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Documentary box office · 1986

Documentary Box Office 1986: Highest-Grossing Documentary Movies

Home of the Brave: A Film by Laurie Anderson (1986) is the highest-grossing documentary movie released in 1986, with $1.3M worldwide, ahead of Sherman's March (1986) at $124.1K and Kamikaze Hearts (1986) at $6.7K. 3 documentary films released in 1986 report a worldwide gross, $1.4M in all, 100% of it from the US & Canada. That is down 23% on 1985, whose releases took $1.8M.

1986 releases with a gross
3
combined worldwide
$1.4M
Home of the Brave: A Film by Laurie Anderson (1986), the #1
$1.3M
vs 1985
−23%
Top 3

What Were the Biggest Documentary Hits of 1986?

Home of the Brave: A Film by Laurie Anderson (1986) leads with $1.3M, 91% of the total. The top 3 together took $1.4M, almost all of what the 3 films earned. Each bar splits a film's gross into the US & Canada and the rest of the world.

  1. Home of the Brave: A Film by Laurie Anderson (1986) movie poster Number 1
    $1.3M Home of the Brave: A Film by Laurie Anderson (1986)
    $1.3M US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%
  2. Sherman's March (1986) movie poster Number 2
    $124.1K Sherman's March (1986)
    $124.1K US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%
  3. Kamikaze Hearts (1986) movie poster Number 3
    $6.7K Kamikaze Hearts (1986)
    $6.7K US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%

US & Canada (domestic) Rest of the world

The chart

Every Documentary Release of 1986, 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 1986.

  1. 1 Home of the Brave: A Film by Laurie Anderson (1986) movie poster
    Home of the Brave: A Film by Laurie Anderson (1986) Apr 27, 1986 · English · Documentary, Music $1.3M worldwide
    Apr 27, 1986 US and Canada: $1.3M Rest of the world: Worldwide: $1.3M
  2. 2 Sherman's March (1986) movie poster
    Sherman's March (1986) Sep 5, 1986 · English · Documentary, Biography, Comedy $124.1K worldwide
    Sep 5, 1986 US and Canada: $124.1K Rest of the world: Worldwide: $124.1K
  3. 3 Kamikaze Hearts (1986) movie poster
    Kamikaze Hearts (1986) Nov 1, 1986 · English · Documentary, Drama $6.7K worldwide
    Nov 1, 1986 US and Canada: $6.7K Rest of the world: Worldwide: $6.7K
US & Canada vs the world

Where Did the Money Come From in 1986?

Of the top 3, Home of the Brave: A Film by Laurie Anderson (1986) earned the biggest share at home (100% in the US & Canada), while Kamikaze Hearts (1986) made 0% of its gross abroad. Across all 3 films, $1.4M (100%) came from the US & Canada.

  1. 1 Home of the Brave: A Film by Laurie Anderson (1986) $1.3M
    $1.3M US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%
  2. 2 Sherman's March (1986) $124.1K
    $124.1K US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%
  3. 3 Kamikaze Hearts (1986) $6.7K
    $6.7K US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%
By release month

Which Month of 1986 Earned the Most?

April releases took the most, $1.3M from 1 film, led by Home of the Brave: A Film by Laurie Anderson (1986). November was the quietest month ($6.7K). 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 Home of the Brave: A Film by Laurie Anderson (1986) $1.3M Home of the Brave: A Film by Laurie Anderson (1986)
  5. May May No reported grosses – No reported grosses
  6. June Jun No reported grosses – No reported grosses
  7. July Jul No reported grosses – No reported grosses
  8. August Aug No reported grosses – No reported grosses
  9. September Sep Sherman's March (1986) $124.1K Sherman's March (1986)
  10. October Oct No reported grosses – No reported grosses
  11. November Nov Kamikaze Hearts (1986) $6.7K Kamikaze Hearts (1986)
  12. December Dec No reported grosses – No reported grosses
Last 10 years

How Does 1986 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). 1986 took $1.4M.

Year Films Worldwide Change Biggest film
1977 6 films 6 $298.5K – 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
1986 3 films · −23% 3 $1.4M −23% Home of the Brave: A Film by Laurie Anderson (1986) $1.3M
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 1986: 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 3 films as the chart.

What is the highest-grossing documentary movie in 1986?

Home of the Brave: A Film by Laurie Anderson (1986) leads with $1.3M worldwide, $1.3M of it in the US & Canada. Next come Sherman's March (1986) at $124.1K and Kamikaze Hearts (1986) at $6.7K.

How much did documentary movies released in 1986 earn?

3 documentary films released in 1986 report a worldwide gross, $1.4M in all, or $460.3K per film on average. 1985 releases took $1.8M.

How many documentary movies released in 1986 made $1 billion?

None. The biggest, Home of the Brave: A Film by Laurie Anderson (1986), earned $1.3M.

How much of the 1986 Documentary box office came from the US and Canada?

$1.4M of the $1.4M total, or 100%, was earned in the US & Canada (the domestic market); the rest came from other countries. 0 films of the 3 report no domestic figure.

How is the 1986 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 1986. 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 1986 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.