This list charts the most successful films at cinemas in Germany by admissions. It also lists the most popular German productions in terms of box office sales, in euros and admissions. The Jungle Book, initially released in 1968 but with subsequent reissues, is Germany's biggest film of all time since 1963 in terms of admissions with 27.3 million tickets sold, nearly 10 million more than Titanics 18.8 million tickets sold. It has grossed an estimated $108 million in Germany making it the third highest-grossing film of all time in Germany behind only Avatar (2009) ($137 million) and Titanic (1997) ($125 million).[1] Der Schuh des Manitu (2001) is the highest-grossing German production with a gross of €63 million and a record (since 1962) 11.7 million admissions. The 1953 East German film Die Geschichte vom kleinen Muck had the most admissions for a film from East Germany with almost 13 million.
The table below lists the most successful films in Germany since 1963 in terms of admissions. The Jungle Book is Germany's biggest film of all time in terms of admissions with 27.3 million tickets sold, nearly 10 million more than Titanics 18.8 million tickets sold.
| Rank | Title | Year | Admissions[2] | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | data-sort-value="Jungle Book" | The Jungle Book | 1968 | 27,290,763 |
| 2 | Titanic | 1998 | 18,812,740 | |
| 3 | Once Upon a Time in the West | 1969 | 13,012,746 | |
| 4 | Doctor Zhivago | 1966 | 12,750,000 | |
| 5 | Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone | 2001 | 12,595,323 | |
| 6 | Trinity Is Still My Name | 1972 | 12,267,000 | |
| 7 | data-sort-value="Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring" | 2001 | 11,930,785 | |
| 8 | data-sort-value="Lion King" | The Lion King | 1994 | 11,899,893 |
| 9 | data-sort-value="Schuh des Manitu" | Der Schuh des Manitu | 2001 | 11,721,183 |
| 10 | Avatar | 2009 | 11,311,518 | |
| 11 | The Aristocats | 1971 | 11,294,126 | |
| 12 | Thunderball | 1965 | 11,250,000 | |
| 13 | The Silence | 1964 | 11,000,000 | |
| 14 | data-sort-value="Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers" | 2002 | 10,753,596 | |
| 15 | Pretty Woman | 1990 | 10,625,337 | |
| 16 | data-sort-value="Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" | 2003 | 10,442,102 | |
| 17 | Goldfinger | 1965 | 10,250,000 | |
| 18 | 2022 | 10,198,391 | ||
| 19 | Treasure of the Silver Lake | 1962 | 10,000,000 | |
| 20 | Apache Gold | 1963 | 10,000,000 | |
| 21 | The Rescuers | 1977 | 9,767,049 | |
| 22 | Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets | 2002 | 9,728,779 | |
| 23 | Jurassic Park | 1993 | 9,395,450 | |
| 24 | Independence Day | 1996 | 9,272,424 | |
| 25 | Traumschiff Surprise – Periode 1 | 2004 | 9,165,932 | |
| 26 | The Intouchables | 2012 | 9,162,715 | |
| 27 | 2015 | 9,060,311 | ||
| 28 | You Only Live Twice | 1967 | 9,000,000 | |
| 29 | 1999 | 8,962,516 | ||
| 30 | Finding Nemo | 2003 | 8,839,084 |
The most successful films released prior to 1963 based on theatrical rentals in Deutschmarks to February 1984 were:
| Rank | Title | Year | Rentals DM[3] |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ben-Hur | 1959 | 32.0 |
| 2 | Gone With the Wind | 1939 | 30.0 |
| 3 | The Bridge on the River Kwai | 1957 | 24.0 |
| 4 | From Here to Eternity | 1953 | 20.0 |
| Rank | Title | Year | Gross € [4] | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | data-sort-value="Schuh des Manitu" | Der Schuh des Manitu | 2001 | 65,131,251 |
| 2 | Fack ju Göhte 2 | 2015 | 62,883,798 | |
| 3 | Honig im Kopf | 2014 | 58,506,360 | |
| 4 | Fack ju Göhte | 2013 | 54,812,272 | |
| 5 | Fack ju Göhte 3 | 2017 | 53,151,550 | |
| 6 | Traumschiff Surprise – Periode 1 | 2004 | 51,276,038 | |
| 7 | 2019 | 46,963,873 | ||
| 8 | 2015 | 41,957,829 | ||
| 9 | Keinohrhasen | 2007 | 40,480,446 | |
| 10 | 7 Zwerge – Männer allein im Wald | 2004 | 39,300,000[5] |
The following are the most successful German productions ranked by admissions in Germany since 1962, excluding those produced in East Germany between 1945-1990 (see separate list below).
| Rank | Title | Year | Admissions | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | data-sort-value="Schuh des Manitu" | Der Schuh des Manitu | 2001 | 11,721,183 |
| 2 | Treasure of the Silver Lake | 1962 | 10,000,000 | |
| 3 | Apache Gold | 1963 | 10,000,000 | |
| 4 | Traumschiff Surprise – Periode 1 | 2004 | 9,165,932 | |
| 5 | Otto – Der Film | 1985 | 8,776,026 | |
| 6 | Fack ju Göhte 2 | 2015 | 7,698,547 | |
| 7 | Old Shatterhand | 1964 | 7,500,000 | |
| 8 | Fack ju Göhte | 2013 | 7,383,322 | |
| 9 | Honig im Kopf | 2014 | 7,274,964 | |
| 10 | Schulmädchen-Report | 1970 | 7,000,000 |
Below is a list of the most successful films produced in the Soviet occupation zone of Germany (1945–49) and East Germany (1949-1990). Films prior to 1949 include admissions from West Berlin and the west zones.
| Rank | Title | Year | Admissions[6] | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | data-sort-value="Geschichte vom kleinen Muck" | Die Geschichte vom kleinen Muck | 1953 | 12,998,352 |
| 2 | Ehe im Schatten | 1947 | 12,888,153 | |
| 3 | Heart of Stone | 1950 | 9,779,526 | |
| 4 | data-sort-value="Sons of Great Bear" | The Sons of Great Bear | 1966 | 9,422,395 |
| 5 | Raid | 1947 | 8,090,000 | |
| 6 | Snow White | 1961 | 7,597,495 | |
| 7 | Street Acquaintances | 1948 | 6,469,627 | |
| 8 | data-sort-value="Murderers Are Among Us" | The Murderers Are Among Us | 1946 | 6,468,921 |
| 9 | data-sort-value="Merry Wives of Windsor" | The Merry Wives of Windsor | 1950 | 6,090,329 |
| 10 | My Wife Makes Music | 1958 | 6,052,050 |