1931 in film

The following is an overview of 1931 in film, including significant events, a list of films released and notable births and deaths.

List of years in film (table)
In television
1928
1929
1930
1931
1932
1933
1934
Years in film
1870s
1880s
1890s
1900s
1910s
1920s
1930s
1940s
1950s
1960s
1970s
1980s
1990s
2000s
2010s
2020s
  • 2025
  • 2026
  • 2027
  • 2028
  • 2029

Top-grossing films (U.S.)

The top ten 1931 released films by box office gross in North America are as follows:

Highest-grossing films of 1931
RankTitleStudioBox office gross rental
1 City Lights United Artists $2,000,000[1]
2 Trader Horn Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer $1,642,000[2]
3 Palmy Days United Artists/Samuel Goldwyn Productions $1,601,000[3]
4 The Man Who Came Back Fox Film Corporation $1,400,000[4]
5 Merely Mary Ann $1,300,000[4]
6 Arrowsmith United Artists/Samuel Goldwyn Productions $1,250,000[5]
7 A Connecticut Yankee Fox Film Corporation $1,200,000[5]
8 Cimarron RKO Radio Pictures $1,122,000[6]
9 Bad Girl Fox Film Corporation $1,100,000[4]
10 Possessed Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer $1,030,000[2]

Events
  • January 5: RKO acquires the producing and distribution arm of Pathé for $4.6 million.[7]
  • June 20: Monogram Pictures releases its first film, Ships of Hate.[8]
  • July 7: Anti-competitive practices disclosed about certain distributors and producers in Canada.[9]
  • November 17: E. R. Tinker elected president of Fox Films replacing Harley L. Clarke.[9]
  • December 14: RKO refinancing plan approved.[9]

Best money stars

Variety reported the following as the biggest male stars in the U.S. in alphabetical order although grouped George Arliss and Ronald Colman together as having equal ranking.[10]

Actor
George Arliss

Ronald Colman

Wallace Beery
Maurice Chevalier
Clark Gable
Edward G. Robinson
Will Rogers

The following were the biggest women names in the U.S. in alphabetical order but again grouped two actresses together to denote they were ranked the same.[10]

Actress
Constance Bennett
Joan Crawford
Marlene Dietrich
Greta Garbo

Marie Dressler

Janet Gaynor
Norma Shearer

Academy Awards
Main article: 4th Academy Awards
Main article: 5th Academy Awards

The 4th Academy Awards were awarded to films completed and screened released between August 1, 1930, and July 31, 1931, by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Most Nominations: Cimarron (RKO Pictures) – 7

Major Awards

Most Awards: Cimarron – 3 (Best Picture; Best Adaptation and Best Art Direction)

Cimarron was the first Western to win Best Picture, and would remain the only one to do so for 59 years (until Dances with Wolves won in 1991). It received a then-record seven nominations, and was the first film to win more than two awards.

The 5th Academy Awards were conducted by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on November 18, 1932,[11] at a ceremony held at The Ambassador Hotel[11] in Los Angeles, California. The ceremony was hosted by Conrad Nagel.[11] Films screened in Los Angeles between August 1, 1931, and July 31, 1932, were eligible to receive awards.[11]

Most nominations: Arrowsmith (Samuel Goldwyn Productions) and The Champ (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer) – 4

Major Awards

Most Awards: Bad Girl (Best Director and Best Adaptation) and The Champ (Best Actor and Best Original Story) – 2 Note: The Academy Award for Best Picture went to 1932's Grand Hotel.

1931 film releases

January–March

April–June

July–September

October–December

Notable films released in 1931

United States unless stated

0-9

A

B

C

D

E-F

G-H

I-J

K-L

M

N-O

P

Q-S

T-W

Serials

Short film series

Animated short film series

Births

Deaths

Film debuts

References
Citations
  1. Block & Wilson 2010, p. 161
  2. The Eddie Mannix Ledger, Los Angeles, California: Margaret Herrick Library, Center for Motion Picture Study.
  3. Jones, Lon (March 4, 1944). "Which Cinema Films Have Earned the Most Money Since 1914?". The Argus. Melbourne. p. 3 Supplement: The Argus Weekend magazine. Retrieved August 6, 2012 – via National Library of Australia.
  4. Finler 2003, pp. 356-357.
  5. Quigley Publishing Company "The All Time Best Sellers", International Motion Picture Almanac 1937-38 (1938) (pg. 942); accessed April 19, 2014
  6. "All-Time Film Rental Champs". Variety. October 15, 1990. p. M150.
  7. "Att'y Gen Scans R-K-O-Pathe Deal on Plea of Defeated Insurgents". Variety. January 7, 1931. p. 3. Retrieved May 8, 2018.
  8. Ships of Hate at the American Film Institute Catalog
  9. Ten Leading Events in the News of Motion Pictures During the Year 1931. The Film Daily Yearbook 1932. p. 9. Retrieved May 8, 2018.
  10. "Six Best Money Stars". Variety. January 5, 1932. p. 1.
  11. "The 5th Academy Awards – 1933". Archived from the original on 2012-09-04.
Bibliography
  • Block, Alex Ben; Wilson, Lucy Autrey (2010). George Lucas's blockbusting: a decade-by-decade survey of timeless movies, including untold secrets of their financial and cultural success. New York, New York: ItBooks.
  • Finler, Joel Waldo (2003). The Hollywood Story. Wallflower Press. ISBN 978-1-903364-66-6.
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