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Documentary box office · Week 40 · Sep 25–Oct 1, 2011

Documentary Box Office, Week 40 of 2011: Documentary Releases of Sep 25–Oct 1

Benda Bilili! (2011) is the highest-grossing documentary movie released in week 40 of 2011 (Sep 25–Oct 1), with $127.4K worldwide, ahead of The Story of Lovers Rock (2011) at $91.2K and Roman Polanski: A Film Memoir (2011) at $63.8K. 8 documentary films released that week report a worldwide gross, $423.2K in all, 36% of it from the US & Canada. By language, English leads with $295.8K across 7 documentary releases.

week 40 releases with a gross
8
combined worldwide
$423.2K
Benda Bilili! (2011), the #1
$127.4K
earned in the US & Canada
36%
Benda Bilili! (2011) movie poster #1 of 8
#1 documentary movie of Week 40, 2011

Benda Bilili! (2011)

2011 · Music, Documentary

$127.4K worldwide · 30% of the chart's total

$13.4K US & Canada · 11% $113.9K elsewhere · 89%
Top 5

What Were the Biggest Documentary Hits of Week 40 of 2011?

Benda Bilili! (2011) leads with $127.4K, 30% of the total. The top 5 together took $378.8K, 90% of what all 8 films earned. Each bar splits a film's gross into the US & Canada and the rest of the world.

  1. Benda Bilili! (2011) movie poster Number 1
    $127.4K Benda Bilili! (2011)
    $13.4K US & Canada · 11% $113.9K elsewhere · 89%
  2. The Story of Lovers Rock (2011) movie poster Number 2
    $91.2K The Story of Lovers Rock (2011)
    No US & Canada figure reported
  3. Roman Polanski: A Film Memoir (2011) movie poster Number 3
    $63.8K Roman Polanski: A Film Memoir (2011)
    No US & Canada figure reported
  4. Finding Joe (2011) movie poster Number 4
    $55.5K Finding Joe (2011)
    $55.5K US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%
  5. Hell and Back Again (2011) movie poster Number 5
    $40.9K Hell and Back Again (2011)
    $40.6K US & Canada · 99% $315 elsewhere · <1%

US & Canada (domestic) Rest of the world

The chart

Every Documentary Release of Week 40 of 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 week 40 of 2011 (Sep 25–Oct 1).

  1. 1 Benda Bilili! (2011) movie poster
    Benda Bilili! (2011) Sep 30, 2011 · Lingala · Music, Documentary $127.4K worldwide
    Sep 30, 2011 US and Canada: $13.4K Rest of the world: $113.9K Worldwide: $127.4K
  2. 2 The Story of Lovers Rock (2011) movie poster
    The Story of Lovers Rock (2011) Sep 30, 2011 · English · Music, Documentary, Family $91.2K worldwide
    Sep 30, 2011 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $91.2K
  3. 3 Roman Polanski: A Film Memoir (2011) movie poster
    Roman Polanski: A Film Memoir (2011) Sep 27, 2011 · English · Documentary $63.8K worldwide
    Sep 27, 2011 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $63.8K
  4. 4 Finding Joe (2011) movie poster
    Finding Joe (2011) Sep 30, 2011 · English · Documentary $55.5K worldwide
    Sep 30, 2011 US and Canada: $55.5K Rest of the world: Worldwide: $55.5K
  5. 5 Hell and Back Again (2011) movie poster
    Hell and Back Again (2011) Oct 1, 2011 · English · Action, History, War $40.9K worldwide
    Oct 1, 2011 US and Canada: $40.6K Rest of the world: $315 Worldwide: $40.9K
  6. 6 American Teacher (2011) movie poster
    American Teacher (2011) Sep 30, 2011 · English · Biography, History, Documentary $33.1K worldwide
    Sep 30, 2011 US and Canada: $33.1K Rest of the world: Worldwide: $33.1K
  7. 7 Sarah Palin: You Betcha! (2011) movie poster
    Sarah Palin: You Betcha! (2011) Sep 30, 2011 · English · Documentary $10.9K worldwide
    Sep 30, 2011 US and Canada: $10.9K Rest of the world: Worldwide: $10.9K
  8. 8 You Don't Like the Truth: 4 Days Inside Guantanamo (2011) movie poster
    You Don't Like the Truth: 4 Days Inside Guantanamo (2011) Sep 30, 2011 · English · History, Documentary $305 worldwide
    Sep 30, 2011 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $305
US & Canada vs the world

Where Did the Money Come From in Week 40 of 2011?

Of the top 8, Finding Joe (2011) earned the biggest share at home (100% in the US & Canada), while Benda Bilili! (2011) made 89% of its gross abroad. Across all 8 films, $153.7K (36%) came from the US & Canada. 3 films of the top 8 report no US & Canada figure.

  1. 1 Benda Bilili! (2011) $127.4K
    $13.4K US & Canada · 11% $113.9K elsewhere · 89%
  2. 2 The Story of Lovers Rock (2011) $91.2K
    No US & Canada figure reported
  3. 3 Roman Polanski: A Film Memoir (2011) $63.8K
    No US & Canada figure reported
  4. 4 Finding Joe (2011) $55.5K
    $55.5K US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%
  5. 5 Hell and Back Again (2011) $40.9K
    $40.6K US & Canada · 99% $315 elsewhere · <1%
  6. 6 American Teacher (2011) $33.1K
    $33.1K US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%
  7. 7 Sarah Palin: You Betcha! (2011) $10.9K
    $10.9K US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%
  8. 8 You Don't Like the Truth: 4 Days Inside Guantanamo (2011) $305
    No US & Canada figure reported
Weeks around it

How Does Week 40 Compare With the Weeks Around It?

Week 40 releases took $423.2K. The biggest of these 9 weeks is week 36 (Aug 28–Sep 3) with $14.2M, led by Rebirth (2011).

  1. Week 34 Wk 34 Aug 14–20 Billy T Te Movie (2011) $722.8K Billy T Te Movie (2011)
  2. Week 35 Wk 35 Aug 21–27 Chasing Madoff (2011) $157.6K Chasing Madoff (2011)
  3. Week 36 Wk 36 Aug 28–Sep 3 Rebirth (2011) $14.2M Rebirth (2011)
  4. Week 37 Wk 37 Sep 4–10 The Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975 (2011) $601.9K The Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975 (2011)
  5. Week 38 Wk 38 Sep 11–17 Jane's Journey (2011) $253.6K Jane's Journey (2011)
  6. Week 39 Wk 39 Sep 18–24 Pearl Jam Twenty (2011) $952.6K Pearl Jam Twenty (2011)
  7. Week 40 Wk 40 Sep 25–Oct 1 Benda Bilili! (2011) $423.2K Benda Bilili! (2011)
  8. Week 41 Wk 41 Oct 2–8 The Nine Muses (2011) $14.4K The Nine Muses (2011)
  9. Week 42 Wk 42 Oct 9–15 To Be Heard (2011) $1.1M To Be Heard (2011)
Earlier years

How Does Week 40 of 2011 Compare With Earlier Years?

Of these 10 years, Week 40, 2008 earned the most: $29M from 4 films, led by Old Partner (2008). Week 40, 2011 took $423.2K.

Week Films Worldwide Change Biggest film
Week 40, 2002 Sep 29–Oct 5 1 film 1 $44.6K – Enfin pris? (2002) $44.6K
Week 40, 2003 Sep 28–Oct 4 No films 0 – – –
Week 40, 2004 Sep 26–Oct 2 4 films 4 $883.7K – Going Upriver: The Long War of John Kerry (2004) $614.1K
Week 40, 2005 Sep 25–Oct 1 No films 0 – – –
Week 40, 2006 Oct 1–7 6 films 6 $992.8K – 49 Up (2006) $697K
Week 40, 2007 Sep 30–Oct 6 6 films · −23% 6 $761.6K −23% For the Bible Tells Me So (2007) $312.8K
Week 40, 2008 Sep 28–Oct 4 4 films · +3712% 4 $29M +3712% Old Partner (2008) $15.3M
Week 40, 2009 Sep 27–Oct 3 7 films · −85% 7 $4.5M −85% Turtle: The Incredible Journey (2009) $2.9M
Week 40, 2010 Sep 26–Oct 2 2 films · −90% 2 $471.1K −90% Bicicleta, cullera, poma (2010) $348.9K
Week 40, 2011 Sep 25–Oct 1 8 films · −10% 8 $423.2K −10% Benda Bilili! (2011) $127.4K
By language

Which Languages Do the Biggest Documentary Movies Speak in Week 40 of 2011?

English-language documentary films took $295.8K across 7 films, 70% of the total, ahead of Lingala-language documentary films ($127.4K).

Week 40 of 2011 Documentary Box Office by Language

  1. English $295.8K
    7 films · #1 The Story of Lovers Rock (2011)
  2. Lingala $127.4K
    1 film · #1 Benda Bilili! (2011)
Archive

Documentary Box Office in 2011, Week by Week

48 weeks of 2011 with reported grosses; the biggest is week 7 (Feb 6–12) with $99.3M, led by Justin Bieber: Never Say Never (2011).

FAQ

Documentary Box Office Week 40 of 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 8 films as the chart.

What is the highest-grossing documentary movie in week 40 of 2011 (Sep 25–Oct 1)?

Benda Bilili! (2011) leads with $127.4K worldwide, $13.4K of it in the US & Canada. Next come The Story of Lovers Rock (2011) at $91.2K and Roman Polanski: A Film Memoir (2011) at $63.8K.

How much did documentary movies released in week 40 of 2011 (Sep 25–Oct 1) earn?

8 documentary films released in week 40 of 2011 (Sep 25–Oct 1) report a worldwide gross, $423.2K in all, or $52.9K per film on average.

How many documentary movies released in week 40 of 2011 (Sep 25–Oct 1) made $1 billion?

None. The biggest, Benda Bilili! (2011), earned $127.4K.

How much of the Week 40, 2011 Documentary box office came from the US and Canada?

$153.7K of the $423.2K total, or 36%, was earned in the US & Canada (the domestic market); the rest came from other countries. 3 films of the 8 report no domestic figure.

How is the week 40, 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 week 40 of 2011 (Sep 25–Oct 1). 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 week 40, 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.