The 20 Biggest Box Office Hits of the 1960s

This groundbreaking indie counterculture film, which highlighted the disillusionment of American youth, helped usher in a new era of Hollywood filmmaking. Following two hippies on a cross-country motorcycle trip, the film is noted for its use of a rock-and-roll soundtrack rather than the traditional instrumental score.

Remembered for its iconic 10-minute car chase scene — known as one of the best in film history — “Bullitt” follows a San Francisco detective as he searches for the mob boss who killed one of his witnesses. The film, shot mostly outside on location, broke boundaries with its hyperreal filmmaking style.

This 1961 film is an adaptation of the Broadway musical about two New York City youths who fall in love despite their association with rival gangs. It won 10 Academy Awards and was deemed culturally significant by the Library of Congress. Its iconic gang fight scene influenced two of Michael Jackson’s hit music videos, “Bad” and “Beat It.”

When two recently divorced men with incompatible personalities attempt to room together, hilarity ensues. “The Odd Couple” was the second of ten films that brought together the comedic pairing of Matthau and Lemmon.

A story of poverty and friendship, “Midnight Cowboy” is the only X-rated film ever to win an Academy Award (its depiction of homosexuality and male prostitution was considered shocking at the time). It follows dim-witted but optimistic hustler Joe Buck as he tries to make ends meet in New York City and finds camaraderie with small-time crook Ratso Rizzo.

A war movie distinctive for its exploration of the sadism rather than the valor of battle, “The Dirty Dozen” was criticized for its brutal violence. It follows an army unit made up of former death row inmates who are sent on a suicide mission to sneak behind enemy lines and assassinate dozens of German officers.

This slapstick comedy follows a series of motorists who are racing across the country to be the first to uncover a huge stash of buried cash. It brought together an impressive ensemble cast of comedians, and has been emulated many times since its release.

This biographical crime film is one of the defining films of a New Hollywood, where young directors stretched norms in depicting sex, violence, and the frustrations of their generation. The film, which follows a criminal couple on their murderous bank robbing spree, is known for its bloody ending and for evoking in viewers a tender sympathy for the criminal duo.

Unprecedented in its time, this film portrays an interracial couple and the difficulties they face as they each reveal their engagement to their parents. It was released just as the Supreme Court ensured that interracial marriage was legal in every state.

The most expensive film ever made at the time of its production, “Cleopatra” is an epic historical drama that follows the Queen of Egypt as she forms alliances with Julius Caesar and Mark Antony, attempting to secure her political standing using love and manipulation.

Widely considered one of the greatest films ever made, “2001” is known for its innovative special effects, glaring lack of dialog, and prominent musical accompaniment. It follows a group of scientists and their intelligent computer on a space voyage in search of a monolith that may trigger the next step in human evolution.

This charming musical, which won eight Academy Awards, recounts the story of a phonetics professor who wagers that he can transform the speech of a rough Cockney flower seller, fooling high society into believing she is an aristocrat.

This neo-noir psychological thriller, which was remade in 1991, depicts the harrowing experience of a lawyer named Sam Bowden whose family becomes the target of psychotic criminal Max Cady — whom Bowden had sent to prison eight years earlier.

This musical follows a London nanny with supernatural powers as she utilizes magic and adventure in an attempt to improve the relationship between her two young charges and their stern father. Upon its release, it was Disney’s highest-grossing movie ever and won five Academy Awards.

This biographical Western tells the story of two train robbers and their lady companion who attempt to flee the country and live an honest life, with a posse of lawmen hot on their trail. Despite mixed critical reviews upon its release, it won four Academy Awards and was named one of the top ten Westerns of all time by the American Film Institute in 2008.

Soon after its release, this coming-of-age comedy became number one at the box office for 14 consecutive weeks. It follows an uptight and aimless young man who returns home after college and is seduced by an older woman — only to end up falling for her daughter.

This epic romance set in revolutionary Russia is the tale of a doctor who is torn by war as well as his love for two different women. It won five Academy Awards and five Golden Globes, and is one of the world’s top ten highest-grossing films ever when adjusted for inflation.

This animated musical comedy based on Rudyard Kipling’s novel follows a human child who is raised in the jungle by wolves and hunted by a tiger who despises mankind. It became the top selling animated film after its release, and has been successfully re-released three more times in the United States.

This animated film follows two dalmatians, Pongo and Perdy, who must save their litter of puppies from a twisted socialite who intends to use their skins to make fur coats. It was re-released four times in theaters and on VHS in 1992, when it became the sixth-best-selling video ever at the time.

Set in 1938 Austria, this hit musical tells the story of the von Trapp family — a retired naval officer and his seven children — and the children’s spunky new governess as their country is invaded and annexed by Germany. The film won five Academy Awards and is among the top ten highest-grossing films of all time when adjusted for inflation.