Top Movies of the 1940s

This page offers lists of the top movies of the decade as determined by two different metrics. The first list is based on box office and the second is based on critics’ picks.

Box Office: Top 20 of the 1940s These are the top 20 movies of the decade as determined by worldwide box office gross adjusted for inflation. The first number indicates dollars made in millions. See sources for box office figures here.

1) Bambi (1942) 2) Pinocchio (1940) 3) This Is the Army (1943) 4) Fantasia (1940) 5) The Best Years of Our Lives (1946) 6) Mrs. Miniver (1942) 7) Random Harvest (1942) 8) The Bells of St. Mary’s (1945) 9) Going My Way (1944) 10) Duel in the Sun (1946) 11) Sergeant York (1941) 12) Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942) 13) Casablanca (1942) 14) The Great Dictator (1940) 15) How Green Was My Valley (1941) 16) Rebecca (1940) 17) Gentleman’s Agreement (1947) 18) The Lost Weekend (1945) 19) Song of the South (1946) 20) The Philadelphia Story (1940)

Critics’ Picks: Top 25 of the Decade These are the top 25 movies of the decade as determined by a combination of the movies’ ratings points and awards points.

1) Citizen Kane (1941) 2) Casablanca (1942) 3) The Grapes of Wrath (1940) 4) 55.00: The Best Years of Our Lives (1946) 5) The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948) 6) It’s a Wonderful Life (1946) 7) Double Indemnity (1944) 8) The Philadelphia Story (1940) 9) The Lost Weekend (1945) 10) Bicycle Thieves (Ladri di Biciclette) (1948) 11) The Third Man (1949) 12) The Maltese Falcon (1941) 13) Rebecca (1940) 14) Going My Way (1944) 15) How Green Was My Valley (1941) 16) All the King’s Men (1949) 17) Pinocchio (1940) 18) Children of Paris (Les Enfants du Paradis) (1945) 19) Bambi (1942) 20) Notorious (1946) 21) Laura (1944) 22) His Girl Friday (1940) 23) Fantasia (1940) 24) Mrs. Miniver (1942) 25) The Red Shoes (1948)

Resources: Dave’s Movie Database: Eras Dave’s Movie Database: Movies of the Year Dave’s Movie Database: Box Office Dave’s Movie Database: Awards Page Dave’s Movie Database: Ratings Page Originally posted 3/8/2025.