The 1940s

The 1940s delivered cinema’s most concentrated masterpiece run: Citizen Kane, Casablanca, Bicycle Thieves, and The Third Man all debuted within a single decade shaped by WWII’s $4 trillion global cost. Italian neorealism launched with Bicycle Thieves ($133,000 budget) and film noir peaked with 300+ American crime dramas—outpacing #8’s (the 2000s) 150 noir-inspired films. Citizen Kane’s $700,000 budget (largest in RKO history) innovated deep-focus photography, while Casablanca’s $1 million investment yielded $4.2 million in 1943 US box office. Compared to #6’s (the 1980s) blockbuster excess, the 1940s produced 25% more films under $1 million, with 80% of Hollywood output targeting war-weary audiences. Yet the decade’s foreign penetration was low: only 15% of top-grossing films came from non-US markets—a stark contrast to the 2010s’ 30% share. Still, the 1940s’ 8 Best Picture winners still appear on every all-time top 100 list—a record #5 (the 2010s) can’t claim.