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Documentary box office · May 2011

Documentary Box Office, May 2011: Top-Grossing Releases

Flying Monsters 3D with David Attenborough (2011) is the highest-grossing documentary movie released in May 2011, with $10.8M worldwide, ahead of Joschka und Herr Fischer (2011) at $741.7K and Forks Over Knives (2011) at $739.6K. 14 documentary films released in May 2011 report a worldwide gross, $13.2M in all, 52% of it from the US & Canada. That is down 87% on April 2011, whose releases took $100.9M. By language, English leads with $12M across 10 documentary releases.

May 2011 releases with a gross
14
combined worldwide
$13.2M
Flying Monsters 3D with David Attenborough (2011), the #1
$10.8M
vs April 2011
−87%
Top 5

What Were the Biggest Documentary Hits of May 2011?

Flying Monsters 3D with David Attenborough (2011) leads with $10.8M, 82% of the total. The top 5 together took $13M, 98% of what all 14 films earned. Each bar splits a film's gross into the US & Canada and the rest of the world.

  1. Flying Monsters 3D with David Attenborough (2011) movie poster Number 1
    $10.8M Flying Monsters 3D with David Attenborough (2011)
    $5.7M US & Canada · 53% $5.1M elsewhere · 47%
  2. Joschka und Herr Fischer (2011) movie poster Number 2
    $741.7K Joschka und Herr Fischer (2011)
    No US & Canada figure reported
  3. Forks Over Knives (2011) movie poster Number 3
    $739.6K Forks Over Knives (2011)
    $739.6K US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%
  4. L'amour fou (2011) movie poster Number 4
    $517K L'amour fou (2011)
    $312.5K US & Canada · 60% $204.5K elsewhere · 40%
  5. How to Live Forever (2011) movie poster Number 5
    $164.7K How to Live Forever (2011)
    No US & Canada figure reported

US & Canada (domestic) Rest of the world

The chart

Every Documentary Release of May 2011, 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 2011.

  1. 1 Flying Monsters 3D with David Attenborough (2011) movie poster
    Flying Monsters 3D with David Attenborough (2011) May 6, 2011 · English · Documentary $10.8M worldwide
    May 6, 2011 US and Canada: $5.7M Rest of the world: $5.1M Worldwide: $10.8M
  2. 2 Joschka und Herr Fischer (2011) movie poster
    Joschka und Herr Fischer (2011) May 19, 2011 · German · History, Documentary $741.7K worldwide
    May 19, 2011 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $741.7K
  3. 3 Forks Over Knives (2011) movie poster
    Forks Over Knives (2011) May 6, 2011 · English · Documentary $739.6K worldwide
    May 6, 2011 US and Canada: $739.6K Rest of the world: Worldwide: $739.6K
  4. 4 L'amour fou (2011) movie poster
    L'amour fou (2011) May 13, 2011 · French · Documentary $517K worldwide
    May 13, 2011 US and Canada: $312.5K Rest of the world: $204.5K Worldwide: $517K
  5. 5 How to Live Forever (2011) movie poster
    How to Live Forever (2011) May 13, 2011 · English · Documentary $164.7K worldwide
    May 13, 2011 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $164.7K
  6. 6 Michel Petrucciani (2011) movie poster
    Michel Petrucciani (2011) May 14, 2011 · English · Music, Documentary $117.1K worldwide
    May 14, 2011 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $117.1K
  7. 7 Louder Than a Bomb (2011) movie poster
    Louder Than a Bomb (2011) May 18, 2011 · English · Documentary $40K worldwide
    May 18, 2011 US and Canada: $40K Rest of the world: Worldwide: $40K
  8. 8 Hey, Boo: Harper Lee and 'To Kill a Mockingbird' (2011) movie poster
    Hey, Boo: Harper Lee and 'To Kill a Mockingbird' (2011) May 13, 2011 · English · Biography, History, Documentary $31.1K worldwide
    May 13, 2011 US and Canada: $31.1K Rest of the world: Worldwide: $31.1K
  9. 9 Lost Bohemia (2011) movie poster
    Lost Bohemia (2011) May 20, 2011 · English · Documentary $23.6K worldwide
    May 20, 2011 US and Canada: $23.6K Rest of the world: Worldwide: $23.6K
  10. 10 Cameraman: The Life and Work of Jack Cardiff (2011) movie poster
    Cameraman: The Life and Work of Jack Cardiff (2011) May 13, 2011 · English · Documentary $20.8K worldwide
    May 13, 2011 US and Canada: $20.8K Rest of the world: Worldwide: $20.8K
  11. 11 Make Believe (2011) movie poster
    Make Believe (2011) May 13, 2011 · English · Documentary $19.1K worldwide
    May 13, 2011 US and Canada: $19.1K Rest of the world: Worldwide: $19.1K
  12. 12 Under the Boardwalk: The Monopoly Story (2011) movie poster
    Under the Boardwalk: The Monopoly Story (2011) May 6, 2011 · English · History, Sport, Documentary $13.1K worldwide
    May 6, 2011 US and Canada: $13.1K Rest of the world: Worldwide: $13.1K
  13. 13 Leader-Sheep (2011) movie poster
    Leader-Sheep (2011) May 14, 2011 · French · Documentary $2.3K worldwide
    May 14, 2011 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $2.3K
  14. 14 Arirang (2011) movie poster
    Arirang (2011) May 13, 2011 · Korean · Documentary, Drama $2.1K worldwide
    May 13, 2011 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $2.1K
US & Canada vs the world

Where Did the Money Come From in May 2011?

Of the top 10, Forks Over Knives (2011) earned the biggest share at home (100% in the US & Canada), while Flying Monsters 3D with David Attenborough (2011) made 47% of its gross abroad. Across all 14 films, $6.9M (52%) came from the US & Canada. 3 films of the top 10 report no US & Canada figure.

  1. 1 Flying Monsters 3D with David Attenborough (2011) $10.8M
    $5.7M US & Canada · 53% $5.1M elsewhere · 47%
  2. 2 Joschka und Herr Fischer (2011) $741.7K
    No US & Canada figure reported
  3. 3 Forks Over Knives (2011) $739.6K
    $739.6K US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%
  4. 4 L'amour fou (2011) $517K
    $312.5K US & Canada · 60% $204.5K elsewhere · 40%
  5. 5 How to Live Forever (2011) $164.7K
    No US & Canada figure reported
  6. 6 Michel Petrucciani (2011) $117.1K
    No US & Canada figure reported
  7. 7 Louder Than a Bomb (2011) $40K
    $40K US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%
  8. 8 Hey, Boo: Harper Lee and 'To Kill a Mockingbird' (2011) $31.1K
    $31.1K US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%
  9. 9 Lost Bohemia (2011) $23.6K
    $23.6K US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%
  10. 10 Cameraman: The Life and Work of Jack Cardiff (2011) $20.8K
    $20.8K US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%
Gross bands

How Many May 2011 Releases Crossed $100 Million?

None of the 14 films reached $100M. 13 films, 93% of the list, earned under $10M. Each band shows its films and its share of the $13.2M total.

  • $1B or more 0 films, 0% of the list No films
  • $500M to $1B 0 films, 0% of the list No films
  • $100M to $500M 0 films, 0% of the list No films
  • $10M to $100M 1 film, 7% of the list $10.8M · 82% of the gross
  • Under $10M 13 films, 93% of the list $2.4M · 18% of the gross
By release week

Which Week of May 2011 Had the Biggest Releases?

Films released in week 19 (May 1–7) took $11.6M, led by Flying Monsters 3D with David Attenborough (2011). Each column links to that week's chart; weeks are Sunday to Saturday.

  1. Week 19 Wk 19 May 1–7 Flying Monsters 3D with David Attenborough (2011) $11.6M Flying Monsters 3D with David Attenborough (2011)
  2. Week 20 Wk 20 May 8–14 L'amour fou (2011) $874.1K L'amour fou (2011)
  3. Week 21 Wk 21 May 15–21 Joschka und Herr Fischer (2011) $805.3K Joschka und Herr Fischer (2011)
  4. Week 22 Wk 22 May 22–28 No reported grosses – No reported grosses
  5. Week 23 Wk 23 May 29–Jun 4 No reported grosses – No reported grosses
Earlier years

How Does May 2011 Compare With May in Earlier Years?

Of these 10 years, May 2006 earned the most: $51.8M from 5 films, led by An Inconvenient Truth (2006). May 2011 took $13.2M.

Month Films Worldwide Change Biggest film
May 2002 5 films 5 $5.7M – 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
May 2005 10 films · −48% 10 $12.8M −48% Mad Hot Ballroom (2005) $9.1M
May 2006 5 films · +304% 5 $51.8M +304% An Inconvenient Truth (2006) $49.8M
May 2007 11 films · −97% 11 $1.7M −97% Prinzessinnenbad (2007) $741.8K
May 2008 7 films · −5% 7 $1.6M −5% Maradona by Kusturica (2008) $684.2K
May 2009 7 films · −79% 7 $330K −79% Burma VJ: Reporter i et lukket land (2009) $127.1K
May 2010 10 films · +7961% 10 $26.6M +7961% Sea Rex 3D: Journey to a Prehistoric World (2010) $16M
May 2011 14 films · −50% 14 $13.2M −50% Flying Monsters 3D with David Attenborough (2011) $10.8M
By language

Which Languages Do the Biggest Documentary Movies Speak in May 2011?

English-language documentary films took $12M across 10 films, 90% of the total, ahead of German-language documentary films ($741.7K) and French-language documentary films ($519.2K).

May 2011 Documentary Box Office by Language

  1. English $12M
    10 films · #1 Flying Monsters 3D with David Attenborough (2011)
  2. German $741.7K
    1 film · #1 Joschka und Herr Fischer (2011)
  3. French $519.2K
    2 films · #1 L'amour fou (2011)
  4. Korean $2.1K
    1 film · #1 Arirang (2011)
Archive

Documentary Box Office in 2011, Month by Month

The months of 2011 with their totals: February leads with $102.1M, led by Justin Bieber: Never Say Never (2011).

FAQ

Documentary Box Office May 2011: 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 14 films as the chart.

What is the highest-grossing documentary movie in May 2011?

Flying Monsters 3D with David Attenborough (2011) leads with $10.8M worldwide, $5.7M of it in the US & Canada. Next come Joschka und Herr Fischer (2011) at $741.7K and Forks Over Knives (2011) at $739.6K.

How much did documentary movies released in May 2011 earn?

14 documentary films released in May 2011 report a worldwide gross, $13.2M in all, or $946.1K per film on average. April 2011 releases took $100.9M.

How many documentary movies released in May 2011 made $1 billion?

None. The biggest, Flying Monsters 3D with David Attenborough (2011), earned $10.8M.

How much of the May 2011 Documentary box office came from the US and Canada?

$6.9M of the $13.2M total, or 52%, was earned in the US & Canada (the domestic market); the rest came from other countries. 5 films of the 14 report no domestic figure.

How is the May 2011 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 2011. 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 2011 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.