1959 Top Grossing Movies

Finding box office information for movies made before 1980 is not an easy task.   For somebody looking for box office information on 1959 it is very very frustrating.  Over the years, we have researched and collected information on over 30,000 movies.  So we figured we would show all the 1959 movies in our database.

To make this list a movie had to be made in 1959.  This page will looks at 123 1959 Top Grossing Movies.  The movies are listed in a massive table that lets you rank the movies from Best to Worst in six different sortable columns of informationSo why 1959?  There are a couple of reasons….(1) Headed to Alabama for the rest of the holiday and (2) this year gives Steve Lensman’s favorite movie….Ben-Hur….lots of respect.

Our UMR Top 50 of 1959

1959 Top Grossing Movies Can Be Ranked 6 Ways In This Table

The really cool thing about this table is that it is “user-sortable”. Rank the movies anyway you want.

  • Sort 1959 Top Grossing Movies by the stars or in some cases the director of the movie.
  • Sort 1959 Top Grossing Movies by stars of the movie
  • Sort 1959 Top Grossing Movies by domestic adjusted box office grosses using current movie ticket cost (in millions)
  • Sort 1959 Top Grossing Movies how they were received by critics and audiences.  60% rating or higher should indicate a good movie.
  • Sort by how many Oscar® nominations each 1959 Top Grossing Movies received and how many Oscar® wins each 1959 Top Grossing Movies received.
  • Sort 1959 Top Grossing Movies by Ultimate Movie Ranking Score (UMR).  Our UMR score puts box office, reviews and awards into a mathematical equation and gives each movie a score.

1959 Box Office Grosses – Adjusted World Wide

 Top earners in 1959 for Adjusted USA Box Office:

My Main Sources

Source 1: Variety – January 4th, 1961 Page 47

Source 2: Twentieth Century-Fox A Corporate and Financial History by Aubrey Solomon

Source 3:  Wikipedia

Source 4:  IMDb.com

Source 5:  BoxOfficeMojo.com


How the Box Office Numbers were Calculated 

Sadly in 1959….BoxOfficeMojo was not around to keep track of box office earnings. Back then earnings seem to be a secret and a secret that needed to be safely locked up.  When studios did report box office stats they used “box office rentals”.  Box office rentals were the amount of money the studio got back from the theaters.  It is NOT the box office gross.  Every year the rental to box office gross percentage changed…in 1959 this meant you had to triple the rentals to get the gross….so the multiplier used in this page was 3.0.

My Yearly Review Pages

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53 thoughts on “1959 Top Grossing Movies

  1. It’s difficult to count up all the 1959’s I’ve seen Ben Hur years ago on TV and Darby O’Gill in the movie theater (on a re-issue in the 1970’s), I can easily pull up all in order of the past 24 years after I hit film 8000 (don’t know what it is). Now the total is over 22,000. This list is all I’ve seen since the end of 1992, the date I saw it and the source (TV channel, DVD or tape). Movies listed by one I think is an over the air Fox affiliate in New York. Discounting a Disney made for TV I’ve seen 113 1959 films in the past 24. Some are on your list, more are obscure.

    LEGEND OF TOM DOOLEY COL 11/20 1992 TNT
    TARZAN, THE APE MAN MGM 12/28 1992 TNT
    GUNMEN FROM LAREDO COL 1/3 1993 TNT
    ALLIGATOR PEOPLE FOX 1/10 1993 AMC
    ISLAND OF LOST WOMEN WB 1/13 1993 TNT
    THUNDER IN THE SUN PAR 2/8 1993 AMC
    MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT COL 2/15 1993 TNT
    AL CAPONE AA 2/17 1993 TNT
    F.B.I. STORY WB 2/22 1993 A & E
    TAKE A GIANT STEP UA 2/23 1993 TNT
    WORLD, THE FLESH & THE DEVIL MGM 2/27 1993 TNT
    FACE OF FIRE AA 2/28 1993 TNT
    EDGE OF ETERNITY COL 3/17 1993 TNT
    JOHN PAUL JONES WB 4/14 1993 TNT
    BLACK ORCHID PAR 4/24 1993 AMC
    BATTLE OF THE CORAL SEA COL 4/27 1993 TNT
    ANATOMY OF A MURDER COL 5/19 1993 TNT
    BATTLE IN OUTER SPACE (JAP.) COL 6/9 1993 TNT
    THE MUMMY (U.K.) UNI 6/16 1993 TNT
    THAT KIND OF WOMAN PAR 7/15 1993 AMC
    RIOT IN JUVENILE PRISON UA 9/11 1993 TNT
    H-MAN (JAP.) COL 9/25 1993 TNT
    WRECK OF THE MARY DEARE MGM 10/9 1993 TNT
    GENE KRUPA STORY COL 10/23 1993 TNT
    FACE OF A FUGITIVE COL 10/24 1993 TNT
    INVISIBLE INVADERS UA 1/2 1994 7
    HANGING TREE WB 1/6 1994 FAM
    RABBIT TRAP UA 1/25 1994 TNT
    REBEL SET AA 3/31 1994 COM
    ATTACK OF THE GIANT LEECHES AIP 5/8 1994 COM
    JET OVER THE ATLANTIC INTERCONTINENTAL 5/10 1994 AMC
    STRANGER IN MY ARMS UNI 7/4 1994 AMC
    UP PERISCOPE WB 7/4 1994 TBS
    DEVIL’S DISCIPLE (U.K.) UA 7/23 1994 TMC
    DADDY-O AIP 8/6 1994 COM
    THE BEATNIKS BAJUL INTL. 9/22 1994 COM
    S.O.S. PACIFIC (U.K.) UNI 11/3 1994 55
    GIANT GILA MONSTER MCLENDON 11/24 1994 COM
    MASTERS OF VENUS (U.K.) WALLACE/CFT 5/7 1994 TAPE
    TEENAGERS FROM OUTER SPACE WB 1/28 1995 COM
    TEN SECONDS TO HELL UA 2/25 1995 TNT
    4 D MAN UNI 3/19 1995 TNT
    FOUR SKULLS OF JONATHAN DRAKE UA 7/2 1995 TNT
    LAST MILE UA 7/30 1995 TNT
    BROTH OF A BOY (IR.) KINGSLEY 8/6 1995 21
    MONEY, WOMEN AND GUNS UNI 8/16 1995 AMC
    MOOKIE OF THE LITTLE LEAGUE (MTV) BV 8/22 1995 DIS
    THEY CAME TO CORDURA COL 9/7 1995 TNT
    STEP DOWN TO TERROR UNI 11/9 1995 AMC
    WILD AND THE INNOCENT UNI 12/6 1995 AMC
    MAN ACCUSED (U.K.) DANZIGER 1/8 1996 TMC
    TONKA BV 1/11 1996 DIS
    YELLOWSTONE KELLY WB 6/3 1996 TNT
    I’M ALL RIGHT JACK (U.K.) COL 5/25 1997 21
    SEDUCED FOR LIFE (U.K.) UA 6/24 1997 TMC
    CURSE OF THE UNDEAD UNI 7/20 1997 SCI
    CRIMSON KIMONO COL 10/2 1997 BRAVO
    ANGRY HILLS (U.K.) MGM 10/28 1998 TCM
    LIBEL (U.K.) MGM 11/8 1998 TCM
    JOURNEY, THE MGM 5/26 1999 TCM
    IT STARTED WITH A KISS MGM 7/14 1999 TCM
    I, MOBSTER FOX 7/28 1999 AMC
    MAN IN THE NET UA 10/11 1999 TCM
    PIER 5, HAVANA UA 1/12 2000 TCM
    INSIDE THE MAFIA UA 1/18 2000 TCM
    KISS HER GOODBYE SHOWCORPORATION 1/23 2000 AMC
    TANK COMMANDOS AIP 2/1 2000 AMC
    MAN WHO UNDERSTOOD WOMEN FOX 3/13 2000 FXM
    PRIVATE’S AFFAIR FOX 5/27 2000 FXM
    GANGSTER STORY REP 7/7 2000 ACTN
    OREGON TRAIL FOX 8/9 2000 FXM
    BLUE ANGEL FOX 8/10 2000 FXM
    SUBWAY IN THE SKY (U.K.) UA 12/18 2000 TCM
    THE SCAPEGOAT (U.K.) MGM 12/18 2000 TCM
    VERBOTEN COL 5/28 2001 TCM
    PARATROOP COMMAND AIP 10/9 2001 AMC
    SEASON OF PASSION UA 10/16 2001 TCM
    TERROR IS A MAN VALIANT 11/12 2001 TCM
    BOBBIKINS FOX 3/24 2003 FXM
    MAGIC BOY (CARTOON – JAP.) MGM 9/8 2003 TCM
    FIVE GATES TO HELL FOX 3/11 2004 FXM
    FRONTIER RANGERS MGM 11/21 2005 TCM
    KILLER SHREWS MCLENDON 4/23 2007 TCM
    BLOOD AND STEEL FOX 1/22 2007 FXM
    FLYING FONTAINES COL 1/24 2007 TCM
    JUKE BOX RHYTHM COL 1/29 2007 TCM
    CAST A LONG SHADOW UA 3/27 2007 TCM
    BUCKET OF BLOOD AIP 4/8 2007 TCM
    GIANT OF MARATHON (IT-FR) MGM 4/30 2008 DVD
    ROOKIE, THE FOX 7/7 2008 FXM
    OPERATION DAMES AIP 1/12 2009 AMC
    TOO MANY CROOKS (U.K.) LOPERT 3/16 2009 TCM
    1001 ARABIAN NIGHTS COL 3/26 2009 TCM
    ROOM AT THE TOP (U.K.) CONTINENTAL 3/29 2009 TCM
    IDOL ON PARADE (U.K.) COL 4/28 2009 TCM
    TIMBUKTO UA 6/12 2009 TCM
    MUSTANG UA 12/14 2009 WEST
    JOYFUL MYSTERIES (SP.) FAMILY THEATER 1/1 2010 DVD
    SORROWFUL MYSTERIES (SP.) FAMILY THEATER 1/18 2010 DVD
    HEROD THE GREAT (IT-FR) AA 3/18 2010 DVD
    GLORIOUS MYSTERIES (SP.) SAN PAULO FILMS / FAMILY THEATER 3/28 2010 DVD
    YOUNG LAND COL 10/31 2010 DVD
    ALASKA PASSAGE FOX 11/10 2010 FXM
    CRIME AND PUNISHMENT U.S.A. AA 7/9 2012 TCM
    YESTERDAY’S ENEMY (U.K.) COL 11/7 2012 TCM
    MIRACLE, THE WB 12/10 2012 TCM
    COME BACK AFRICA (DOC.) 3/14 2013 TCM
    HIGH SCHOOL BIG SHOT FILMGROUP 3/18 2013 DVD
    BEAST FROM HAUNTED COVE FILMGROUP 6/1 2013 TCM
    GREAT ST. LOUIS BANK ROBBERY UA 11/1 2013 DVD
    NAKED MAJA UA 1/11 2014 TCM
    COUNTERPLOT UA 11/19 2014 TCM
    CARRY ON SERGEANT (U.K.) GOVERNOR 12/13 2014 TCM
    HANGED MAN PAR 3/25 2015 MOVIES

    1. The beginning of that should have read more like;

      It’s difficult to count up all the 1959’s I’ve seen. Ben Hur years ago on TV and Darby O’Gill in the movie theater (on a re-issue in the 1970’s), I can easily pull up all films I’ve seen in order from the past 24 years that were seen on TV, DVD and tape since I saw film #8000 (don’t know what it is). Now I’ve seen over 22,000.

      1. Hey Dan…..got it. 22,000 is an impressive number. I am sure I am in that range too. I have a few of my many years logged…but so many of my many years not logged. With Letterboxd..com I am able to know the order I have seen them in.

    2. Hey Dan
      1. First of all…congrats on having one awesome database.
      2. I am truly impressed that you are able to come up with this information.
      3. Will have to continue this comment after lunch…..darn family duties…lol.

    3. In our tally count thinking Dan is the easy winner. I stopped counting when I passed Steve’s total. Love how you have this information broken down. My wife has a section in the database that alllows me to do the same thing. So far I have only taken advantage of that a few times. Best Cogerson trivia in this page? Yellowstone Kelly was the first movie my parents saw together. Thanks for this great comment and all the rest of your comments in 2016.

  2. I’ve seen about 20 of 1959’s list, it produced some classic movies. Some Like It Hot, Pillow-talk, Ben Hur, Anatomy of Murder, Imitation of Life. In a way it was probably Hollywood’s last hurray, T.V. had taken over as the number 1 mass entertainment. Within the next couple of years, Rock n Roll would overtake Hollywood in influence.
    One thing I noticed is that there were no big musicals, truly the end of an era. Oh yes and I forgot about North by North West. One of Hitch’s best.
    I would say my favourite would have to be Some Like It Hot, followed by Pillow-talk. Great page.

    PS. All the best for 2017.

    1. Hey Chris
      1. You are corrrect…musicals took this year off….but some big musicals were coming down the road…West Side Story and The Sound of Music….both would get the musical ball rolling again.
      2. You make a good point about this being Hollywood’s last hurrah.
      3. This is a stellar Top 10…..filled with great movies.
      4. I like your two favorites…but they both take a back seat to my favorite….North by Northwest…..all three are all-time classics.
      Hope your New Year goes awesome….thanks for the visit and the comment.

  3. I have seen 8 of the movies in 1959 – most of them in the top 20, although I still have not seen Ben Hur. The highest ranked film I have seen is number 2, Some Like it Hot. The lowest ranked film I have seen is Plan Nine From Outer Space.

    My favourite is North By Northwest.

    1. Hey Flora….thanks for the visit, the comment and the tally count. Steve gets the top prize again. Wow that is two movies on the opposite side of good and bad……Some Like It Hot and Plan 9 From Outer Space. I am right there with you about Cary Grant and Alfred Hitchcock’s North by Northwest. Hope you are having a wonderful holiday.

  4. 1959 – the year of Ben-Hur, my current favorite movie. Back in the 1970s my top favorites would have been – Jaws, Star Wars, The Omega Man, The Exorcist and Enter the Dragon.

    I’ve seen just 26 of the 110 movies listed here, I expected more. Other favorites include – North by Northwest, Some Like it Hot, Journey to the Center of the Earth, Sleeping Beauty, Last Train from Gun Hill and Rio Bravo.

    Notable movies I’ve missed or can’t remember seeing – The FBI Story, Anatomy of a Murder, The Nuns Story and The Diary of Anne Frank.

    Good to see Ben-Hur topping the UMR chart and the box office chart, the adjusted gross of a billion dollars in the US & Canada is very impressive, what was the worldwide gross $2b?

    Looking at the critics chart- four of my favorites are on there with North by Northwest at the top, I watched that again a few days ago. And either Casablanca, Some Like it Hot or Dr. Strangelove on New Years Eve,

    Cheers Bruce, 1959 was a good year. Vote Up!

    (btw you still have ‘1976’ in the second paragraph at the top)

    1. Hey Steve
      1. You 26, Laurent 23, me 21 and Flora 8….so another victory for you.
      2. Glad you found this page…..I ran out of time yesterday as we were packing for our Alabama trip…..when I thought I will do another year page….and you and your Ben-Hur popped into my mind….and now we have a 1959 Movie Page.
      3. Interesting Top 5 in the 1970s…..Jaws has worked it’s way on to my list of all-time favorite movies. One day I will have to share that list here.
      4. I need to check out Last Train To Gun Hill….you and Bob have talked very highly of that movie.
      5. Sorry I do not have the worldwide gross on Ben-Hur….but I bet if it is not over 2 billion it is very close to that number.
      6. Of the notables that you have missed….I would say Anatomy of a Murder is the one to see…..you get a good story….classic Stewart and a young George C. Scott. A Nun’s Story bored me to death….FBI Story was edited by J.Edgar…..who was not known for his editing skills….lol.
      As always….it is greatly appreciated that you shared your thoughts on 1959 movies.

  5. Hello Bruce,

    Good idea this page on 1959. It was a very good year. Ben-Hur is one of the better movie of all-time, in my opinion. My other favorites movies are North by Northwest (my favorite Hitchcock with Notorious and Spellbound), Some Like It Hot and Rio Bravo (the better Hawk’s western for me). I love Journey to the Center of the Earth and Horse Soldiers.
    In France Ben-Hur still the 12th biggest success of all-time. Other big success in France of this year : Sleeping beauty, Some Like It hot, Solomon and Sheba, Rio Bravo (but with the 70’s reissue), North By Northwest and The Inn of the Sixth Happiness.
    I’ve seen 23 movies of the list.

    1. Hey Laurent…..thanks for checking out this new page. I am sure you already had most of these movies in your database. You and Steve agree on Ben-Hur….as that is one of his favorite movies too. North by Northwest is my personal favorite of these movies….I thank my dad for that….as North by Northwest was his favorite. He loved the crop dusting and auction scenes the most. Thanks for sharing the movies that were big hits in France. Surprised that Solomon and Sheba was successful there…..it has a pretty bad rep. Thanks for the visit and the comment.

      Tally count:
      Steve….26
      Laurent 23
      Cogerson 21
      Flora 8

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