Stewart Granger Box Office

Recently went through some MGM box office figures at the Margaret Herrick Library in LA - fascinating to read what made money and what didn't. Had a look at Stewart Granger's career.

King Solomon’s Mines (1950) - cost $2,258,000, revenue $10,050,000 (domestic $5,050,000, foreign $5,000,000) – profit $4,122,000. A massive, massive hit, although (to me at least) it doesn't hold up well today.

Soldiers Three (1951) - cost $1,429,000, revenue $2,248,000 (domestic $1,018,000, foreign $1,230,000) – profit $32,000. Granger used to bag this film but it still made a small profit.

The Light Touch (1951) - cost $1,163,000, revenue $1,290,000 (domestic $440,000, $850,000 foreign, including

£104,608 of receipts in the UK

) – loss of $398,000. MGM tried Granger in different roles, this one being a light comedy, but the public didn't like it (although he did play comedy well in Scaramouche). He can't have been helped by the fact that Richard Brooks wasn't exactly a renowned comedy director.

Scaramouche (1952) - cost $3,005,000, revenue $6,790,000 (domestic $2,740,000, foreign $4,050,000) – profit $1,094,000. A simply marvellous film that deserved every cent it made.

The Wild North (1952) - cost $1,282,000, revenue $4,032,000 (domestic $2,112,000 foreign $1,920,000) – profit $825,000. A real surprise that this did so well since it isn't that good, with Granger acting in a French accent. But it's bright and colourful and is an action film I suppose.

Prisoner of Zenda (1952) - cost $1,708,000, revenue $5,628,000 (domestic $2,078,000, foreign $3,550,000) – profit $1,759,000. This version of the famous tale is always mentioned as inferior to the 1937 one - which it copied - but was clearly still popular.

Young Bess (1953) - cost $2,423,000, revenue $4,095,000 (domestic $1,645,000, foreign $2,450,000) – lost $272,000. I thought this would have done better; I guess it actually made alright money, it just cost a lot.

Salome (1953) - made over at Columbia so I don't have the costs, but it was a big hit (Rita Hayworth starred), earning $4.75 million domestically.

All the Brothers Were Valiant (1954) - cost $1,816,000, revenue $4,710,000 (domestic $2,010,000 foreign $2,700,000) - profit $1019,000. A massive success - Granger at his box office height and Robert Taylor still potent.

Beau Brummel (1954) - cost $1,762,000, revenue $2,850,000 (domestic $1,050,000, foreign $1,800,000) – loss $383,000. Never seen this movie and to be honest have no real desire to; I have the feeling it would have done better in the 30s. Granger was better in tough guy roles.

Green Fire (1954) - cost $1,768,000, revenue $4,590,000 (domestic $1,840,000, foreign $2,750,000) - profit $834,000. I had thought this was a flop and it's certainly Grace Kelly's least well known film as a star but I guess she had too much potency at the box office - plus Granger in adventure mode.

Moonfleet (1955) - cost $1,955,000, revenue $1,680,000 (domestic $580,000, foreign $1,100,000) – loss $1,203,000. Definitely a film which deserved a bigger audience - but what a money loser!

The Last Hunt (1956) - cost $2,121,000, revenue $3,360,000 (domestic $1,610,000, foreign $1,750,000, including

£135,706 of receipts in the UK

) – loss $323,000. Another surprise, especially considering it co-starred Robert Taylor, was from Richard Brooks and was a Western. Surely the box office performance of this would have made MGM wary of keeping Granger.

Bhowani Junction (1956) - cost $3,637,000, revenue $4,875,000 (domestic $2,075,000, foreign $2,800,000) – lost $933,000. Not so surprised, as this was a badly cut-about film, but it's a real shame since this had the potential to be a classic.

The Little Hut (1957) - cost $1,662,000, made $3,600,000 (domestic $2,085000, foreign $1,515,000) – profit $340,000. I was surprised this made money - no one seems to say anything nice about the film - but then it had a strong cast, popular play source and racy subject matter.

Gun Glory (1957) - cost $1,707,000, made $2,550,000 (domestic $1,125,000, foreign $1,425,000) – loss of $265,000. Westerns were normally a surer bet than this but I guess (a) it wasn't a very good film and (b) by the late 50s Westerns were everywhere on the small screen.

North to Alaska (1960) - cost $3.8 million, made $5 million (NB this was a 20th Century Fox film. A really fun movie but I don't think you could put the strong box office performance down to Granger; he's not really in the movie that much. It's definitely a John Wayne film.)

Swordsmen of Sienna (1961) - cost $

1,065,000, revenue $2,250,000 (domestic $1,500,000, foreign $2,250,000) – loss of $100,000. A minor swashbuckler that nonetheless still performed okay.