The following are the highest-grossing documentary films worldwide. The list also charts the highest-grossing documentary movies by calendar year. It includes different hybrid genre documentary films while excluding performance movies such as concert films, sometimes categorized as documentaries. Almost all reported figures are taken from Box Office Mojo and The Numbers, two publications that provide figures of film revenues.
Traditional observational-stylized films are dominant in the list, notably space and nature documentaries. Few documentaries have outspaced the $100 million mark. The highest-grossing documentary film is the biographical film Michael Jackson's This Is It (2009) released following the artist's death that year, [1] surpassing Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004), both of which grossed over $200 million. Grand Canyon: The Hidden Secrets (1984) also earned more than $200 million, while March of the Penguins (2005), Space Station 3D (2002), Everest (1998), To Fly! (1976), Earth (2007), and Deep Sea 3D (2006) are the only other documentary films to reach $100 million in revenue as of 2025.
In addition, Grand Canyon: The Hidden Secrets remains the highest-grossing IMAX documentary film in history and from the 20th century. Fahrenheit 9/11 had the biggest opening weekend sales for a documentary at over $23.9 million in the U.S. as well the widest release for a documentary film in its opening weekend. [2] [3]
† | Indicates films currently playing in theaters |
‡ | Indicates domestic report only |
* | Indicates films shown primarily in premium large format theaters |
Rank | Title | Lifetime gross | Year | Narrator(s) | Topic(s) | Ref.(s) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Michael Jackson's This Is It | $267,983,588 | 2009 | — | Rehearsals for a concert residency by Michael Jackson | [5] |
2 | Grand Canyon: The Hidden Secrets * | $239,000,000 | 1984 | — | Grand Canyon | [6] |
3 | Fahrenheit 9/11 | $222,446,882 | 2004 | Michael Moore | The presidency of George W. Bush, the Iraq War | [7] |
4 | March of the Penguins (La Marche de l'empereur) | $133,276,359 | 2005 | Charles Berling | Emperor penguin of Antarctica | [8] [9] |
5 | Space Station 3D * | $128,363,881 | 2002 | Tom Cruise | International Space Station | [10] |
6 | Everest * | $127,990,128 | 1998 | Liam Neeson | Mount Everest | [11] [12] |
7 | To Fly! * | $120,700,000 | 1976 | Thomas McGrath | History of aviation in the U.S. | [13] |
8 | Earth | $108,975,160 | 2009 | Patrick Stewart | Diversity of wild habitats and creatures across the planet | [14] |
9 | Deep Sea 3D * | $105,779,761 | 2006 | Johnny Depp | Sea life | [15] [16] |
10 | Oceans | $86,787,530 | 2009 | Pierce Brosnan | Marine species of Earth's five oceans | [17] [18] |
11 | Hubble * | $74,249,729 | 2010 | Leonardo DiCaprio | Repair and update of the Hubble Space Telescope | [19] |
12 | Amazing China (Li hai le, wo de guo) | $72,506,344 | 2018 | — | China during Xi Jinping's tenure from a Chinese perspective | [20] |
13 | The Dream Is Alive * | $70,000,000‡ | 1985 | Walter Cronkite | NASA's Space Shuttle program | [21] |
14 | Dolphins * | $69,600,000 | 2000 | Pierce Brosnan | Dolphins | [22] |
15 | Antarctica * | $66,070,389 | 1991 | Alex Scott | Antarctica | [23] |
16 | The Living Sea * | $64,800,000‡ | 1995 | Meryl Streep | Marine biology/oceans (conservation) | [24] |
17 | Bowling for Columbine | $58,008,423 | 2002 | Michael Moore | Gun violence and causes of Columbine High School massacre (Moore perspective) | [25] |
18 | In Search of Noah's Ark | $55,700,000 | 1976 | — | Alleged resting place of Noah's Ark | [26] |
19 | To the Limit* | $53,000,000 | 1989 | — | Effects of intense physical activity on the human body | [27] |
20 | Sea Monsters: A Prehistoric Adventure * | $50,728,163 | 2007 | Liev Schreiber | Prehistoric marine reptiles | [28] [29] |
21 | An Inconvenient Truth | $49,782,012 | 2006 | — | Global warming | [30] |
22 | Under the Sea* | $48,059,141 | 2009 | — | A look at the underwater of Indo-Pacific areas / Impact of global warming on the oceans | [31] |
23 | Born to Be Wild * | $47,309,175 | 2011 | Morgan Freeman | Orphaned orangutans and elephants | [32] [33] |
24 | Mysteries of Egypt * | $44,703,731 | 1998 | Howard Carter's discovery of King Tutankhamun's tomb in 1922 | [34] | |
25 | Magnificent Desolation: Walking on the Moon 3D * | $40,339,402 | 2005 | Tom Hanks | Apollo program (first humans on the Moon) | [35] |
26 | Encounter in the Third Dimension * | $40,102,213 | 1999 | Harry Shearer | Fictional characters describe the history and technology of 3-D movies | [36] |
27 | Galapagos* | $40,070,358 | 1999 | Carole Baldwin (marine biologist, Smithsonian Institution) and her first trips to Galapagos Islands | [37] | |
28 | Winged Migration | $39,134,983 | 2001 | Jacques Perrin Philippe Labro | Bird migration | [38] |
29 | Chimpanzee | $36,834,823 | 2012 | Tim Allen | Common chimpanzee named "Oscar" | [39] [40] |
30 | Sicko | $36,093,504 | 2007 | Michael Moore | Healthcare in the U.S. (health insurance and pharmaceutical industry) | [41] |
31 | Woodstock | $34,699,266 | 1970 | Woodstock Festival, 1969 | [42] | |
32 | My Love, Don't Cross That River | $34,100,278 | 2014 | 76-year marriage of a South Korean couple | [43] | |
33 | 2016: Obama's America | $33,449,086 | 2012 | Barack Obama | [44] | |
34 | Wild Safari: A South African Adventure* | $32,446,750 | 2005 | Real-life safari experience in South Africa following a scientist and tracker in search of the "Big Five" | [45] | |
35 | Justin Bieber's Believe | $32,226,781 | 2013 | — | Justin Bieber | [46] |
36 | Thrill Ride: The Science of Fun* | $31,279,211 | 1997 | Fun parks (imagination of movement) | [47] | |
37 | African Cats | $30,857,747 | 2011 | Samuel L. Jackson Patrick Stewart | Lions and cheetahs in the African savannah | [48] |
38 | Bugs!* | $29,445,226 | 2003 | Insects in Borneo's rainforest | [49] | |
39 | Free Solo | $29,390,279 | 2018 | Alex Honnold in his route to free solo climb on El Capitan | [50] | |
40 | Ghosts of the Abyss * | $28,742,313 | 2003 | Bill Paxton | Expedition staged by James Cameron and others to the Wreck of the RMS Titanic | [51] |
41 | Twenty Two | $26,289,378 | 2017 | Chinese women (200,000 estimated) forced into prostitution by the Japanese army during WWII. | [52] | |
42 | Ocean Wonderland* | $25,977,417 | 2003 | Underwater environment | [53] | |
43 | Extreme* | $25,956,582 | 2003 | 6 extreme sports: big wave surfing, ice climbing, skiing, snowboarding, windsurfing and rock climbing. | [54] | |
44 | Chariots of the Gods (Erinnerungen an die Zukunft) | $25,900,000 | 1970 | Heinz-Detlev Bock (various) | Extraterrestrial life | [55] |
45 | A Beautiful Planet * | $25,520,273 | 2016 | Jennifer Lawrence | Astronaut crews aboard the space station for fifteen months / Distinctive views of Earth | [56] |
46 | Born in China | $25,081,168 | 2016 | John Krasinski (various) | Snow leopard "Dawa", monkey "Tao Tao", a giant female panda "Ya Ya" and a herd of chiru | [57] |
47 | Pina | $24,460,758 | 2011 | Pina Bausch | [58] | |
48 | Adrenaline Rush: The Science of Risk * | $23,970,431 | 2002 | Human biology behind risk-taking | [59] | |
49 | Beyond and Back | $23,800,000 | 1978 | Brad Crandall | Near-death experiences | [60] |
50 | Amy | $23,778,585 | 2015 | Amy Winehouse | [61] |
Rank | Title | Lifetime gross | Year | Ref.(s) |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | March of the Penguins (La Marche de l'empereur) | $133,276,359 | 2005 | [8] [63] |
2 | Earth | $108,975,160 | 2009 | [64] |
3 | Deep Sea 3D | $105,779,761 | 2006 | [15] [65] |
4 | Oceans | $86,787,530 | 2009 | [17] [66] |
5 | Dolphins | $69,600,000 | 2000 | [22] |
6 | Antarctica | $66,070,389 | 1991 | [23] |
7 | The Living Sea | $64,800,000‡ | 1995 | [24] |
8 | Sea Monsters: A Prehistoric Adventure | $50,728,163 | 2007 | [28] [29] |
9 | Under the Sea | $48,059,141 | 2009 | [67] |
10 | Born to be Wild | $47,309,175 | 2011 | [32] [68] |
11 | Galapagos | $40,070,358 | 1999 | [37] |
12 | Winged Migration | $39,134,983 | 2001 | [38] |
13 | Chimpanzee | $36,834,823 | 2012 | [69] [40] |
14 | Wild Safari | $32,446,750 | 2005 | [70] |
15 | African Cats | $30,857,747 | 2011 | [48] |
16 | Bugs! | $29,445,226 | 2003 | [71] |
17 | Ocean Wonderland | $25,977,417 | 2003 | [72] |
18 | A Beautiful Planet | $25,520,273 | 2016 | [56] |
19 | Born in China | $25,081,168 | 2016 | [73] |
20 | To the Arctic 3D | $23,695,388 | 2012 | [74] |
Rank | Title | Lifetime gross | Year | Ref.(s) |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Space Station 3D | $128,363,881 | 2002 | [10] |
2 | Hubble | $74,249,729 | 2010 | [19] |
3 | The Dream Is Alive | $70,000,000 | 1985 | [21] |
4 | Magnificent Desolation: Walking on the Moon 3D | $40,339,402 | 2005 | [35] |
5 | A Beautiful Planet | $25,520,273 | 2016 | [56] |
Year | Title | Total gross |
---|---|---|
2025 | Becoming Led Zeppelin | $13,153,799 [77] |
2024 | Am I Racist? | $12,311,598‡ [78] |
2023 | Beijing 2022(北京 2022) | $24,790,100 [79] |
2022 | Moonage Daydream | $13,910,491 [80] |
2021 | The Arctic: Our Last Great Wilderness | $16,894,562 [81] |
2020 | Break the Silence: The Movie | $10,670,308 [82] |
2019 | Bring the Soul: The Movie | $12,984,708 [83] |
2018 | Amazing China (Li hai le, wo de guo) | $72,506,344 [20] |
2017 | Twenty-Two | $25,733,825 [84] |
2016 | A Beautiful Planet | $25,520,273 [56] |
2015 | Amy | $23,778,585 [61] |
2014 | My Love, Don't Cross That River | $34,100,278 [43] |
2013 | Justin Bieber's Believe | $32,226,781 [46] |
2012 | Chimpanzee | $36,834,823 [40] |
2011 | Born to be Wild | $47,309,175 [32] |
2010 | Oceans | $86,787,530 [17] |
2009 | Michael Jackson's This Is It | $261,183,588 [85] |
2008 | Dolphins and Whales Tribes of the Ocean | $17,252,287 [86] |
2007 | Sea Monsters: A Prehistoric Adventure | $50,728,163 [29] |
2006 | Deep Sea 3D | $105,779,761 [15] |
2005 | March of the Penguins (La Marche de l'empereur) | $133,276,359 [8] |
2004 | Fahrenheit 9/11 | $222,446,882 [7] |
2003 | Winged Migration | $39,134,983 [38] |
2002 | Space Station 3D | $128,363,881 [10] |
2001 | Shackleton's Antarctic Adventure | $19,667,161 [87] |
2000 | Dolphins | $69,600,000 [22] |
1999 | Encounter in the Third Dimension | $40,102,213 [36] |
1998 | Everest | $127,990,128 [11] |
1997 | Thrill Ride: The Science of Fun | $31,279,211 [47] |
1996 | Microcosmos | $6,973,842 [88] |
1995 | The Living Sea | $64,800,000‡ [24] |
1994 | Hoop Dreams | $11,768,371 [89] |
1992 | Daddy and the Muscle Academy | $109,513‡ [90] |
1991 | Antarctica | $66,070,389 [23] |
1989 | To the Limit | $53,000,000 [27] |
1988 | Imagine: John Lennon | $3,753,977‡ [91] |
1987 | Hail! Hail! Rock 'n' Roll | $719,323‡ [92] |
1986 | Stripper | $39,065‡ [93] |
1985 | The Dream Is Alive | $70,000,000‡ [21] |
1984 | Grand Canyon: The Hidden Secrets | $239,000,000 [6] |
1983 | Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars | $382,234 [94] |
1982 | It Came from Hollywood | $2,091,037‡ [95] |
1981 | This Is Elvis | $429,146‡ [96] |
1980 | In Search of Historic Jesus | $22,000,000 [97] |
1979 | Dirt | $9,200,000‡ [98] |
1978 | Beyond and Back | $23,800,000 [60] |
1977 | In Search of Noah's Ark | $55,700,000 [26] |
1976 | To Fly! | $120,700,000 [13] |
1975 | Torre Bela | $22,160 [55] |
1974 | Chariots of the Gods (Erinnerungen an die Zukunft) | $25,900,000 [99] |
1972 | Five Summer Stories [100] | — |
1971 | The Sorrow and the Pity (Le Chagrin et la Pitié) | $13,082‡ [101] |
1970 | Woodstock | $34,699,266 [42] |
1969 | Muhammad Ali: The Greatest | $20,073 [102] |
1968 | The Queen | $47,818 [103] |
1967 | Bob Dylan: Don't Look Back | $27,158 [104] |
1965 | I Knew Her Well (Io la conoscevo bene) | $18,010‡ [105] |
1964 | Belarmino [106] | — |
1960 | Jazz on a Summer's Day | $105,953 [107] |
1959 | India: Matri Bhumi | $10,203 [108] |
1957 | The Mystery of Picasso (Le mystère Picasso) | $50,253 [109] |
1955 | Galapagos | $11,500,000 [110] |
1955 | Man with a Movie Camera (Chelovek s kino-apparatom) | $3,956 [111] |
1927 | The Epic of Everest | $3,956 [112] |
1926 | Moana | $2,993 [113] |
1922 | The Great White Silence | $85,214 [114] |
1919 | South | $66,676 [115] |
1918 | Godovshchina revolyutsii | $9,685 [116] |