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Documentary box office · 1987

Documentary Box Office 1987: Highest-Grossing Documentary Movies

Eddie Murphy: Raw (1987) is the highest-grossing documentary movie released in 1987, with $50.5M worldwide, ahead of Sign 'o' the Times (1987) at $3M and Chuck Berry - Hail! Hail! Rock ’n’ Roll (1987) at $719.3K. 4 documentary films released in 1987 report a worldwide gross, $54.3M in all, 100% of it from the US & Canada. That is 39.3 times the total of 1986, whose releases took $1.4M.

1987 releases with a gross
4
combined worldwide
$54.3M
Eddie Murphy: Raw (1987), the #1
$50.5M
vs 1986
×39.3
Eddie Murphy: Raw (1987) movie poster #1 of 4
#1 documentary movie of 1987

Eddie Murphy: Raw (1987)

1987 · Comedy, Documentary

$50.5M worldwide · 93% of the chart's total

$50.5M US & Canada · 100% $634 elsewhere · <1%
Top 4

What Were the Biggest Documentary Hits of 1987?

Eddie Murphy: Raw (1987) leads with $50.5M, 93% of the total. The top 4 together took $54.3M, almost all of what the 4 films earned. Each bar splits a film's gross into the US & Canada and the rest of the world.

  1. Eddie Murphy: Raw (1987) movie poster Number 1
    $50.5M Eddie Murphy: Raw (1987)
    $50.5M US & Canada · 100% $634 elsewhere · <1%
  2. Sign 'o' the Times (1987) movie poster Number 2
    $3M Sign 'o' the Times (1987)
    $3M US & Canada · 100% $900 elsewhere · <1%
  3. Chuck Berry - Hail! Hail! Rock ’n’ Roll (1987) movie poster Number 3
    $719.3K Chuck Berry - Hail! Hail! Rock ’n’ Roll (1987)
    $719.3K US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%
  4. Heaven (1987) movie poster Number 4
    $77.9K Heaven (1987)
    $77.9K US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%

US & Canada (domestic) Rest of the world

The chart

Every Documentary Release of 1987, 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 1987.

  1. 1 Eddie Murphy: Raw (1987) movie poster
    Eddie Murphy: Raw (1987) Dec 18, 1987 · English · Comedy, Documentary $50.5M worldwide
    Dec 18, 1987 US and Canada: $50.5M Rest of the world: $634 Worldwide: $50.5M
  2. 2 Sign 'o' the Times (1987) movie poster
    Sign 'o' the Times (1987) Nov 20, 1987 · English · Music, Documentary $3M worldwide
    Nov 20, 1987 US and Canada: $3M Rest of the world: $900 Worldwide: $3M
  3. 3 Chuck Berry - Hail! Hail! Rock ’n’ Roll (1987) movie poster
    Chuck Berry - Hail! Hail! Rock ’n’ Roll (1987) Oct 9, 1987 · English · Documentary, Music $719.3K worldwide
    Oct 9, 1987 US and Canada: $719.3K Rest of the world: Worldwide: $719.3K
  4. 4 Heaven (1987) movie poster
    Heaven (1987) Apr 17, 1987 · English · Documentary $77.9K worldwide
    Apr 17, 1987 US and Canada: $77.9K Rest of the world: Worldwide: $77.9K
US & Canada vs the world

Where Did the Money Come From in 1987?

Of the top 4, Chuck Berry - Hail! Hail! Rock ’n’ Roll (1987) earned the biggest share at home (100% in the US & Canada), while Sign 'o' the Times (1987) made <1% of its gross abroad. Across all 4 films, $54.3M (100%) came from the US & Canada.

  1. 1 Eddie Murphy: Raw (1987) $50.5M
    $50.5M US & Canada · 100% $634 elsewhere · <1%
  2. 2 Sign 'o' the Times (1987) $3M
    $3M US & Canada · 100% $900 elsewhere · <1%
  3. 3 Chuck Berry - Hail! Hail! Rock ’n’ Roll (1987) $719.3K
    $719.3K US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%
  4. 4 Heaven (1987) $77.9K
    $77.9K US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%
By release month

Which Month of 1987 Earned the Most?

December releases took the most, $50.5M from 1 film, led by Eddie Murphy: Raw (1987). April was the quietest month ($77.9K). 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 Heaven (1987) $77.9K Heaven (1987)
  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 No reported grosses – No reported grosses
  10. October Oct Chuck Berry - Hail! Hail! Rock ’n’ Roll (1987) $719.3K Chuck Berry - Hail! Hail! Rock ’n’ Roll (1987)
  11. November Nov Sign 'o' the Times (1987) $3M Sign 'o' the Times (1987)
  12. December Dec Eddie Murphy: Raw (1987) $50.5M Eddie Murphy: Raw (1987)
Last 10 years

How Does 1987 Compare With Previous Years?

Of these 10 years, 1987 earned the most: $54.3M from 4 films, led by Eddie Murphy: Raw (1987).

Year Films Worldwide Change Biggest film
1978 2 films 2 $363.8K – 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
1987 4 films · +3833% 4 $54.3M +3833% Eddie Murphy: Raw (1987) $50.5M
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 1987: 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 4 films as the chart.

What is the highest-grossing documentary movie in 1987?

Eddie Murphy: Raw (1987) leads with $50.5M worldwide, $50.5M of it in the US & Canada. Next come Sign 'o' the Times (1987) at $3M and Chuck Berry - Hail! Hail! Rock ’n’ Roll (1987) at $719.3K.

How much did documentary movies released in 1987 earn?

4 documentary films released in 1987 report a worldwide gross, $54.3M in all, or $13.6M per film on average. 1986 releases took $1.4M.

How many documentary movies released in 1987 made $1 billion?

None. The biggest, Eddie Murphy: Raw (1987), earned $50.5M.

How much of the 1987 Documentary box office came from the US and Canada?

$54.3M of the $54.3M total, or 100%, was earned in the US & Canada (the domestic market); the rest came from other countries. 0 films of the 4 report no domestic figure.

How is the 1987 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 1987. 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 1987 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.