Rankings

Best return on budget · 1930s

Box office gross divided by budget, for films with a budget of at least $1M.

1. 1 Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs 1937 ×124.2Gross $184,925,486
2. 2 The Wizard of Oz 1939 ×12.2Gross $33,754,967
3. 3 Cavalcade 1933 ×6.5Gross $7,630,000
4. 4 Mr. Smith Goes to Washington 1939 ×6.4Gross $9,600,000
5. 5 You Can't Take It with You 1938 ×4.5Gross $7,433,101
6. 6 San Francisco 1936 ×4.1Gross $5,273,000
7. 7 The Prisoner of Zenda 1937 ×4.0Gross $5,000,000
8. 8 The Hunchback of Notre Dame 1939 ×3.8Gross $6,877,900
9. 9 Trader Horn 1931 ×3.2Gross $4,200,000
10. 10 Goodbye, Mr. Chips 1939 ×3.1Gross $3,252,000
11. 11 Saratoga 1937 ×3.0Gross $3,252,000
12. 12 City Lights 1931 ×2.8Gross $4,250,000
13. 13 The Citadel 1938 ×2.6Gross $2,598,000
14. 14 Queen Christina 1933 ×2.3Gross $2,610,000
15. 15 Anthony Adverse 1936 ×2.3Gross $2,750,000
16. 16 Mutiny on the Bounty 1935 ×2.3Gross $4,460,000
17. 17 The Charge of the Light Brigade 1936 ×2.3Gross $2,736,000
18. 18 All Quiet on the Western Front 1930 ×2.3Gross $3,270,000
19. 19 The Great Ziegfeld 1936 ×2.1Gross $4,673,000
20. 20 Hell's Angels 1930 ×2.0Gross $8,000,000
21. 21 Another Thin Man 1939 ×2.0Gross $2,223,000
22. 22 Alexander's Ragtime Band 1938 ×2.0Gross $4,000,000
23. 23 A Yank at Oxford 1938 ×2.0Gross $2,736,000
24. 24 A Star Is Born 1937 ×2.0Gross $2,370,000
25. 25 The Adventures of Robin Hood 1938 ×2.0Gross $3,981,000

TMDB budget and revenue; reported figures can be inaccurate. · Updated 2026-11-01