#1 of 8 #1 documentary movie of May 2004
2004 · Drama, Comedy
$20.6M worldwide · 84% of the chart's total
$11.5M US & Canada · 56% $9.1M elsewhere · 44%
Documentary box office · May 2004
Documentary Box Office, May 2004: Top-Grossing Releases
Super Size Me (2004) is the highest-grossing documentary movie released in May 2004, with $20.6M worldwide, ahead of Control Room (2004) at $2.7M and Still We Believe: The Boston Red Sox Movie (2004) at $396.8K. 8 documentary films released in May 2004 report a worldwide gross, $24.4M in all, 62% of it from the US & Canada. That is 15.3 times the total of April 2004, whose releases took $1.6M. By language, English leads with $21.4M across 4 documentary releases.
- May 2004 releases with a gross
- 8
- combined worldwide
- $24.4M
- Super Size Me (2004), the #1
- $20.6M
- vs April 2004
- ×15.3
#1 of 8 Top 5
What Were the Biggest Documentary Hits of May 2004?
Super Size Me (2004) leads with $20.6M, 84% of the total. The top 5 together took $24.4M, almost all of what the 8 films earned. Each bar splits a film's gross into the US & Canada and the rest of the world.
- Number 1
-
Number 2 -
Number 3 -
Number 4 -
Number 5
US & Canada (domestic) Rest of the world
The chart
Every Documentary Release of May 2004, 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 May 2004.
- 1 May 7, 2004 US and Canada: $11.5M Rest of the world: $9.1M Worldwide: $20.6M
- 2 May 21, 2004 US and Canada: $2.6M Rest of the world: $135.2K Worldwide: $2.7M
- 3 Still We Believe: The Boston Red Sox Movie (2004)May 9, 2004 US and Canada: $396.8K Rest of the world: Worldwide: $396.8K
May 9, 2004 · English · Drama, Documentary $396.8K worldwide - 4 May 28, 2004 US and Canada: $318.8K Rest of the world: $10.3K Worldwide: $329.1K
- 5 May 26, 2004 US and Canada: $165.8K Rest of the world: $113.2K Worldwide: $279K
- 6
May 5, 2004 US and Canada: $28K Rest of the world: Worldwide: $28K - 7
S21: The Khmer Rouge Death Machine (2004)May 19, 2004 US and Canada: $22.6K Rest of the world: $944 Worldwide: $23.6K
May 19, 2004 · Khmer · History, War, Documentary $23.6K worldwide - 8
May 14, 2004 US and Canada: $7.7K Rest of the world: Worldwide: $7.7K
US & Canada vs the world
Where Did the Money Come From in May 2004?
Of the top 8, Still We Believe: The Boston Red Sox Movie (2004) earned the biggest share at home (100% in the US & Canada), while Super Size Me (2004) made 44% of its gross abroad. Across all 8 films, $15.1M (62%) came from the US & Canada.
- 1 Super Size Me (2004) $20.6M $11.5M US & Canada · 56% $9.1M elsewhere · 44%
- 2 Control Room (2004) $2.7M $2.6M US & Canada · 95% $135.2K elsewhere · 5%
- 3 Still We Believe: The Boston Red Sox Movie (2004) $396.8K $396.8K US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%
- 4 Bukowski: Born into This (2004) $329.1K $318.8K US & Canada · 97% $10.3K elsewhere · 3%
- 5 The Five Obstructions (2004) $279K $165.8K US & Canada · 59% $113.2K elsewhere · 41%
- 6 Superstar in a Housedress (2004) $28K $28K US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%
- 7 S21: The Khmer Rouge Death Machine (2004) $23.6K $22.6K US & Canada · 96% $944 elsewhere · 4%
- 8 With All Deliberate Speed (2004) $7.7K $7.7K US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%
By release week
Which Week of May 2004 Had the Biggest Releases?
Films released in week 19 (May 2–8) took $20.7M, led by Super Size Me (2004). Each column links to that week's chart; weeks are Sunday to Saturday.
- Week 18 Wk 18 Apr 25–May 1 No reported grosses – No reported grosses
- Week 19 Wk 19 May 2–8 Super Size Me (2004) $20.7M Super Size Me (2004)
- Week 20 Wk 20 May 9–15 Still We Believe: The Boston Red Sox Movie (2004) $404.5K Still We Believe: The Boston Red Sox Movie (2004)
- Week 21 Wk 21 May 16–22 Control Room (2004) $2.7M Control Room (2004)
- Week 22 Wk 22 May 23–29 Bukowski: Born into This (2004) $608.1K Bukowski: Born into This (2004)
- Week 23 Wk 23 May 30–Jun 5 No reported grosses – No reported grosses
Earlier years
How Does May 2004 Compare With May in Earlier Years?
Of these 10 years, May 2004 earned the most: $24.4M from 8 films, led by Super Size Me (2004).
| Month | Films | Worldwide | Change | Biggest film |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 1995 No films | 0 | – | – | – |
| May 1996 No films | 0 | – | – | – |
| May 1997 No films | 0 | – | – | – |
| May 1998 1 film | 1 | $13.5M | – | Africa’s Elephant Kingdom (1998) $13.5M |
| May 1999 No films | 0 | – | – | – |
| May 2000 4 films | 4 | $21.7M | – | Michael Jordan to the Max (2000) $21.5M |
| May 2001 4 films · −90% | 4 | $2.2M | −90% | Startup.com (2001) $1.8M |
| May 2002 5 films · +163% | 5 | $5.7M | +163% | Ultimate X: The Movie (2002) $4.8M |
| May 2003 6 films · −14% | 6 | $4.9M | −14% | Capturing the Friedmans (2003) $4.1M |
| May 2004 8 films · +396% | 8 | $24.4M | +396% | Super Size Me (2004) $20.6M |
By language
Which Languages Do the Biggest Documentary Movies Speak in May 2004?
English-language documentary films took $21.4M across 4 films, 87% of the total, ahead of Arabic-language documentary films ($2.7M) and Danish-language documentary films ($279K).
Archive
Documentary Box Office in 2004, Month by Month
The months of 2004 with their totals: June leads with $264.9M, led by Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004).
- January $14.2M #1 Touching the Void (2004)
- February $585.6K #1 Johan Cruijff - En un momento dado (2004)
- March $389.5K #1 Mayor of the Sunset Strip (2004)
- April $1.6M #1 Sacred Planet (2004)
- May $24.4M #1 Super Size Me (2004)
- June $264.9M #1 Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004)
- July $7.2M #1 Riding Giants (2004)
- August $1.1M #1 Outfoxed: Rupert Murdoch's War on Journalism (2004)
- September $1M #1 Earth from Above (2004)
- October $2.3M #1 Tarnation (2004)
- November $3M #1 Paper Clips (2004)
- December $19.3M #1 The Last Trapper (2004)
FAQ
Documentary Box Office May 2004: 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 8 films as the chart.
What is the highest-grossing documentary movie in May 2004?
Super Size Me (2004) leads with $20.6M worldwide, $11.5M of it in the US & Canada. Next come Control Room (2004) at $2.7M and Still We Believe: The Boston Red Sox Movie (2004) at $396.8K.
How much did documentary movies released in May 2004 earn?
8 documentary films released in May 2004 report a worldwide gross, $24.4M in all, or $3.1M per film on average. April 2004 releases took $1.6M.
How many documentary movies released in May 2004 made $1 billion?
None. The biggest, Super Size Me (2004), earned $20.6M.
How is the May 2004 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 May 2004. 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 May 2004 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.