#1 of 14 #1 documentary movie of May 2012
2012 · Drama, Comedy
$1.7M worldwide · 47% of the chart's total
$1M US & Canada · 59% $716.8K elsewhere · 41%
Documentary box office · May 2012
Documentary Box Office, May 2012: Top-Grossing Releases
First Position (2012) is the highest-grossing documentary movie released in May 2012, with $1.7M worldwide, ahead of Bill W. (2012) at $809.6K and A Special Day (2012) at $272.2K. 14 documentary films released in May 2012 report a worldwide gross, $3.7M in all, 61% of it from the US & Canada. That is down 94% on April 2012, whose releases took $62.8M. By language, English leads with $3M across 10 documentary releases.
- May 2012 releases with a gross
- 14
- combined worldwide
- $3.7M
- First Position (2012), the #1
- $1.7M
- vs April 2012
- −94%
#1 of 14 Top 5
What Were the Biggest Documentary Hits of May 2012?
First Position (2012) leads with $1.7M, 47% of the total. The top 5 together took $3.1M, 85% of what all 14 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 2012, 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 2012.
- 1 May 4, 2012 US and Canada: $1M Rest of the world: $716.8K Worldwide: $1.7M
- 2 May 18, 2012 US and Canada: $809.6K Rest of the world: Worldwide: $809.6K
- 3 May 16, 2012 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $272.2K
- 4 May 4, 2012 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $166K
- 5 May 25, 2012 US and Canada: $110K Rest of the world: $36.5K Worldwide: $146.5K
- 6
May 22, 2012 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $134.9K - 7
May 11, 2012 US and Canada: $105.7K Rest of the world: $21.8K Worldwide: $127.5K - 8
May 18, 2012 US and Canada: $112.7K Rest of the world: Worldwide: $112.7K - 9
May 11, 2012 US and Canada: $15.9K Rest of the world: $30.5K Worldwide: $46.4K - 10
May 16, 2012 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $43.8K - 11
May 4, 2012 US and Canada: $42.4K Rest of the world: Worldwide: $42.4K - 12
May 18, 2012 US and Canada: $36.3K Rest of the world: Worldwide: $36.3K - 13
May 18, 2012 US and Canada: $14.3K Rest of the world: Worldwide: $14.3K - 14
May 2, 2012 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $5.2K
US & Canada vs the world
Where Did the Money Come From in May 2012?
Of the top 10, Bill W. (2012) earned the biggest share at home (100% in the US & Canada), while Patience (After Sebald) (2012) made 66% of its gross abroad. Across all 14 films, $2.3M (61%) came from the US & Canada. 4 films of the top 10 report no US & Canada figure.
- 1 First Position (2012) $1.7M $1M US & Canada · 59% $716.8K elsewhere · 41%
- 2 Bill W. (2012) $809.6K $809.6K US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%
- 3 A Special Day (2012) $272.2K No US & Canada figure reported
- 4 The Punk Syndrome (2012) $166K No US & Canada figure reported
- 5 5 Broken Cameras (2012) $146.5K $110K US & Canada · 75% $36.5K elsewhere · 25%
- 6 Journal de France (2012) $134.9K No US & Canada figure reported
- 7 Steve Jobs: The Lost Interview (2012) $127.5K $105.7K US & Canada · 83% $21.8K elsewhere · 17%
- 8 Follow Me: The Yoni Netanyahu Story (2012) $112.7K $112.7K US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%
- 9 Patience (After Sebald) (2012) $46.4K $15.9K US & Canada · 34% $30.5K elsewhere · 66%
- 10 Shihad: Beautiful Machine (2012) $43.8K No US & Canada figure reported
Gross bands
How Many May 2012 Releases Crossed $100 Million?
None of the 14 films reached $100M. 14 films, 100% of the list, earned under $10M. Each band shows its films and its share of the $3.7M total.
100%
- $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 0 films, 0% of the list No films
- Under $10M 14 films, 100% of the list $3.7M · 100% of the gross
By release week
Which Week of May 2012 Had the Biggest Releases?
Films released in week 18 (Apr 29–May 5) took $1.9M, led by First Position (2012). Each column links to that week's chart; weeks are Sunday to Saturday.
- Week 18 Wk 18 Apr 29–May 5 First Position (2012) $1.9M First Position (2012)
- Week 19 Wk 19 May 6–12 Steve Jobs: The Lost Interview (2012) $174K Steve Jobs: The Lost Interview (2012)
- Week 20 Wk 20 May 13–19 Bill W. (2012) $1.3M Bill W. (2012)
- Week 21 Wk 21 May 20–26 5 Broken Cameras (2012) $281.4K 5 Broken Cameras (2012)
- Week 22 Wk 22 May 27–Jun 2 No reported grosses – No reported grosses
Earlier years
How Does May 2012 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 2012 took $3.7M.
| Month | Films | Worldwide | Change | Biggest film |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 2003 6 films | 6 | $4.9M | – | 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 |
| May 2012 14 films · −72% | 14 | $3.7M | −72% | First Position (2012) $1.7M |
By language
Which Languages Do the Biggest Documentary Movies Speak in May 2012?
English-language documentary films took $3M across 10 films, 80% of the total, ahead of French-language documentary films ($407.1K) and Finnish-language documentary films ($166K).
Archive
Documentary Box Office in 2012, Month by Month
The months of 2012 with their totals: July leads with $73.4M, led by 2016: Obama's America (2012).
- January $4.4M #1 Documentary of AKB48 Show Must Go On (2012)
- February $1.7M #1 The Outraged (2012)
- March $9.1M #1 Bully (2012)
- April $62.8M #1 Chimpanzee (2012)
- May $3.7M #1 First Position (2012)
- June $42.8M #1 The Dream Team (2012)
- July $73.4M #1 2016: Obama's America (2012)
- August $23.7M #1 The Green Wave (2012)
- September $54.9M #1 Switch (2012)
- October $1.8M #1 The Flat (2012)
- November $8.1M #1 A Man's Story (2012)
- December $1.7M #1 Tale of a Forest (2012)
FAQ
Documentary Box Office May 2012: 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 2012?
First Position (2012) leads with $1.7M worldwide, $1M of it in the US & Canada. Next come Bill W. (2012) at $809.6K and A Special Day (2012) at $272.2K.
How much did documentary movies released in May 2012 earn?
14 documentary films released in May 2012 report a worldwide gross, $3.7M in all, or $263.5K per film on average. April 2012 releases took $62.8M.
How many documentary movies released in May 2012 made $1 billion?
None. The biggest, First Position (2012), earned $1.7M.
How is the May 2012 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 2012. 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 2012 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.