$22.8M
ROI —
Genre box office
Documentary Box Office Movies
Ranked documentary movies by reported worldwide gross, with budgets, gross-minus-budget and ROI where available.
Movies245in this genre
Total gross$4.91Bvisible records
Top movieWaffle F1 - The Movie$631.7M
Listed245paginated rows
Documentary movie chart
Sorted by worldwide gross. Records can change as metadata and financial values are reviewed.| # | Movie | Year | Worldwide | Budget | Gross - budget | ROI | Studio / Distributor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 49 |
Blue Planet
WW
Financial
No budget
Hidden
|
1990 | $22.8M | — | — | — | IMAX |
| 50 |
U2 3D
WW
Financial
Hidden
|
2008 | $22.7M | $15.0M | $7.7M | 1.52x | 3Ality Digital Entertainment |
| 51 |
Free Solo
WW
Financial
No budget
Hidden
|
2018 | $21.8M | — | — | — | National Geographic Documentary Films |
| 52 |
Michael Jordan to the Max
WW
Financial
No budget
Hidden
|
2000 | $21.3M | — | — | — | IMAX |
| 53 |
They Shall Not Grow Old
WW
Financial
No budget
Hidden
|
2018 | $20.9M | — | — | — | Imperial War Museums |
| 54 |
Winged Migration
WW
Financial
Hidden
|
2001 | $20.2M | $35.9M | -$15.6M | 0.56x | Galatée Films |
| 55 |
NASCAR: The IMAX Experience
WW
Financial
No budget
Hidden
|
2004 | $20.0M | — | — | — | IMAX |
| 56 |
Deep Blue
WW
Financial
Hidden
|
2003 | $19.3M | $5.0M | $14.3M | 3.86x | Greenlight Media Ag |
| 57 |
Martin Lawrence Live: Runteldat
WW
Financial
Hidden
|
2002 | $19.2M | $3.0M | $16.2M | 6.39x | Mtv Films |
| 58 |
That's Entertainment!
WW
Financial
|
1974 | $19.1M | $3.2M | $15.9M | 5.97x | Metro Goldwyn Mayer |
| 59 |
Glee: The Concert Movie
WW
Financial
Hidden
|
2011 | $18.7M | $9.0M | $9.7M | 2.07x | Ryan Murphy Television |
| 60 |
JUNG KOOK: I AM STILL
WW
Financial
No budget
Hidden
|
2024 | $18.5M | — | — | — | Hybe |
| 61 |
Capitalism: A Love Story
WW
Financial
Hidden
|
2009 | $17.4M | $20.0M | -$2.6M | 0.87x | The Weinstein Company |
| 62 |
Ghosts of the Abyss
WW
Financial
Hidden
|
2003 | $17.0M | $13.0M | $4.0M | 1.31x | Earthship Productions |
| 63 |
IMAX: Galapagos 3D
WW
Financial
No budget
Hidden
|
1999 | $16.9M | — | — | — | Smithsonian Institution |
| 64 |
Monkey Kingdom
WW
Financial
No budget
Hidden
|
2015 | $16.7M | — | — | — | Disneynature |
| 65 |
Shine a Light
WW
Financial
Hidden
|
2008 | $15.8M | $1.0M | $14.8M | 15.77x | Shangri La Entertainment |
| 66 |
Becoming Led Zeppelin
WW
Financial
No budget
Hidden
|
2025 | $14.7M | — | — | — | Big Beach |
| 67 |
Pina
WW
Financial
Hidden
|
2011 | $14.6M | $4.3M | $10.3M | 3.39x | Zdf |
| 68 |
America: Imagine the World Without Her
WW
Financial
Hidden
|
2014 | $14.4M | $5.0M | $9.4M | 2.89x | Lions Gate Films |
| 69 |
Vasco Modena Park - Il film
WW
Financial
No budget
Hidden
|
2017 | $14.1M | — | — | — | — |
| 70 |
The Story Of Short Stack
WW
Financial
Hidden
|
2011 | $14.0M | $2.0M | $12.0M | 7.00x | Universal Music Group |
| 71 |
Touching the Void
WW
Financial
No budget
Hidden
|
2003 | $13.9M | — | — | — | UK Film Council |
| 72 |
Island of Lemurs: Madagascar
WW
Financial
No budget
Hidden
|
2014 | $13.8M | — | — | — | IMAX |
U2 3D
2008 · WW
Budget $15.0M · 3Ality Digital Entertainment
$22.7M
ROI 1.52x
Free Solo
2018 · WW
Budget — · National Geographic Documentary Films
$21.8M
ROI —
$21.3M
ROI —
They Shall Not Grow Old
2018 · WW
Budget — · Imperial War Museums
$20.9M
ROI —
Winged Migration
2001 · WW
Budget $35.9M · Galatée Films
$20.2M
ROI 0.56x
$20.0M
ROI —
Deep Blue
2003 · WW
Budget $5.0M · Greenlight Media Ag
$19.3M
ROI 3.86x
$19.2M
ROI 6.39x
$19.1M
ROI 5.97x
Glee: The Concert Movie
2011 · WW
Budget $9.0M · Ryan Murphy Television
$18.7M
ROI 2.07x
$18.5M
ROI —
Capitalism: A Love Story
2009 · WW
Budget $20.0M · The Weinstein Company
$17.4M
ROI 0.87x
Ghosts of the Abyss
2003 · WW
Budget $13.0M · Earthship Productions
$17.0M
ROI 1.31x
IMAX: Galapagos 3D
1999 · WW
Budget — · Smithsonian Institution
$16.9M
ROI —
Monkey Kingdom
2015 · WW
Budget — · Disneynature
$16.7M
ROI —
Shine a Light
2008 · WW
Budget $1.0M · Shangri La Entertainment
$15.8M
ROI 15.77x
$14.7M
ROI —
$14.6M
ROI 3.39x
America: Imagine the World Without Her
2014 · WW
Budget $5.0M · Lions Gate Films
$14.4M
ROI 2.89x
Vasco Modena Park - Il film
2017 · WW
Budget —
$14.1M
ROI —
The Story Of Short Stack
2011 · WW
Budget $2.0M · Universal Music Group
$14.0M
ROI 7.00x
Touching the Void
2003 · WW
Budget — · UK Film Council
$13.9M
ROI —
$13.8M
ROI —
Documentary box office FAQ
Helpful answers about this genre chart.What does the Documentary box office chart include?
The Documentary chart includes indexed movie records that currently carry the Documentary genre label and available worldwide box office data.
Why can genre rankings change?
Genre pages can change when movie metadata is enriched, corrected or remapped from external data sources.
Are genre pages sorted by worldwide gross?
Yes. Genre movie lists are sorted by reported worldwide gross by default, with budget, gross-minus-budget and ROI shown where available.