This is a list of films which placed number one at the weekly box office in the United States during 1956.
Number-one films †This implies the highest-grossing movie of the year. Week ending Film Notes 1 Guys and Dolls † 2 3 Guys and Dolls grossed $300,000 from the cities sampled. 4 Guys and Dolls grossed $276,000 from 24 key cities. 5 Helen of Troy Helen of Troy grossed more than $323,000 from 11 key cities. 6 The Benny Goodman Story 7 8 Picnic Picnic reached number one in its 11th week of release. 9 10 11 12 13 Carousel Carousel reached number one in its sixth week of release. 14 Alexander the Great Alexander the Great grossed $300,000 from the cities sampled. 15 Carousel Carousel returned to number one in its eighth week of release. 16 The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit 17 The Swan The Swan grossed $356,000 from the cities sampled. 18 19 The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit returned to number one in its fourth week of release. 20 The Revolt of Mamie Stover The Revolt of Mamie Stover grossed $300,000 from the cities sampled. 21 The Man Who Knew Too Much 22 23 The Searchers The Searchers reached number one in its second week of release. 24 25 Bhowani Junction Bhowani Junction reached number one in its seventh week of release. 26 The Catered Affair The Catered Affair reached number one in its second week of release. 27 Trapeze Trapeze earned $555,000 from 21 key cities in its fifth week of release. 28 29 The King and I The King and I reached number one in its third week of release. 30 31 32 The King and I grossed $400,000 from 23 key cities. 33 High Society High Society reached number one in its fourth week of release. 34 35 36 37 38 High Society grossed $300,000 from the cities sampled. 39 40 Tea and Sympathy Tea and Sympathy grossed $436,000 from the cities sampled. 41 War and Peace War and Peace reached number one in its seventh week of release. 42 War and Peace grossed more than $316,000 from 16 key cities. 43 War and Peace grossed more than $318,000 from 21 key cities. 44 45 Giant Giant grossed more than $400,000 from 10 key cities. 46 Giant grossed $600,000 from the cities sampled. 47 Giant grossed more than $660,000 from the cities sampled. 48 Giant grossed more than $600,000 from 20 key cities. 49 Giant grossed $445,000 from the cities sampled. 50 51 The Ten Commandments The Ten Commandments reached number one in its sixth week of release. 52
Highest-grossing films The highest-grossing films during the calendar year based on theatrical rentals were as follows: Rank Title Distributor Rental 1 Guys and Dolls Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer $9,000,000 2 The King and I 20th Century Fox $8,500,000 3 Trapeze United Artists $7,500,000 4High Society Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer $6,500,000 5 I'll Cry Tomorrow $6,500,000 6 Picnic Columbia Pictures $6,300,000 7 War and Peace Paramount Pictures $6,250,000 8 The Eddy Duchin Story Columbia Pictures $5,300,000 9 Moby Dick Warner Bros. $5,200,000 10 The Searchers $4,800,000
See also Lists of American films — American films by year Lists of box office number-one films
References
Chronology