delilah$8.5M Adam's Rib$7.7M She Wore a Yellow Ribbon$3.8M Little Women$3.1M On the Town$2.3M

1949 movie chart

Sorted by worldwide gross.

#	Movie	Year	Worldwide	Budget	Gross - budget	ROI	Studio / Distributor
1	Samson and Delilah WW Financial	1949	$11.5M	$3.0M	$8.5M	3.83x	Paramount Pictures
2	Adam's Rib WW Financial	1949	$9.5M	$1.7M	$7.7M	5.48x	Metro Goldwyn Mayer
3	Little Women WW Financial	1949	$5.9M	$2.8M	$3.1M	2.13x	Metro Goldwyn Mayer
4	A Letter to Three Wives WW Financial No budget	1949	$5.4M	—	—	—	20th Century Fox
5	She Wore a Yellow Ribbon WW Financial	1949	$5.4M	$1.6M	$3.8M	3.38x	Argosy Pictures
6	On the Town WW Financial	1949	$4.4M	$2.1M	$2.3M	2.08x	Metro Goldwyn Mayer
7	The Barkleys of Broadway WW Financial	1949	$4.4M	$2.3M	$2.2M	1.96x	Metro Goldwyn Mayer
8	White Heat WW Financial	1949	$3.5M	$1.3M	$2.2M	2.68x	Warner Bros. Pictures
9	The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad WW Financial No budget	1949	$3.3M	—	—	—	Walt Disney Productions
10	Twelve O'Clock High WW Financial No budget	1949	$3.2M	—	—	—	20th Century Fox
11	Any Number Can Play WW Financial	1949	$3.2M	$1.4M	$1.8M	2.35x	Metro Goldwyn Mayer
12	Flamingo Road WW Financial	1949	$2.9M	$1.5M	$1.4M	1.90x	Warner Bros. Pictures
13	The Beautiful Blonde from Bashful Bend WW Financial	1949	$2.9M	$2.2M	$697,000	1.32x	20th Century Fox
14	It's a Great Feeling WW Financial	1949	$2.7M	$1.5M	$1.3M	1.87x	Warner Bros. Pictures
15	Champion WW Financial	1949	$2.5M	$600,000	$1.9M	4.17x	Stanley Kramer Productions
16	The Heiress WW Financial	1949	$2.3M	$2.6M	-$300,000	0.88x	Paramount Pictures
17	The Sun Comes Up WW Financial	1949	$2.0M	$1.7M	$385,000	1.23x	Metro Goldwyn Mayer
18	Madame Bovary WW Financial	1949	$2.0M	$2.1M	-$60,000	0.97x	Metro Goldwyn Mayer
19	Mighty Joe Young WW Financial	1949	$2.0M	$1.8M	$150,000	1.08x	Argosy Pictures
20	It Happens Every Spring WW Financial No budget	1949	$1.9M	—	—	—	20th Century Fox
21	Beyond the Forest WW Financial	1949	$1.7M	$1.6M	$149,000	1.09x	Warner Bros. Pictures
22	Bride for Sale WW Financial No budget	1949	$1.7M	—	—	—	Crest Productions
23	Down to the Sea in Ships WW Financial No budget	1949	$1.7M	—	—	—	20th Century Fox
24	Africa Screams WW Financial	1949	$1.5M	$500,000	$1.0M	3.00x	Huntington Hartford Productions
25	Under Capricorn WW Financial	1949	$1.5M	$2.5M	-$1.0M	0.60x	Transatlantic Pictures
26	The Third Man WW Financial No budget Hidden	1949	$1.2M	—	—	—	London Films Productions
27	Challenge to Lassie WW Financial Hidden	1949	$1.2M	$775,000	$380,000	1.49x	Loew's Incorporated
28	Act of Violence WW Financial Hidden	1949	$1.1M	$1.3M	-$161,000	0.88x	Metro Goldwyn Mayer
29	Big Jack WW Financial Hidden	1949	$915,000	$869,000	$46,000	1.05x	Metro Goldwyn Mayer
30	The Passionate Friends WW Financial Hidden	1949	$225,000	$350,000	-$125,000	0.64x	Cineguild
31	The Small Back Room WW Financial Hidden	1949	$135,000	$240,000	-$105,000	0.56x	London Films Productions
32	Stray Dog WW Financial No budget Hidden	1949	$47,005	—	—	—	Film Art Association

Samson and Delilah 1949 · WW Budget $3.0M · Paramount Pictures

$11.5M ROI 3.83x

Adam's Rib 1949 · WW Budget $1.7M · Metro Goldwyn Mayer

$9.5M ROI 5.48x

Little Women 1949 · WW Budget $2.8M · Metro Goldwyn Mayer

$5.9M ROI 2.13x

A Letter to Three Wives 1949 · WW Budget — · 20th Century Fox

$5.4M ROI —

She Wore a Yellow Ribbon 1949 · WW Budget $1.6M · Argosy Pictures

$5.4M ROI 3.38x

On the Town 1949 · WW Budget $2.1M · Metro Goldwyn Mayer

$4.4M ROI 2.08x

The Barkleys of Broadway 1949 · WW Budget $2.3M · Metro Goldwyn Mayer

$4.4M ROI 1.96x

White Heat 1949 · WW Budget $1.3M · Warner Bros. Pictures

$3.5M ROI 2.68x

The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad 1949 · WW Budget — · Walt Disney Productions

$3.3M ROI —

Twelve O'Clock High 1949 · WW Budget — · 20th Century Fox

$3.2M ROI —

Any Number Can Play 1949 · WW Budget $1.4M · Metro Goldwyn Mayer

$3.2M ROI 2.35x

Flamingo Road 1949 · WW Budget $1.5M · Warner Bros. Pictures

$2.9M ROI 1.90x

The Beautiful Blonde from Bashful Bend 1949 · WW Budget $2.2M · 20th Century Fox

$2.9M ROI 1.32x

It's a Great Feeling 1949 · WW Budget $1.5M · Warner Bros. Pictures

$2.7M ROI 1.87x

Champion 1949 · WW Budget $600,000 · Stanley Kramer Productions

$2.5M ROI 4.17x

The Heiress 1949 · WW Budget $2.6M · Paramount Pictures

$2.3M ROI 0.88x

The Sun Comes Up 1949 · WW Budget $1.7M · Metro Goldwyn Mayer

$2.0M ROI 1.23x

Madame Bovary 1949 · WW Budget $2.1M · Metro Goldwyn Mayer

$2.0M ROI 0.97x

Mighty Joe Young 1949 · WW Budget $1.8M · Argosy Pictures

$2.0M ROI 1.08x

It Happens Every Spring 1949 · WW Budget — · 20th Century Fox

$1.9M ROI —

Beyond the Forest 1949 · WW Budget $1.6M · Warner Bros. Pictures

$1.7M ROI 1.09x

Bride for Sale 1949 · WW Budget — · Crest Productions

$1.7M ROI —

Down to the Sea in Ships 1949 · WW Budget — · 20th Century Fox

$1.7M ROI —

Africa Screams 1949 · WW Budget $500,000 · Huntington Hartford Productions

$1.5M ROI 3.00x

Under Capricorn 1949 · WW Budget $2.5M · Transatlantic Pictures

$1.5M ROI 0.60x

The Third Man 1949 · WW Budget — · London Films Productions

$1.2M ROI —

Challenge to Lassie 1949 · WW Budget $775,000 · Loew's Incorporated

$1.2M ROI 1.49x

Act of Violence 1949 · WW Budget $1.3M · Metro Goldwyn Mayer

$1.1M ROI 0.88x

Big Jack 1949 · WW Budget $869,000 · Metro Goldwyn Mayer

$915,000 ROI 1.05x

The Passionate Friends 1949 · WW Budget $350,000 · Cineguild

$225,000 ROI 0.64x

The Small Back Room 1949 · WW Budget $240,000 · London Films Productions

$135,000 ROI 0.56x

Stray Dog 1949 · WW Budget — · Film Art Association

$47,005 ROI —

1949 box office FAQ

Helpful answers about the 1949 box office chart.

How many movies are included in the 1949 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.