#1 of 15 #1 documentary movie of December 2016
2016 · Documentary
$8.3M worldwide · 83% of the chart's total
$7.1M US & Canada · 85% $1.2M elsewhere · 15%
Documentary box office · December 2016
Documentary Box Office, December 2016: Top-Grossing Releases
I Am Not Your Negro (2016) is the highest-grossing documentary movie released in December 2016, with $8.3M worldwide, ahead of Masters in the Forbidden City (2016) at $928.8K and Renoir: Reviled and Revered (2016) at $202.7K. 15 documentary films released in December 2016 report a worldwide gross, $10M in all, 71% of it from the US & Canada. That is down 41% on November 2016, whose releases took $16.8M. By language, English leads with $8.7M across 9 documentary releases.
- December 2016 releases with a gross
- 15
- combined worldwide
- $10M
- I Am Not Your Negro (2016), the #1
- $8.3M
- vs November 2016
- −41%
#1 of 15 Top 5
What Were the Biggest Documentary Hits of December 2016?
I Am Not Your Negro (2016) leads with $8.3M, 83% of the total. The top 5 together took $9.8M, 97% of what all 15 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 December 2016, 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 December 2016.
- 1 Dec 9, 2016 US and Canada: $7.1M Rest of the world: $1.2M Worldwide: $8.3M
- 2 Dec 16, 2016 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $928.8K
- 3 Dec 10, 2016 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $202.7K
- 4 Dec 16, 2016 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $188.6K
- 5 Dec 30, 2016 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $95.7K
- 6
Dec 23, 2016 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $94.5K - 7
Dec 6, 2016 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $76.3K - 8
Dec 9, 2016 US and Canada: $18.1K Rest of the world: Worldwide: $18.1K - 9
Dec 30, 2016 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $16.9K - 10
Dec 9, 2016 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $15.6K - 11
Boy 23: The Forgotten Boys of Brazil (2016)Dec 16, 2016 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $12.9K
Dec 16, 2016 · Portuguese · Documentary $12.9K worldwide - 12
Dec 15, 2016 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $9.2K - 13
Dec 2, 2016 US and Canada: $3K Rest of the world: Worldwide: $3K - 14
Eero Saarinen: The Architect Who Saw the Future (2016)Dec 27, 2016 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $2.2K
Dec 27, 2016 · English · Documentary $2.2K worldwide - 15
Accidental Courtesy: Daryl Davis, Race & America (2016)Dec 9, 2016 US and Canada: $1.9K Rest of the world: Worldwide: $1.9K Dec 9, 2016 · English · Biography, History, Documentary $1.9K worldwide
Gross bands
How Many December 2016 Releases Crossed $100 Million?
None of the 15 films reached $100M. 15 films, 100% of the list, earned under $10M. Each band shows its films and its share of the $10M 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 15 films, 100% of the list $10M · 100% of the gross
By release week
Which Week of December 2016 Had the Biggest Releases?
Films released in week 50 (Dec 4–10) took $8.7M, led by I Am Not Your Negro (2016). Each column links to that week's chart; weeks are Sunday to Saturday.
- Week 49 Wk 49 Nov 27–Dec 3 Best and Most Beautiful Things (2016) $3K Best and Most Beautiful Things (2016)
- Week 50 Wk 50 Dec 4–10 I Am Not Your Negro (2016) $8.7M I Am Not Your Negro (2016)
- Week 51 Wk 51 Dec 11–17 Masters in the Forbidden City (2016) $1.1M Masters in the Forbidden City (2016)
- Week 52 Wk 52 Dec 18–24 Delicate Balance (2016) $94.5K Delicate Balance (2016)
- Week 53 Wk 53 Dec 25–31 The Curious World of Hieronymus Bosch (2016) $114.8K The Curious World of Hieronymus Bosch (2016)
Earlier years
How Does December 2016 Compare With December in Earlier Years?
Of these 10 years, December 2013 earned the most: $139.6M from 8 films, led by Walking with Dinosaurs (2013). December 2016 took $10M.
| Month | Films | Worldwide | Change | Biggest film |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 2007 8 films | 8 | $2.6M | – | Nanking (2007) $1.6M |
| December 2008 3 films · −28% | 3 | $1.9M | −28% | The Crimson Wing: Mystery of the Flamingos (2008) $1.8M |
| December 2009 3 films · −74% | 3 | $498.2K | −74% | Garbo: The Spy (2009) $356.1K |
| December 2010 5 films · −58% | 5 | $210.8K | −58% | Bhutto (2010) $100.2K |
| December 2011 10 films · +9009% | 10 | $19.2M | +9009% | Pina (2011) $18.7M |
| December 2012 11 films · −91% | 11 | $1.7M | −91% | Tale of a Forest (2012) $724.2K |
| December 2013 8 films · +8243% | 8 | $139.6M | +8243% | Walking with Dinosaurs (2013) $126.5M |
| December 2014 7 films · −99% | 7 | $2M | −99% | Streif: One Hell of a Ride (2014) $1.8M |
| December 2015 8 films · +171% | 8 | $5.3M | +171% | Where to Invade Next (2015) $4.7M |
| December 2016 15 films · +88% | 15 | $10M | +88% | I Am Not Your Negro (2016) $8.3M |
By language
Which Languages Do the Biggest Documentary Movies Speak in December 2016?
English-language documentary films took $8.7M across 9 films, 87% of the total, ahead of Chinese-language documentary films ($1.1M) and Spanish-language documentary films ($94.5K).
December 2016 Documentary Box Office by Language
- English $8.7M9 films · #1 I Am Not Your Negro (2016)
-
Chinese $1.1M2 films · #1 Masters in the Forbidden City (2016) -
Spanish $94.5K1 film · #1 Delicate Balance (2016) -
Russian $76.3K1 film · #1 The Man Who Was Too Free (2016) -
Italian $15.6K1 film · #1 Lost and Beautiful (2016) - Portuguese $12.9K1 film · #1 Boy 23: The Forgotten Boys of Brazil (2016)
Archive
Documentary Box Office in 2016, Month by Month
The months of 2016 with their totals: April leads with $34.1M, led by A Beautiful Planet (2016).
- January $5.3M #1 Doing Good (2016)
- February $1.8M #1 Ghost Ship (2016)
- March $1.3M #1 City of Gold (2016)
- April $34.1M #1 A Beautiful Planet (2016)
- May $4.1M #1 Weiner (2016)
- June $8.2M #1 'Til Madness Do Us Part (2016)
- July $16.1M #1 Hillary's America: The Secret History of the Democratic Party (2016)
- August $1.5M #1 Lo and Behold: Reveries of the Connected World (2016)
- September $20.2M #1 The Beatles: Eight Days a Week - The Touring Years (2016)
- October $30.3M #1 Kevin Hart: What Now? (2016)
- November $16.8M #1 Seasons (2016)
- December $10M #1 I Am Not Your Negro (2016)
FAQ
Documentary Box Office December 2016: 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 15 films as the chart.
What is the highest-grossing documentary movie in December 2016?
I Am Not Your Negro (2016) leads with $8.3M worldwide, $7.1M of it in the US & Canada. Next come Masters in the Forbidden City (2016) at $928.8K and Renoir: Reviled and Revered (2016) at $202.7K.
How much did documentary movies released in December 2016 earn?
15 documentary films released in December 2016 report a worldwide gross, $10M in all, or $667.4K per film on average. November 2016 releases took $16.8M.
How many documentary movies released in December 2016 made $1 billion?
None. The biggest, I Am Not Your Negro (2016), earned $8.3M.
How is the December 2016 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 December 2016. 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 December 2016 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.