Documentary box office

Documentary Box Office: Highest-Grossing Documentary Movies of All Time & 2026 So Far

This Is It (2009) is the highest-grossing documentary movie in our database, with $268M worldwide, ahead of Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004) ($222.4M) and Jackass 3-D (2010) ($178.1M). 4,018 documentary films report a worldwide gross, $5.8B in all, 52% of it from the US & Canada. 7 films crossed $100 million; none reached $1 billion. In 2026 so far, You Can See Everything (2026) leads with $56.9M; 47 releases took $134.5M, up 223% on the same days of 2025 ($41.6M).

documentary films with a gross: 4,018
combined worldwide, all time: $5.8B
from 2026 releases so far: $134.5M
vs the same days of 2025: ×3.2

#1 of 4,018

Highest-grossing documentary movie ever

This Is It (2009)

2009 · Music, Documentary

$268M worldwide

$72.1M US & Canada · 27% $195.9M elsewhere · 73%

All-time records

What Are the 10 Highest-Grossing Documentary Movies Ever?

This Is It (2009) leads with $268M, $45.5M ahead of Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004). The top 10 took $1.5B together, 26% of what all 4,018 films earned. None of them came out in 2016 or later.

Full all-time chart

1
This Is It (2009) Oct 28, 2009 · Music, Documentary $268M worldwide

Oct 28, 2009 US and Canada: $72.1M Rest of the world: $195.9M Worldwide: $268M
2
Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004) Jun 23, 2004 · English · History, War, Documentary $222.4M worldwide

Jun 23, 2004 US and Canada: $119.2M Rest of the world: $103.3M Worldwide: $222.4M
3
Jackass 3-D (2010) Oct 15, 2010 · English · Action, Comedy, Documentary $178.1M worldwide

Oct 15, 2010 US and Canada: $117.2M Rest of the world: $60.9M Worldwide: $178.1M
4
Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa (2013) Oct 25, 2013 · English · Comedy, Documentary $151.8M worldwide

Oct 25, 2013 US and Canada: $102M Rest of the world: $49.8M Worldwide: $151.8M
5
Space Station 3D (2002) Apr 19, 2002 · English · Documentary $128.4M worldwide

Apr 19, 2002 US and Canada: $93.4M Rest of the world: $35M Worldwide: $128.4M
6
March of the Penguins (2005) Jun 24, 2005 · English · Family, Documentary $127.4M worldwide

Jun 24, 2005 US and Canada: $77.4M Rest of the world: $50M Worldwide: $127.4M
7
Walking with Dinosaurs (2013) Dec 20, 2013 · English · Action, Adventure, Animation $126.5M worldwide

Dec 20, 2013 US and Canada: $36.1M Rest of the world: $90.5M Worldwide: $126.5M
8
Justin Bieber: Never Say Never (2011) Feb 11, 2011 · English · Music, Documentary $99M worldwide

Feb 11, 2011 US and Canada: $73M Rest of the world: $26M Worldwide: $99M
9
Deep Sea (2006) Mar 3, 2006 · Documentary, Short $98.2M worldwide

Mar 3, 2006 US and Canada: $46.4M Rest of the world: $51.8M Worldwide: $98.2M
10
Jackass Number Two (2006) Sep 22, 2006 · English · Comedy, Documentary $84.6M worldwide

Sep 22, 2006 US and Canada: $72.8M Rest of the world: $11.9M Worldwide: $84.6M

2026 so far

What Are the Biggest Documentary Hits of 2026 So Far?

You Can See Everything (2026) leads with $56.9M, 42% of the total. The top 5 together took $119M, 89% of what all 47 films earned. Each bar splits a film's gross into the US & Canada and the rest of the world.

Full 2026 chart

Number 1

$56.9M You Can See Everything (2026)
$56.9M US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%
Number 2

$27.8M jackass: best and last (2026)
$18.3M US & Canada · 66% $9.6M elsewhere · 34%
Number 3

$16.7M Melania (2026)
$16.4M US & Canada · 98% $304K elsewhere · 2%
Number 4

$12.5M Oasis: Don’t Look Back in Anger (2026)
$2M US & Canada · 16% $10.6M elsewhere · 84%
Number 5

$5.2M The Moment (2026)
$3.9M US & Canada · 76% $1.2M elsewhere · 24%

US & Canada (domestic) Rest of the world

By release month

Which Month of 2026 Was Best for Documentary Movies?

October releases took the most, $57.6M from 3 films, led by You Can See Everything (2026). February was the quietest month ($184.3K). Each column is a release month and links to that month's chart.

Biggest years

Which Years Had the Highest-Grossing Documentary Movies?

2013 releases earned the most: $696.2M from 180 films, led by Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa (2013). The 10 biggest years, each linking to its chart.

Year	Films	Worldwide	Biggest film
2013 180 films	180	$696.2M	Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa (2013) $151.8M
2009 111 films	111	$401.6M	This Is It (2009) $268M
2004 88 films	88	$339.9M	Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004) $222.4M
2010 119 films	119	$338.6M	Jackass 3-D (2010) $178.1M
2011 162 films	162	$288.8M	Justin Bieber: Never Say Never (2011) $99M
2012 164 films	164	$288M	Switch (2012) $47.2M
2006 112 films	112	$286.9M	Deep Sea (2006) $98.2M
2005 94 films	94	$284.9M	March of the Penguins (2005) $127.4M
2018 238 films	238	$257.3M	Believer (2018) $39M
2002 50 films	50	$239M	Space Station 3D (2002) $128.4M

By language

Which Languages Do the Biggest Documentary Movies Speak?

English-language documentary films took $4.7B across 2,792 films, 80% of the total, ahead of French-language documentary films ($178.8M) and Korean-language documentary films ($144.6M).

English $4.7B
2,792 films · #1 Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004)
French $178.8M
166 films · #1 Oceans (2010)
Korean $144.6M
54 films · #1 Northern Limit Line (2015)
German $69.7M
108 films · #1 Pina (2011)
Chinese $37.8M
32 films · #1 Twenty Two (2015)
Polish $34.5M
12 films · #1 In the Rearview (2024)
Spanish $33.3M
209 films · #1 The Mystery of the Pink Flamingo (2020)
Arabic $29.5M
45 films · #1 Lyd (2024)
Italian $22.4M
82 films · #1 The Journey: A Music Special from Andrea Bocelli (2023)
Norwegian $21.1M
30 films · #1 Once Upon a Time in Norway (2007)

Documentary Box Office Year by Year

Every year from 1918 to 2026 with its total and its biggest film. 2013 leads with $696.2M, led by Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa (2013).

2020s 7 years · $644.6M

2010s 10 years · $2.7B

2000s 10 years · $2.1B

1990s 10 years · $226.1M

1980s 10 years · $174.2M

1970s 9 years · $33.9M

1960s 6 years · $143K

1950s 5 years · $233.2K

1920s 2 years · $201.5K

1910s 1 year · $9.7K

1918 $9.7K #1 Anniversary of the Revolution (1918)

Other genres

Compare Documentary With Another Genre

Documentary has 4,018 films with a gross and $5.8B in all; each of these 20 genres has the same all-time and yearly charts to compare with.

All genres ranked

FAQ

Documentary Box Office: Questions & Answers

The Documentary charts in short: the all-time #1, 2026's leader, the billion-dollar hits and the biggest year, answered from the same 4,018 films as the charts.

What is the highest-grossing documentary movie of all time?

This Is It (2009) leads with $268M worldwide, $72.1M of it in the US & Canada. Next come Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004) ($222.4M) and Jackass 3-D (2010) ($178.1M).

All-time chart

What is the highest-grossing documentary movie of 2026 so far?

You Can See Everything (2026) leads 2026 with $56.9M worldwide, 42% of the $134.5M that its 47 releases report. Films of this year are still earning, so the order can change.

2026 chart

How much have documentary movies earned at the box office?

4,018 documentary films report a worldwide gross, $5.8B in all, or $1.4M per film on average. $3B (52%) came from the US & Canada.

How many documentary movies have made $1 billion?

None. 7 films crossed $100 million, led by This Is It (2009) with $268M.

Which year was the biggest for documentary movies?

2013 releases earned the most: $696.2M from 180 films, led by Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa (2013).

2013 chart

How are documentary box office numbers counted?

Films are ranked by lifetime worldwide gross in US dollars, not adjusted for inflation, and grouped by their release date. A gross that looks misattributed, such as one figure shared by two unrelated films, is left out rather than shown as a fact, and so are records that list seven or more genres.