Domestic Box Office For January 1997
| Rank | Release | Gross | Max Th | Opening | % of Total | Open Th | Open | Close | Distributor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope 1997 Special Edition | $138,257,865 | 2,375 | $35,906,661 | 26% | 2,104 | Jan 31 | - | Twentieth Century Fox |
| 2 | The Relic | $33,956,608 | 2,128 | $9,064,143 | 26.7% | 2,095 | Jan 10 | - | Paramount Pictures |
| 3 | Metro | $32,000,301 | 2,005 | $11,411,107 | 35.7% | 2,001 | Jan 17 | - | Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures |
| 4 | Beverly Hills Ninja | $31,480,418 | 2,112 | $12,220,920 | 38.8% | 2,112 | Jan 17 | - | Sony Pictures Releasing |
| 5 | First Strike | $15,318,863 | 1,344 | $5,778,933 | 37.7% | 1,344 | Jan 10 | - | New Line Cinema |
| 6 | Turbulence | $11,538,235 | 2,094 | $4,464,008 | 38.7% | 2,094 | Jan 10 | - | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) |
| 7 | Fierce Creatures | $9,381,260 | 1,620 | $3,759,480 | 40.1% | 1,593 | Jan 24 | - | Universal Pictures |
| 8 | Zeus and Roxanne | $7,233,324 | 1,745 | $2,755,382 | 38.1% | 1,745 | Jan 24 | - | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) |
| 9 | Kolya | $5,770,254 | 128 | - | - | - | Jan 17 | - | Miramax |
| 10 | Gridlock'd | $5,571,205 | 743 | $2,678,372 | 48.1% | 743 | Jan 31 | - | Gramercy Pictures (I) |
| 11 | Meet Wally Sparks | $4,073,582 | 1,552 | $2,131,001 | 52.3% | 1,552 | Jan 31 | - | Trimark Pictures |
| 12 | Waiting for Guffman | $2,923,982 | 59 | $37,990 | 1.3% | 3 | Jan 31 | Dec 11 | Sony Pictures Classics |
| 13 | Shadow Conspiracy | $2,312,463 | 837 | $1,370,831 | 59.3% | 837 | Jan 31 | - | Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures |
| 14 | Prisoner of the Mountains | $790,078 | 36 | $17,205 | 2.2% | 3 | Jan 31 | - | Orion Classics |
| 15 | Prefontaine | $589,304 | 201 | $311,253 | 52.8% | 201 | Jan 24 | - | Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures |
| 16 | Albino Alligator | $339,379 | 12 | $101,176 | 29.8% | 12 | Jan 17 | Feb 13 | Miramax |
| 17 | Troublesome Creek: A Midwestern | $140,000 | 8 | $8,318 | 5.9% | 1 | Jan 3 | - | Artistic License |
| 18 | Reggie's Prayer | $52,665 | 1 | $5,120 | 9.7% | 1 | Jan 24 | - | Arrow Releasing |
| 19 | Johns | $50,789 | 8 | $50,789 | 100% | 8 | Jan 31 | - | First Look International |
| 20 | Koyla | $37,795 | 3 | $37,795 | 100% | 3 | Jan 24 | - | Miramax |
