The following is an overview of 1931 in film, including significant events, a list of films released and notable births and deaths.

Top-grossing films (U.S.)

The top ten 1931 released films by box office gross in North America are as follows:

Events

Best money stars

Variety reported the following as the biggest male stars in the U.S. in alphabetical order although grouped George Arliss and Ronald Colman together as having equal ranking. The following were the biggest women names in the U.S. in alphabetical order but again grouped two actresses together to denote they were ranked the same.

Academy Awards

The 4th Academy Awards were awarded to films completed and screened released between August 1, 1930, and July 31, 1931, by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Most Nominations: Cimarron (RKO Pictures) – 7 Major Awards Most Awards: Cimarron – 3 (Best Picture; Best Adaptation and Best Art Direction) Cimarron was the first Western to win Best Picture, and would remain the only one to do so for 59 years (until Dances with Wolves won in 1991). It received a then-record seven nominations, and was the first film to win more than two awards. The 5th Academy Awards were conducted by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on November 18, 1932, at a ceremony held at The Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles, California. The ceremony was hosted by Conrad Nagel. Films screened in Los Angeles between August 1, 1931, and July 31, 1932, were eligible to receive awards. Most nominations: Arrowsmith (Samuel Goldwyn Productions) and The Champ (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer) – 4 Major Awards Most Awards: Bad Girl (Best Director and Best Adaptation) and The Champ (Best Actor and Best Original Story) – 2 Note: The Academy Award for Best Picture went to 1932's Grand Hotel.

1931 film releases

January–March

April–June

July–September

October–December

Notable films released in 1931

United States unless stated

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A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

I

J

K

L

M

N

O

P

Q

R

S

T

W

Serials

Short film series

Animated short film series

Births

Deaths

Film debuts