| Rank
| Release
| Genre
| Budget
| Running Time
| Gross | Max Theaters | Total Gross | % of Total | Release Date | Distributor
|
|---|
| 1 | The First Wives Club | - | - | - | $53,703,221 | 2,406 | $105,489,203 | 50.9% | Sep 20, 1996 | Paramount Pictures |
| 2 | Sleepers | - | - | - | $33,961,431 | 2,080 | $53,315,285 | 63.7% | Oct 18, 1996 | Warner Bros. |
| 3 | The Ghost and the Darkness | - | - | - | $30,145,990 | 2,202 | $38,619,405 | 78.1% | Oct 11, 1996 | Paramount Pictures |
| 4 | The Long Kiss Goodnight | - | - | - | $26,539,581 | 2,404 | $33,447,612 | 79.3% | Oct 11, 1996 | New Line Cinema |
| 5 | D3: The Mighty Ducks | - | - | - | $22,955,097 | 2,060 | $22,955,097 | 100% | Oct 4, 1996 | Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures |
| 6 | That Thing You Do! | - | - | - | $20,982,571 | 1,887 | $25,857,416 | 81.1% | Oct 4, 1996 | Twentieth Century Fox |
| 7 | The Glimmer Man | - | - | - | $20,351,264 | 2,236 | $20,351,264 | 100% | Oct 4, 1996 | Warner Bros. |
| 8 | The Chamber | - | - | - | $14,551,359 | 2,032 | $14,551,359 | 100% | Oct 11, 1996 | Universal Pictures |
| 9 | Extreme Measures | - | - | - | $12,307,961 | 2,298 | $17,380,126 | 70.8% | Sep 27, 1996 | Sony Pictures Releasing |
| 10 | High School High | - | - | - | $10,205,538 | 2,146 | $21,302,121 | 47.9% | Oct 25, 1996 | Sony Pictures Releasing |
| 11 | Thinner | - | - | - | $9,252,525 | 2,009 | $15,315,484 | 60.4% | Oct 25, 1996 | Paramount Pictures |
| 12 | Independence Day | - | - | - | $8,509,508 | 2,977 | $306,169,268 | 2.8% | Jul 3, 1996 | Twentieth Century Fox |
| 13 | 2 Days in the Valley | - | - | - | $8,492,141 | 855 | $11,132,210 | 76.3% | Sep 27, 1996 | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) |
| 14 | Fly Away Home | - | - | - | $7,428,578 | 1,401 | $25,143,818 | 29.5% | Sep 13, 1996 | Sony Pictures Releasing |
| 15 | The Associate | - | - | - | $7,268,905 | 1,781 | $12,844,057 | 56.6% | Oct 25, 1996 | Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures |
| 16 | Last Man Standing | - | - | - | $6,282,761 | 2,579 | $18,115,927 | 34.7% | Sep 20, 1996 | New Line Cinema |
| 17 | Romeo + Juliet | - | - | - | $6,219,516 | 1,963 | $46,351,345 | 13.4% | Nov 1, 1996 | Twentieth Century Fox |
| 18 | Get on the Bus | - | - | - | $5,754,249 | 1,207 | $5,754,249 | 100% | Oct 18, 1996 | Sony Pictures Releasing |
| 19 | Michael Collins | - | - | - | $5,016,406 | 878 | $11,092,559 | 45.2% | Oct 11, 1996 | Warner Bros. |
| 20 | First Kid | - | - | - | $4,633,503 | 1,878 | $26,491,793 | 17.5% | Aug 30, 1996 | Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures |
| 21 | Big Night | - | - | - | $4,137,743 | 336 | $12,008,376 | 34.5% | Sep 20, 1996 | The Samuel Goldwyn Company |
| 22 | Bound | - | - | - | $3,802,260 | 262 | $3,802,260 | 100% | Oct 4, 1996 | Gramercy Pictures (I) |
| 23 | Bulletproof | - | - | - | $3,724,485 | 2,242 | $21,576,954 | 17.3% | Sep 6, 1996 | Universal Pictures |
| 24 | To Gillian on Her 37th Birthday | - | - | - | $2,168,805 | 807 | $4,189,233 | 51.8% | Oct 18, 1996 | Sony Pictures Releasing |
| 25 | Larger Than Life | - | - | - | $1,979,667 | 2,433 | $8,315,693 | 23.8% | Nov 1, 1996 | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) |
| 26 | Surviving Picasso | - | - | - | $1,880,442 | 49 | $2,021,348 | 93% | Sep 20, 1996 | Warner Bros. |
| 27 | Dear God | - | - | - | $1,734,384 | 1,774 | $7,138,523 | 24.3% | Nov 1, 1996 | Paramount Pictures |
| 28 | Maximum Risk | - | - | - | $1,616,178 | 2,358 | $14,502,483 | 11.1% | Sep 13, 1996 | Sony Pictures Releasing |
| 29 | Beautiful Thing | - | - | - | $1,548,120 | 2 | $1,548,120 | 100% | Oct 9, 1996 | Sony Pictures Releasing |
| 30 | The Rock | - | - | - | $873,025 | 2,426 | $134,069,511 | 0.7% | Jun 7, 1996 | Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures |
| 31 | Trees Lounge | - | - | - | $749,741 | 2 | $749,741 | 100% | Oct 11, 1996 | Orion Classics |
| 32 | Crash | - | - | - | $738,339 | 339 | $2,664,812 | 27.7% | Oct 4, 1996 | Fine Line Features |
| 33 | The Grass Harp | - | - | - | $559,771 | 48 | $559,771 | 100% | Oct 11, 1996 | Fine Line Features |
| 34 | Mission: Impossible | - | - | - | $487,715 | 3,012 | $180,981,856 | 0.3% | May 22, 1996 | Paramount Pictures |
| 35 | Bad Moon | - | - | - | $349,095 | 825 | $1,055,525 | 33.1% | Nov 1, 1996 | Warner Bros. |
| 36 | Freeway | - | - | - | $272,625 | 9 | $295,493 | 92.3% | Aug 23, 1996 | Roxie Releasing |
| 37 | Secrets & Lies | - | - | - | $271,305 | 296 | $13,417,292 | 2% | Sep 28, 1996 | October Films |
| 38 | Swingers | - | - | - | $219,545 | 160 | $4,555,020 | 4.8% | Oct 18, 1996 | Miramax |
| 39 | Infinity | - | - | - | $195,170 | 46 | $195,170 | 100% | Oct 4, 1996 | First Look International |
| 40 | Small Faces | - | - | - | $131,430 | 12 | $155,239 | 84.7% | Aug 14, 1996 | October Films |
| 41 | Microcosmos | - | - | - | $63,445 | 43 | $1,433,210 | 4.4% | Oct 9, 1996 | Miramax |
| 42 | Love Is All There Is | - | - | - | $61,875 | 26 | $61,875 | 100% | Oct 11, 1996 | The Samuel Goldwyn Company |
| 43 | Mother Night | - | - | - | $48,661 | 30 | $403,701 | 12.1% | Nov 1, 1996 | Fine Line Features |
| 44 | Twelfth Night | - | - | - | $48,127 | 31 | $588,621 | 8.2% | Oct 25, 1996 | Fine Line Features |
| 45 | Jude | - | - | - | $47,795 | 20 | $409,144 | 11.7% | Oct 18, 1996 | Gramercy Pictures (I) |
| 46 | Bitter Sugar | - | - | - | $40,646 | 12 | $450,060 | 9% | Oct 11, 1996 | First Look International |
| 47 | Curdled | - | - | - | $35,788 | 18 | $49,620 | 72.1% | Sep 27, 1996 | Rolling Thunder Pictures |
| 48 | Looking for Richard | - | - | - | $33,843 | 81 | $1,408,575 | 2.4% | Oct 11, 1996 | Fox Searchlight Pictures |
| 49 | Palookaville | - | - | - | $33,001 | 24 | $365,284 | 9% | Oct 25, 1996 | The Samuel Goldwyn Company |
| 50 | When We Were Kings | - | - | - | $25,682 | 92 | $2,789,985 | 0.9% | Oct 25, 1996 | Gramercy Pictures (I) |
| 51 | The Funeral | - | - | - | $25,602 | 70 | $1,227,324 | 2.1% | Nov 1, 1996 | October Films |
| 52 | Unhook the Stars | - | - | - | $21,744 | 20 | $272,542 | 8% | Nov 1, 1996 | Miramax |
| 53 | The Sunchaser | - | - | - | $21,508 | 23 | $21,508 | 100% | Oct 25, 1996 | Warner Bros. |
| 54 | Small Wonders | - | - | - | $20,819 | 7 | $20,819 | 100% | Oct 4, 1996 | Miramax |
| 55 | Somebody to Love | - | - | - | $9,907 | 10 | $18,112 | 54.7% | Sep 27, 1996 | Legacy Releasing Corporation |
| 56 | Normal Life | - | - | - | $7,703 | 2 | $22,891 | 33.7% | Oct 25, 1996 | Fine Line Features |
| 57 | The Line King: The Al Hirschfeld Story | - | - | - | $3,243 | 7 | $50,605 | 6.4% | Sep 27, 1996 | Castle Hill Productions |
| 58 | Tell the Truth and Run: George Seldes and the American Press | - | - | - | $3,204 | 1 | $3,204 | 100% | Oct 11, 1996 | - |
