17 Movies That Stayed No. 1 at the Box Office the Longest

While only two of the 25 biggest all-time hits at the domestic box office (not adjusted for inflation) came out before 2000, when it comes to longevity at the top of the chart, nothing beats the classics.

Here is a breakdown of the 15 movies (well, 17, when counting ties) that have spent the most weekends at No. 1 at the domestic box office, all of which debuted before the turn of the 21st century.

Please note that this list should be taken with the caveat that weekly box office data is spotty before 1982 and near-nonexistent before 1946, so titles like Gone with the Wind and its contemporaries are not included.

17. The Ten Commandments (1956) - 14 weeks

Cecil B. DeMille’s iconic biblical epic The Ten Commandments didn’t hit No. 1 until its sixth weekend in theaters. It was kept at bay by James Dean’s final feature, Giant, which received a box office boost thanks to the fact that it was a posthumous release.

However, The Ten Commandments fought hard to keep that spot once it earned it. Even though it was knocked down for two weeks by The Teahouse of the August Moon at the beginning of 1957 and another two by the Yul Brynner movie Anastasia, it ultimately topped the chart for 14 nonconsecutive weeks, tying it for the record for the 13th longest-running movie at No. 1.

What Finally Knocked It Off #1 For Good: Funny Face (1957)

16. The Graduate (1968) - 14 weeks

The Dustin Hoffman classic The Graduate held No. 1 for 14 consecutive weeks between March and June on its way toward becoming the highest-grossing movie of 1968 at the domestic box office (beating iconic hits such as Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, Rosemary’s Baby, The Jungle Book, Planet of the Apes, and Valley of the Dolls).

What Finally Knocked It Off #1 For Good: 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

15. Jaws (1975) - 14 weeks

Steven Spielberg’s shark thriller Jaws more or less singlehandedly invented the modern summer blockbuster with its spectacular run of 14 consecutive No. 1 weekends beginning in late June, following what was the biggest domestic debut in history at the time. It was the highest-grossing domestic release of the year, taking in more than twice as much as the No. 2 title, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.

What Finally Knocked It Off #1 For Good: Love and Death (1975)

14. Tootsie (1982) - 14 weeks

Even though the cross-dressing comedy Tootsie debuted 14 years after The Graduate, Dustin Hoffman still had what it took to lead a gigantic box office hit. After 13 consecutive weekends at No. 1 between December 1982 and March 1983, Tootsie reappeared at No. 1 in early April, on the same weekend that it won Jessica Lange her Oscar for Best Supporting Actress.

What Finally Knocked It Off #1 For Good: Lone Wolf McQuade (1983)

13. Beverly Hills Cop (1984) - 14 weeks

The Eddie Murphy comedy Beverly Hills Cop also kicked off with a 13-week run at No. 1. However, its reappearance on the chart didn’t happen because of the Oscars, but rather because of a blip where the Harrison Ford drama Witness briefly rose to No. 1 during its fifth weekend before ceding the top spot again in its sixth.

What Finally Knocked It Off #1 For Good: Friday the 13th: A New Beginning (1985)

12. My Fair Lady (1964) - 15 weeks

The musical adaptation My Fair Lady had its fair share of competition when it debuted. In fact, it didn’t hit No. 1 until its sophomore weekend because it was squaring off against the all-time classic Mary Poppins (which topped the chart during My Fair Lady’s first and third weekends). The James Bond classic Goldfinger also took No. 1 for seven weekends in the middle of its run. However, My Fair Lady’s 15 nonconsecutive weekends at No. 1 nevertheless allowed it to tie for the ninth-longest stint at No. 1.

What Finally Knocked It Off #1 For Good: The Sound of Music (1965) - more on that later

11. Love Story (1970) - 15 weeks

Although it lost out to Scrooge during its opening weekend, the classic Ali MacGraw and Ryan O'Neal romance Love Story rose to No. 1 during its second, ultimately staying there for 15 nonconsecutive weekends (including a surprise three-week resurgence that came after 13 weekends away from No. 1), which allowed it to become the highest-grossing domestic release of 1971 (above The French Connection and Diamonds Are Forever).

What Finally Knocked It Off #1 For Good: Summer of '42 (1971)

10. The Exorcist (1973) - 15 weeks

William Friedkin’s wildly controversial - and thus massively successful - horror movie The Exorcist first hit No. 1 in early 1974, following Love Story’s lead with a summer resurgence that pushed it to 15 nonconsecutive weekends at No. 1. It was the highest-grossing domestic release of that year, above The Sting, Serpico, American Graffiti, and Chinatown.

What Finally Knocked It Off #1 For Good: Herbie Rides Again (1974)

9. Titanic (1997) - 15 weeks

- YouTube

The epic romantic drama Titanic cemented James Cameron’s status as the king of the megablockbuster with a staggering run of 15 consecutive No. 1 weekends between December 1997 and March 1998. In addition to being the biggest domestic release of 1998, it is the highest-grossing pre-2000 movie at the domestic box office, not adjusted for inflation.

What Finally Knocked It Off #1 For Good: Lost in Space (1998)

8. Cleopatra (1963) - 16 weeks

Joseph L. Mankiewicz’s historical drama Cleopatra is one of history’s most notable flops (during its original run), but that isn’t the moviegoing public’s fault. Its budget spiraled out of control, preventing its huge grosses from making a dent and sending 20th Century-Fox into a downward spiral from which it almost didn’t recover. However, it was still the highest-grossing domestic release of 1963 and the fifth highest-grossing of 1964, holding No. 1 for 13 consecutive weekends and 16 nonconsecutive weekends.

It might have taken No. 1 for at least one additional weekend, but President John F. Kennedy was assassinated on Friday, November 22, 1963, resulting in nationwide theater closures that day and during his funeral the following Monday. Box office figures for the week were not reported.

What Finally Knocked It Off #1 For Good: Under the Yum Yum Tree (1963)

7. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982) - 16 weeks

Steven Spielberg’s E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, which arrived seven years after he changed the game with Jaws, performed even better thanks to 16 nonconsecutive weekends at No. 1 that saw it tying with Cleopatra for the seventh longest-running stint atop the domestic chart (in addition to making it the highest-grossing movie of 1982, outgrossing the No. 2 title, Rocky III, by a whopping $190 million).

What Finally Knocked It Off #1 For Good: The Toy (1982)

6. Funny Girl (1968) - 17 weeks

The Barbra Streisand musical Funny Girl kicked off its run with an eight-week stint at No. 1. While it took a breather for a month to give Candy and Bullitt some time to shine, it came roaring back with nine more consecutive weeks at No. 1 that landed it its status as the highest-grossing domestic release of 1969 (above fellow mega-musical Oliver!).

What Finally Knocked It Off #1 For Good: The Love Bug (1969)

5. Star Wars (1977) - 20 weeks

While Jaws got the summer blockbuster ball rolling, George Lucas’ Star Wars gave that ball a good shove just two years later. From the beginning of June through mid-October, it was No. 1 for all but three weekends (the first three weekends of The Deep, which adapted another aquatic horror novel by Jaws author Peter Benchley). The zeitgeist-redefining hit returned for two additional No. 1 weekends during the 1977 holiday season, bringing its total to 20. Naturally, it also clocked in as 1977’s biggest movie.

What Finally Knocked It Off #1 For Good: Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) - though Star Wars returned to No. 1 with various re-releases over the years

4. Around the World in 80 Days (1956) - 24 weeks

Although the Jules Verne adaptation Around the World in 80 Days debuted in December 1956, it patiently waited for The Ten Commandments to run out of steam before it hit big. After hitting No. 1 during its 28th week in theaters, it held onto that spot for 24 nonconsecutive weeks, blowing The Ten Commandments out of the water in terms of longevity if not overall numbers (it was the No. 2 movie of 1957 behind the DeMille epic).

What Finally Knocked It Off #1 For Good: The Sad Sack (1957)

3. The Godfather (1972) - 26 weeks

Francis Ford Coppola’s seminal gangster movie The Godfather ate up half of 1972 with its landmark run of 26 nonconsecutive weeks at No. 1, leading it to inevitably become the highest-grossing movie of the year, more than tripling the gross of its nearest competitor, Fiddler on the Roof.

What Finally Knocked It Off #1 For Good: Super Fly (1972)

2. Ben-Hur (1959) - 33 weeks

The Ten Commandments star Charlton Heston returned to the biblical epic with Ben-Hur and turned that into an even bigger hit. Its staggering run of 33 nonconsecutive weeks at No. 1 didn’t start right away. It debuted on November 18, 1959, but it didn’t rise to the top until 11 weeks into its run, in early 1960. While all 33 of its No. 1 weeks took place in 1960, it was the highest-grossing movie of both 1960 and 1961. When you look up “slow burn success” in the dictionary, you find an image of Ben-Hur.

What Finally Knocked It Off #1 For Good: Cinderfella (1960)

1. The Sound of Music (1965) - 41 weeks

Considering how many musicals have already been featured on the list, it’s only appropriate that another musical should take the crown. That’s right, the Julie Andrews classic The Sound of Music - which lost out the No. 1 slot to My Fair Lady during the first five weekends of its run - came back with a vengeance. While it was only the No. 2 movie of 1965 (behind Mary Poppins) and 1966 (behind Thunderball), it spent 41 weekends at No. 1 across those two years, getting the closest that any movie has come to spending a full year at No. 1.

What Finally Knocked It Off #1 For Good: Doctor Zhivago (1966) - Zhivago had spent months bouncing back and forth with The Sound of Music, eventually going on to just barely not make the list with 13 weeks at No. 1

For explorations of post-2000 box office hits that didn’t quite make the list, check out No Film School’s breakdowns of Avatar (seven weekends), Spider-Man: No Way Home (six weekends), Avatar: Fire and Ash (five weekends), Tenet (five weekends), and Barbie (four weekends).