1963 Top Box Office Movies

Finding box office information for movies made before 1980 is not an easy task.   For somebody looking for box office information on 1963 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 1963 movies in our database.

To make this list a movie had to be made in 1963.  This page will looks at 108 1963 Top Box Office 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 information.    This only represents about 25% of the movies made in 1963….but should cover the top box office movies.

Our UMR Top 50 of 1963

1963 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 1963 Top Box Office Movies by movie titles and movie trailers
  • Sort 1963 Top Box Office Movies by the stars or in some cases the director of the movie.
  • Sort 1963 Top Box Office Movies by stars of the movie
  • Sort 1963 Top Box Office Movies by domestic adjusted box office grosses using current movie ticket cost (in millions)
  • Sort 1963 Top Box Office 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 1963 Top Box Office Movies received and how many Oscar® wins each 1962 Top Box Office Movies received.
  • Sort 1963Top Box Office 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.
 
Paul Newman and Melvyn Douglas in Hud

 Top earners in 1963 for Adjusted USA Box Office:

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44 thoughts on “1963 Top Box Office Movies”

  1. 1 BRUCE. Some of my old 1950s “chums” had sadly prematurely passed on by the time the 60s arrived such as Ty Power, Bogie and Flynn, and in 1963 it would not be long before Laddie unfortunately joined them the following year, and Monty Clift’s tragic 1966 death was just a few years away. [“Out, out, brief candle!” – Shakespeare.]

    2 In 1963 the career of the once great Charley Bill Stuart started its decline following the commercial disaster of the 1962 remake of The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse Also although he would have a few more hits, by 1963 the true heyday of Burt Lancaster who had so enthralled me throughout the 1950s was drawing to a close. In short even for the fledgling 22 year old Bob Roy time was marching on.

    3 However it is good to see Lancaster’s classic The Leopard being honored with the top spot in the best reviewed films in your 1963 survey, which I consider another valuable historical document. Eat your heart out David Shipman!

    Reply

  2. Hi Bruce,
    I’m glad the UMR annual pages have finally made it to 1963 as The Great Escape has been one my favorite films since childhood, while Charade is not too far behind. Based on your selection of images for the year, I see that we tend to agree on these as top picks. I hope this new page also means that your server problems are being resolved?

    Other favorites from the year include: The Birds, From Russia with Love, Lilies of the Field, Love with the Proper Stranger, The Leopard (mainly because of Burt Lancaster’s performance), The Pink Panther, The Haunting, and Hud. I also liked Tom Jones, but I think it has not quite stood the test of time, considering its huge critical and commercial success at the time of its release. Meanwhile, Cleopatra is perhaps not as bad as your critical rating suggests, but certainly not as good as to deserve to be the biggest box office hit of the year.

    Back to The Great Escape, it’s interesting to note that while the film was a major box office hit, it was not as hugely successful in the US as for instance, The Guns of Navarone in 1961 or The Longest Day in 1962 (although it was much more successful abroad; notably it was the #1 hit of 1963 in France). I’ve often thought this was in part because The Great Escape did not boast any superstars like these other war films did. While Steve McQueen and James Garner were fairly successful leading men at the time, neither had yet made it to major film stardom. Since its release, however, the popularity of The Great Escape has continued to grow, perhaps more than any other WWII film, and this has something to do with its unique cast of actors who would become increasingly famous over time, particularly McQueen, Garner, Richard Attenborough, Charles Bronson, Donald Pleasance, James Coburn and David McCallum.

    James Garner, for his part, had his most successful year in the movies in 1963 with no less than four box office hits released through the year. Your list of top annual earners above shows him to be in 4th place. Considering that #1 (William Demarest) was a supporting player and that #2 and #3 (Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton) owe their places mainly because of Cleopatra, this is a very strong showing for an actor who has often been seen to be more of a television star. It’s also worth noting that Garner was placed #16 in the Quigley Poll of Top Money Making Stars of 1963 (I see the Quigley Poll more as a rough barometer of star popularity rather than a measure of actual box office success).

    Anyway, thanks for another comprehensive annual list of the 60s. Overall, I think 1963 may have been the most successful year of the 60s next to 1960, but I’ll await completion of the decade before passing a definite judgment on this!

    Reply

      1. It is a fun movie to watch….love Spencer Tracy in that one….not too mention the final scene in the hospital.

        Reply

    2. Hey Phil
      1. Glad you like this page…..our issues have been resolved (for the time being)…..and we are “allowed” to publish “new” stuff again. Of course one could argue….saying our new page…which is about 1963 movies is hardly accurate….lol.
      2. The last two weeks have been a nightmare behind the curtain…thankfully….the website (excluding the comment issues) has continued without showing all the issues.
      3. You are right….usually the pictures I use are a strong indicator of the movies I really really like. It is true on this page…..though Cleopatra made it since it is so famous.
      4. You mention so many good points in your comment that I agree with (1) Tom Jones does not hold up well. (2) Garner and McQueen were not huge box office huge when they made The Great Escape…which probably lowered the grosses. (3) Garner had a stellar 1963…..granted one of the Day movies did most of it’s box office in 1964. (4) Cleopatra’s review score might have more to do with it’s dismal history rather than the actually quality of the movie…..it has to be hard to overcome…”the movie that sunk a studio”.
      5. I am looking forward to doing the rest of the 1960s…..doing 1930 and 1931 seems more like a chore than a fun project…..but I see a 1931 page coming soon.
      Great feedback as always.

      Reply

      1. Hey Bruce,
        Happy to hear most of the issues with the web site have been resolved. I for one have not had any problems with the comments box, but then again, my comments are not as frequent as some others.
        Your point about Move Over Darling (with Doris Day and James Garner) earning its box office in 1964 due to its late release in 1963 reminded me about something I wanted to bring up. Generally, I agree with your approach on these annual pages of including all the films released in the year concerned, regardless of the fact that some films grossed most of their earnings in the following year. However, I wonder if it would make more sense to always use the US release dates of these films, since you are providing the North American box office earnings. In the case of The Pink Panther and From Russia with Love, for instance, they were released in 1963 in the UK, but in 1964 in the US, so arguably, they belong more in the 1964 annual page when there is one. However, as I think you have followed this approach for all annual pages from the beginning, I’m not suggesting to change the approach at this point. I’m just raising this as a point to be borne in mind when interpreting these annual pages.

        Reply

        1. Hey PhilHoF17…the website issues are hit and miss….it is not for lack of trying. We have the release dates in the database for many of the movies (One of WoC’s pet peeves..that we do not use them)…..but adding a new column to list this information is not really an option…..I think the trailer pages offer up lots of opportunities to list information like that. As we approach 3,000 trailer pages…..adding more information is a direction when will going in. Good feedback.

          Reply

  3. I told you as it gets more modern I would have seen lest as older pictures. We have only seen 88 1963 films since December 1992 when I hit number 8000. Don’t worry I average over 200 a year in the current years but I don’t log them as old movies per se. Of course the 1963’s were more likely to be seen in earlier times. All the Jerry Lewis and Elvis movies were seen on the old 4: 30 movies in the 70’s. I saw It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World back when it was reissued circa 1971. That is the picture I have seen the most times in my life, 7. I saw Jason and the Argonauts in summer camp and Charade at some vacation resort back then. Anywhere here are the ones I’ve seen for the first time the past 25 years. Key is film, studio, star if listed, date seen and source whether it be TV (with channel), tape or DVD.

    4 FOR TEXAS 1963 WB FRANK SINATRA DEAN MARTIN 6/30 1996 TBS
    40 POUNDS OF TROUBLE 1963 UNI TONY CURTIS 7/23 1995 FAM
    8 1/2 (IT.) 1963 EMB MARCELO MASTROIANNI CLAUDIA CARDINALE 11/4 1995 TMC
    80,000 SUSPECTS (U.K.) 1963 CONTINENTAL CLAIRE BLOOM RICHARD JOHNSON 1/10 2012 TCM
    ACCIDENTAL DEATH (U.K.) 1963 ANGLO AMALGAMATED 4/8 2016 DVD
    ALL NIGHT LONG (U.K.) 1963 COLORAA PATRICK MCGOOHAN BETSY BLAIR 12/7 2008 TCM
    AMERICA, AMERICA 1963 WB XXX XXX 3/1 1994 AMC
    ATTACK AND RETREAT (IT-RUS.) 1963 EMB ARTHUR KENNEDY PETER FALK 3/7 1994 TNT
    BEAST OF BABYLON AGAINST THE SON OF HERCULES (IT-FR.) 1963 EMB GORDON SCOTT 1/1 1993 TNT
    BEAUTY AND THE BEAST 1963 UA MARK DAMON 12/1 1992 TNT
    BILLY LIAR (U.K.) 1963 CONTINENTAL TOM COURTNEY JULIE CHRISTIE 10/16 1996 BRAVO
    BLACK SABBATH 1963 AIP BORIS KARLOFF MARK DAMON 11/22 1997 FLIX
    BOY TEN FEET TALL (U.K.) 1963 PAR EDWARD G. ROBINSON 8/26 1997 FLIX
    CAIRO 1963 MGM GEORGE SANDERS RICHARD JOHNSON 2/6 1999 TCM
    CALIFORNIA 1963 AIP JOCK MAHONEY FAITH DOMERGUE 9/25 2014 ANT
    CASH ON DEMAND (U.K.) 1963 COL PETER CUSHING ANDRE MORELL 11/7 2012 TCM
    CATTLE KING 1963 MGM ROBERT TAYLOR JOAN CAULFIELD 9/22 1994 TNT
    CESARE BURGLIA (IT-SP.) 1963 1/21 1997 55
    CHILD IS WAITING 1963 UA BURT LANCASTER JUDY GARLAND 11/2 1994 TMC
    COME FLY WITH ME 1963 MGM HUGH O’BRIEN 4/19 1994 TNT
    CONTEMPT (IT-FR) 1963 EMB BRIGITTE BARDOT JACK PALANCE 4/7 2008 TCM
    COURTSHIP OF EDDIE’S FATHER 1963 MGM GLENN FORD RON HOWARD 3/2 1993 TNT
    CRAWLING HAND 1963 MEDALLION XXX XXX 10/24 1995 55
    CRISIS: BEHIND A PRESIDENTIAL COMMITMENT (DOC.) 1963 QUEST CINEMA 1/17 2017 TCM
    DAY MARS INVADED EARTH 1963 FOX KENT TAYLOR MARIE WINDSOR 9/1 1997 FLIX
    DIME WITH A HALO 1963 MGM BARBARA LUNA ROBERT MOBLEY 7/18 2007 TCM
    DOCTOR IN DISTRESS (U.K.) 1963 GOVERNOR DIRK BOGARDE JAMES ROBERTSON JUSTICE 8/11 2009 TCM
    DOUBLE, THE (U.K.) 1963 ANGLO AMALGAMATED 3/23 2016 DVD
    DRUMS OF AFRICA 1963 MGM FRANKIE AVALON 6/2 1993 TNT
    EEGAH! 1963 FAIRWAY INTL. XXX XXX 6/7 1994 COM
    FAST LADY (U.K.) 1963 CONTINENTAL JULIE CHRISTIE JAMES ROBERTSON JUSTICE 8/2 2010 TCM
    FIVE MILES TO MIDNIGHT 1963 UA SOPHIA LOREN ANTHONY PERKINS 9/23 1993 TNT
    FIVE TO ONE (U.K.) 1963 ANGLO AMALGAMATED 7/21 2016 DVD
    FLIPPER 1963 MGM CHUCK CONNORS 9/4 1994 TNT
    GIANT OF METROPOLIS (IT.) 1963 GOLDSTONE FILM ENT. GORDON MITCHELL RONALDO LUPI 10/10 2012 DVD
    GOLIATH AND THE SINS OF BABYLON (IT.) 1963 AIP MARK FOREST JOSE GRECI 4/12 2009 DVD
    GUN HAWK 1963 AA RORY CALHOUN ROD CAMERON 10/27 1993 TNT
    HOOTENANNY HOOT 1963 MGM PETER BRECK JOBY BAKER 9/22 2008 TCM
    HORROR CASTLE (IT.) 1963 ZODIAC CHRISTOPHER LEE ROSSANA PODESTA 1/30 2008 IFC
    I COULD GO ON SINGING (U.K.) 1963 UA JUDY GARLAND DIRK BOGARDE 8/23 2003 TCM
    INCIDENT AT MIDNIGHT (U.K.) 1963 ANGLO AMALGAMATED 3/3 2016 DVD
    JOHNNY COOL 1963 UA XXX XXX 4/21 1996 TNT
    KISS OF THE VAMPIRE (U.K.) 1963 UNI CLIFFORD EVANS 10/27 2003 AMC
    L20,000 KISS (U.K.) 1963 ANGLO AMALGAMATED 3/8 2016 DVD
    LILIES OF THE FIELD 1963 UA SIDNEY POITIER 12/26 1995 TNT
    MACHISTE IN KING SOLOMON’S MINES (IT.) 1963 EMB REG PARK WANDISA GUIDA 8/8 2008 DVD
    MAN FROM GALVESTON 1963 WB JEFFREY HUNTER PRESTON FOSTER 4/15 2010 DVD
    MANIAC (U.K.) 1963 COL KERWIN MATHEWS DONALD HOUSTON 3/13 2008 TCM
    MESSALINA AGAINST THE SON OF HERCULES (IT.) 1963 EMB XXX XXX 7/16 1994 TNT
    MURDER AT THE GALLOP (U.K.) 1963 MGM MARGARET RUTHERFORD ROBERT MORLEY 4/21 1996 21
    OF LOVE AND DESIRE 1963 FOX MERLE OBERON STEVE COCHRAN 1/10 2006 FXM
    ON THE RUN (U.K.) 1963 ANGLO AMALGAMATED 3/13 2016 DVD
    OPERATION BIKINI 1963 AIP TAB HUNTER FRANKIE AVALON 6/3 2002 ACTN
    PARTNER, THE (U.K.) 1963 ANGLO AMALGAMATED 4/3 2016 DVD
    PASSWORD IS COURAGE (U.K.) 1963 MGM DIRK BOGARDE 9/12 2002 TCM
    PRIVATE POTTER (U.K.) 1963 MGM TOM COURTNEY 7/7 2003 TCM
    RETURN TO SENDER (U.K.) 1963 ANGLO AMALGAMATED 7/23 2016 DVD
    RICOCHET (U.K.) 1963 ANGLO AMALGAMATED 3/19 2016 DVD
    RIVALS, THE (U.K.) 1963 ANGLO AMALGAMATED 3/28 2016 DVD
    RUNNING MAN 1963 COL LAURENCE HARVEY LEE REMICK 12/16 1992 TNT
    SAVAGE SAM 1963 BV BRIAN KEITH 3/19 2001 WEST
    SET UP, THE (U.K.) 1963 ANGLO AMALGAMATED 2/29 2016 DVD
    SHOCK CORRIDOR 1963 AA XXX XXX 10/19 2000 MYST
    SHOWDOWN 1963 UNI AUDIE MURPHY 12/7 1992 A & E
    SKYDIVERS, THE 1963 CROWN INTL. XXX XXX 4/6 1995 COM
    SO EVIL, SO YOUNG (U.K.) 1963 UA 6/29 2014 TCM
    SON OF HERCULES IN THE LAND OF FIRE (IT.) 1963 EMB XXX XXX 6/8 1994 55
    STOLEN HOURS 1963 MGM SUSAN HAYWARD MICHAEL CRAIG 12/6 1994 TNT
    TARZAN’S THREE CHALLENGES 1963 MGM JOCK MAHONEY 6/10 1997 AMC
    TEN GLADIATORS (IT.) 1963 AIP XXX XXX 12/24 2008 DVD
    TERM OF TRIAL (U.K.) 1963 WB 5/22 2012 TCM
    TERRIFIED 1963 CROWN INTL XXX XXX 6/4 2009 DVD
    THE HOOK 1963 MGM KIRK DOUGLAS ROBERT WALKER JR. 12/9 1992 TNT
    THE LEOPARD (IT-FR.) 1963 FOX BURT LANCASTER ALAIN DELON 5/12 2002 FXM
    THE SADIST 1963 FAIRWAY INTL XXX XXX 11/26 2006 TCM
    THE VICTORS 1963 COL GEORGE HAMILTON GEORGE PEPPARD 1/18 1998 AMC
    THIS SPORTING LIFE (U.K.) 1963 CONTINENTAL RICHARD HARRIS RACHEL ROBERTS 2/28 2006 TCM
    THOR AND THE AMAZON WOMEN 1963 AIP XXX XXX 5/29 2008 TCM
    THUNDER ISLAND 1963 FOX GENE NELSON 7/12 2000 ACTN
    TICKLISH AFFAIR 1963 MGM SHIRLEY JONES GIG YOUNG 4/2 1994 TNT
    TO HAVE AND TO HOLD (U.K.) 1963 ANGLO AMALGAMATED 3/31 2016 DVD
    TWILIGHT OF HONOR 1963 MGM RICHARD CHAMBERLAIN 11/15 1993 TNT
    TYRANT OF LYDIA AGAINST THE SON OF HERCULES (IT.) 1963 EMB GORDON SCOTT 1/1 1993 TNT
    WHO’S BEEN SLEEPING IN MY BED 1963 PAR DEAN MARTIN 6/8 1993 AMC
    WIVES AND LOVERS 1963 PAR JANET LEIGH VAN JOHNSON 2/28 1993 AMC
    YOUNG AND THE BRAVE 1963 MGM RORY CALHOUN WILLIAM BENDIX 3/23 2005 TCM
    YOUNG RACERS 1963 AIP MARK DAMON WILLIAM CAMPBELL 5/8 2009 TCM
    YOUNG SWINGERS 1963 FOX XXX XXX 3/31 2002 AMC

    Reply

    1. Hey Dan
      1. Thanks for the tally, lists, movie memory sharing and comment…all are greatly appreciated.
      2. Tally count….Dan barely over Lyle….88 to 71…..followed by Flora in third…..Steve just outside the medals, Phil and me sitting near the bottom….thank goodness we get a participation ribbon…lol.
      3. Not surprised It’s A Mad World is your most viewed movies (it has so many memorable scenes and actors)….but 7 times is the winner? I have seen The Breakfast Club triple digit times….with Butch Cassidy and Raiders of the Lost Ark close to that many times.
      4. Once again…your movie watching and movie record keeping is truly impressive.
      Thanks as always for sharing the information.

      Reply

      1. I’ve seen Sonny and Cher’s Good Times 5 times and Bruce Willis’s Last Man Standing 4 times. When you say you’ve seen something 20 times is that all the way through or you happen to pass it on the TV dial and leave it on for a few minutes?

        Reply

        1. Hey Dan….nope…seen some of my favorite movies from beginning to end that many times…I used to watch Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid every year….if not twice a year. When Newman passed I actually could not watch the movie for about 5 or 6 years. But now it is back in the rotation. Love Actually is a movie that we watch every Christmas….just last year I got my 11 year old to join the Love Actually fan club. Having so many kids….I try an introduce my favorite movies to them….by sitting down with them and watching them. My oldest daughter (The one who just got married) escaped without watching Pulp Fiction….one of my big regrets…lol. I have countless movies like that….Steve Lensman does the same thing. I think he watches Ben-Hur once a week….lol. P.S. One day when I watch The Great Escape …James Garner and Donald Pleasance’s plane WILL NOT RUN OUT GAS….lol.

          Reply

  4. I have seen 41 of the 111 movies from 1963.

    The highest rated film I have seen is Tom Jones.

    The highest rated film I have NOT seen is Sword in the Stone.

    The lowest rated film I have seen is In the Cool of the Night.

    My viewing percentages are as follows:

    9/10
    16/20
    22/30
    26/40
    30/50
    33/60
    35/70
    35/80
    39/90
    40/100
    41/111

    My Top Ten Favourite 1963 Movies:

    The Great Escape
    Charade
    The Birds
    Tom Jones
    Lillies of the Field
    From Rissia With Love
    Hud
    Captain Neman, MD
    The Pink Panther
    It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World

    Reply

    1. Hey Flora
      1. Thanks for the visit, comment and tally count.
      2. Tally count so far…..Lyle 73, you 41 Steve 37, PhilHoF17 33 and me at the bottom with 29. I thought my total would have been higher.
      3. My first miss is #11 Son of Flubber….which I am sure I have seen some of…..but not enough to count in the tally.
      4. So you have seen the top movie and the bottom movie.
      5. Your percentage as it moves down the list….90%, 80%, 73%, 65% and 60%…..and only 24% of the bottom 111 movies….I think you have watched the right ones…lol.
      6. Gotta admit…surprised you have not seen The Sword in the Stone….I thought all kids were required by law to watch the Disney classics….lol.
      7. Of your favorites….I have seen all 10…..The Great Escape, Charade and From Russia With Love on our my All-Time Favorite movies list.
      Good feedback as always.

      Reply

      1. Hey Bruce,
        I noted that you have my tally count at 33 in your responses to Flora and Lyle, which is interesting because I had not provided a count in my comments. However, what is even more interesting is that you may have ESP as I have now counted the films from the list I have seen and my tally is 32 and 1/2…I unfortunately only saw half of Soldier in the Rain as it was taken off utube before I could finish it. Great guess!!

        Reply

        1. Hey Phil…we have eyes everywhere…..and we have been watching and tracking your movie watching history for years…..lol.

          Reply

  5. Hello Bruce.
    Great page. I’ve seen 73 of these films. The first film I ever saw in an indoor cinema was “55 Days at Peking” so I have a special fondness for this film. It was co-featured with “Dr. No” (1962). My family had just moved to Los Angeles from Iowa and Prior to this Cinema experience I had seen many films at the drive-in theater in Storm Lake, Iowa. I saw “The Great Escape” at a Drive-in theater co-featured with 1960’s “The Apartment” which played first. I fell asleep during “The Apartment” and awoke in time to see and enjoy “The Great Escape”. My favorite films of this year are The Great Escape, 55 Days at Peking, Lilies of the Field, Tom Jones and Hud. Tom Jones is more fun but the black and white cinematography of James Wong Howe and the performances of Paul Newman, Patricia Neal, Melvyn Douglas and Branden DeWilde
    makes it a better film than Tom Jones. Also to this day despite it’s 1961 Oscar win I don’t like “The Apartment”.

    Reply

    1. Hey Lyle….good to hear from you. 73 seen…..pretty impressive number. Tally count…..You 73, Steve 37, PhilHoF17 33 and me at 29. 55 Days At Peking…I imagine Steve is happy your first indoor cinema starred “his” Charlton Heston. Wow….Iowa to Los Angeles….that had to be a huge change. The Apartment and The Great Escape on a double bill…pretty strange bedfellows. I have never been impressed with Tom Jones…I have seen it twice….but not for a very long time. The Great Escape is one of my all-time favorite movies. Of the 5 Best Picture Nominees….I would give Hud the edge too. The missing nominee is How The West Was Won….which is listed on our 1962 page. Good stuff.

      Reply

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