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Documentary box office · 1985

Documentary Box Office 1985: Highest-Grossing Documentary Movies

The Dream Is Alive (1985) is the highest-grossing documentary movie released in 1985, with $1M worldwide, ahead of Pumping Iron II: The Women (1985) at $628.1K and 16 Days of Glory (1985) at $83.9K. 6 documentary films released in 1985 report a worldwide gross, $1.8M in all, 42% of it from the US & Canada. That is down 93% on 1984, whose releases took $24.1M. By language, English leads with $1.8M across 4 documentary releases.

1985 releases with a gross
6
combined worldwide
$1.8M
The Dream Is Alive (1985), the #1
$1M
vs 1984
−93%
The Dream Is Alive (1985) movie poster #1 of 6
#1 documentary movie of 1985

The Dream Is Alive (1985)

1985 · Documentary

$1M worldwide · 58% of the chart's total

No US & Canada figure reported
Top 5

What Were the Biggest Documentary Hits of 1985?

The Dream Is Alive (1985) leads with $1M, 58% of the total. The top 5 together took $1.8M, almost all of what the 6 films earned. Each bar splits a film's gross into the US & Canada and the rest of the world.

  1. The Dream Is Alive (1985) movie poster Number 1
    $1M The Dream Is Alive (1985)
    No US & Canada figure reported
  2. Pumping Iron II: The Women (1985) movie poster Number 2
    $628.1K Pumping Iron II: The Women (1985)
    $628.1K US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%
  3. 16 Days of Glory (1985) movie poster Number 3
    $83.9K 16 Days of Glory (1985)
    $83.9K US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%
  4. Shoah (1985) movie poster Number 4
    $20.2K Shoah (1985)
    $20.2K US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%
  5. Before Stonewall (1985) movie poster Number 5
    $18.7K Before Stonewall (1985)
    $18.7K US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%

US & Canada (domestic) Rest of the world

The chart

Every Documentary Release of 1985, Ranked by Worldwide Gross

Lifetime worldwide grosses in US dollars, not adjusted for inflation; domestic means the US & Canada. Films are grouped by their release date in 1985.

  1. 1 The Dream Is Alive (1985) movie poster
    The Dream Is Alive (1985) Jun 1, 1985 · English · Documentary $1M worldwide
    Jun 1, 1985 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $1M
  2. 2 Pumping Iron II: The Women (1985) movie poster
    Pumping Iron II: The Women (1985) May 3, 1985 · English · Documentary $628.1K worldwide
    May 3, 1985 US and Canada: $628.1K Rest of the world: Worldwide: $628.1K
  3. 3 16 Days of Glory (1985) movie poster
    16 Days of Glory (1985) Jul 29, 1985 · English · Documentary $83.9K worldwide
    Jul 29, 1985 US and Canada: $83.9K Rest of the world: Worldwide: $83.9K
  4. 4 Shoah (1985) movie poster
    Shoah (1985) Apr 21, 1985 · French · Documentary, History $20.2K worldwide
    Apr 21, 1985 US and Canada: $20.2K Rest of the world: Worldwide: $20.2K
  5. 5 Before Stonewall (1985) movie poster
    Before Stonewall (1985) Jun 27, 1985 · English · History, Documentary $18.7K worldwide
    Jun 27, 1985 US and Canada: $18.7K Rest of the world: Worldwide: $18.7K
  6. 6 The Assault of the Present on the Rest of Time (1985) movie poster
    The Assault of the Present on the Rest of Time (1985) Oct 31, 1985 · German · Documentary $242 worldwide
    Oct 31, 1985 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $242
US & Canada vs the world

Where Did the Money Come From in 1985?

Of the top 6, Pumping Iron II: The Women (1985) earned the biggest share at home (100% in the US & Canada), while Before Stonewall (1985) made 0% of its gross abroad. Across all 6 films, $750.8K (42%) came from the US & Canada. 2 films of the top 6 report no US & Canada figure.

  1. 1 The Dream Is Alive (1985) $1M
    No US & Canada figure reported
  2. 2 Pumping Iron II: The Women (1985) $628.1K
    $628.1K US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%
  3. 3 16 Days of Glory (1985) $83.9K
    $83.9K US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%
  4. 4 Shoah (1985) $20.2K
    $20.2K US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%
  5. 5 Before Stonewall (1985) $18.7K
    $18.7K US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%
  6. 6 The Assault of the Present on the Rest of Time (1985) $242
    No US & Canada figure reported
By release month

Which Month of 1985 Earned the Most?

June releases took the most, $1.1M from 2 films, led by The Dream Is Alive (1985). October was the quietest month ($242). Each column is a release month and links to that month's chart.

  1. January Jan No reported grosses – No reported grosses
  2. February Feb No reported grosses – No reported grosses
  3. March Mar No reported grosses – No reported grosses
  4. April Apr Shoah (1985) $20.2K Shoah (1985)
  5. May May Pumping Iron II: The Women (1985) $628.1K Pumping Iron II: The Women (1985)
  6. June Jun The Dream Is Alive (1985) $1.1M The Dream Is Alive (1985)
  7. July Jul 16 Days of Glory (1985) $83.9K 16 Days of Glory (1985)
  8. August Aug No reported grosses – No reported grosses
  9. September Sep No reported grosses – No reported grosses
  10. October Oct The Assault of the Present on the Rest of Time (1985) $242 The Assault of the Present on the Rest of Time (1985)
  11. November Nov No reported grosses – No reported grosses
  12. December Dec No reported grosses – No reported grosses
Last 10 years

How Does 1985 Compare With Previous Years?

Of these 10 years, 1982 earned the most: $44.4M from 8 films, led by Richard Pryor: Live on the Sunset Strip (1982). 1985 took $1.8M.

Year Films Worldwide Change Biggest film
1976 3 films 3 $5M – That's Entertainment, Part II (1976) $5M
1977 6 films · −94% 6 $298.5K −94% ABBA: The Movie (1977) $144.4K
1978 2 films · +22% 2 $363.8K +22% The Last Waltz (1978) $363.5K
1979 No films 0 – – –
1980 1 film 1 $5.3M – Divine Madness (1980) $5.3M
1981 4 films · −60% 4 $2.1M −60% This Is Elvis (1981) $2M
1982 8 films · +1986% 8 $44.4M +1986% Richard Pryor: Live on the Sunset Strip (1982) $36.3M
1983 3 films · −64% 3 $16.2M −64% Richard Pryor: Here and Now (1983) $16.2M
1984 7 films · +49% 7 $24.1M +49% Stop Making Sense (1984) $13.1M
1985 6 films · −93% 6 $1.8M −93% The Dream Is Alive (1985) $1M
Archive

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
FAQ

Documentary Box Office 1985: Questions & Answers

The chart's numbers in short: the #1 film, the total, the billion-dollar hits and the US & Canada share, answered from the same 6 films as the chart.

What is the highest-grossing documentary movie in 1985?

The Dream Is Alive (1985) leads with $1M worldwide. Next come Pumping Iron II: The Women (1985) at $628.1K and 16 Days of Glory (1985) at $83.9K.

How much did documentary movies released in 1985 earn?

6 documentary films released in 1985 report a worldwide gross, $1.8M in all, or $299.2K per film on average. 1984 releases took $24.1M.

How many documentary movies released in 1985 made $1 billion?

None. The biggest, The Dream Is Alive (1985), earned $1M.

How much of the 1985 Documentary box office came from the US and Canada?

$750.8K of the $1.8M total, or 42%, was earned in the US & Canada (the domestic market); the rest came from other countries. 2 films of the 6 report no domestic figure.

How is the 1985 documentary box office chart ranked and where do the numbers come from?

Films are ranked by lifetime worldwide gross in US dollars, not adjusted for inflation, and grouped by their release date in 1985. The figures are the reported box office grosses in our database. A gross that looks misattributed, such as one figure shared by two unrelated films or a blockbuster total on an obscure title, is left out rather than shown as a fact.

How often is the 1985 documentary box office chart updated?

Grosses change while films are in theaters and whenever a new figure is reported; this chart reads the latest numbers in our database, so an older film can still move after a re-release.