#1 of 19 #1 documentary movie of May 2018
2018 · Biography, Documentary
$14.5M worldwide · 54% of the chart's total
$14.1M US & Canada · 97% $423.9K elsewhere · 3%
Documentary box office · May 2018
Documentary Box Office, May 2018: Top-Grossing Releases
RBG (2018) is the highest-grossing documentary movie released in May 2018, with $14.5M worldwide, ahead of Pope Francis - A Man of His Word (2018) at $8.6M and Mountain (2018) at $2.1M. 19 documentary films released in May 2018 report a worldwide gross, $26.6M in all, 64% of it from the US & Canada. That is up 73% on April 2018, whose releases took $15.4M. By language, English leads with $17.6M across 12 documentary releases.
- May 2018 releases with a gross
- 19
- combined worldwide
- $26.6M
- RBG (2018), the #1
- $14.5M
- vs April 2018
- +73%
#1 of 19 Top 5
What Were the Biggest Documentary Hits of May 2018?
RBG (2018) leads with $14.5M, 54% of the total. The top 5 together took $25.7M, 96% of what all 19 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 $197.2K Boom for Real: The Late Teenage Years of Jean-Michel Basquiat (2018)$166.6K US & Canada · 84% $30.6K elsewhere · 16%
US & Canada (domestic) Rest of the world
The chart
Every Documentary Release of May 2018, 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 2018.
- 1 May 4, 2018 US and Canada: $14.1M Rest of the world: $423.9K Worldwide: $14.5M
- 2 May 18, 2018 US and Canada: $2M Rest of the world: $6.6M Worldwide: $8.6M
- 3 May 11, 2018 US and Canada: $365.4K Rest of the world: $1.8M Worldwide: $2.1M
- 4 May 1, 2018 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $273.3K
- 5 Boom for Real: The Late Teenage Years of Jean-Michel Basquiat (2018)May 11, 2018 US and Canada: $166.6K Rest of the world: $30.6K Worldwide: $197.2K
May 11, 2018 · English · Documentary $197.2K worldwide - 6
May 11, 2018 US and Canada: $174.3K Rest of the world: Worldwide: $174.3K - 7
May 10, 2018 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $142.7K - 8
May 1, 2018 US and Canada: $134.3K Rest of the world: Worldwide: $134.3K - 9
May 4, 2018 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $125.6K - 10
May 11, 2018 US and Canada: $102.6K Rest of the world: $10.2K Worldwide: $112.8K - 11
The State Against Mandela and the Others (2018)May 15, 2018 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $77K
May 15, 2018 · French · Animation, Documentary, History $77K worldwide - 12
May 18, 2018 US and Canada: $56.2K Rest of the world: Worldwide: $56.2K - 13
May 18, 2018 US and Canada: $34.6K Rest of the world: $10.1K Worldwide: $44.7K - 14
May 16, 2018 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $26.4K - 15
May 16, 2018 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $13K - 16
May 18, 2018 US and Canada: $12.1K Rest of the world: Worldwide: $12.1K - 17
May 5, 2018 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $6.5K - 18
May 5, 2018 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $5.6K - 19
May 5, 2018 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $2K
US & Canada vs the world
Where Did the Money Come From in May 2018?
Of the top 10, Always at The Carlyle (2018) earned the biggest share at home (100% in the US & Canada), while Mountain (2018) made 83% of its gross abroad. Across all 19 films, $17.1M (64%) came from the US & Canada. 3 films of the top 10 report no US & Canada figure.
- 1 RBG (2018) $14.5M $14.1M US & Canada · 97% $423.9K elsewhere · 3%
- 2 Pope Francis - A Man of His Word (2018) $8.6M $2M US & Canada · 23% $6.6M elsewhere · 77%
- 3 Mountain (2018) $2.1M $365.4K US & Canada · 17% $1.8M elsewhere · 83%
- 4 Becoming Who I Was (2018) $273.3K No US & Canada figure reported
- 5 Boom for Real: The Late Teenage Years of Jean-Michel Basquiat (2018) $197.2K $166.6K US & Canada · 84% $30.6K elsewhere · 16%
- 6 Always at The Carlyle (2018) $174.3K $174.3K US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%
- 7 Midnight Oil: 1984 (2018) $142.7K No US & Canada figure reported
- 8 The Times of Bill Cunningham (2018) $134.3K $134.3K US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%
- 9 Looking for Lennon (2018) $125.6K No US & Canada figure reported
- 10 Filmworker (2018) $112.8K $102.6K US & Canada · 91% $10.2K elsewhere · 9%
Gross bands
How Many May 2018 Releases Crossed $100 Million?
None of the 19 films reached $100M. 18 films, 95% of the list, earned under $10M. Each band shows its films and its share of the $26.6M total.
54% 46%
- $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, 5% of the list $14.5M · 54% of the gross
- Under $10M 18 films, 95% of the list $12.1M · 46% of the gross
By release week
Which Week of May 2018 Had the Biggest Releases?
Films released in week 18 (Apr 29–May 5) took $15M, led by RBG (2018). Each column links to that week's chart; weeks are Sunday to Saturday.
- Week 18 Wk 18 Apr 29–May 5 RBG (2018) $15M RBG (2018)
- Week 19 Wk 19 May 6–12 Mountain (2018) $2.8M Mountain (2018)
- Week 20 Wk 20 May 13–19 Pope Francis - A Man of His Word (2018) $8.8M Pope Francis - A Man of His Word (2018)
- Week 21 Wk 21 May 20–26 No reported grosses – No reported grosses
- Week 22 Wk 22 May 27–Jun 2 No reported grosses – No reported grosses
Earlier years
How Does May 2018 Compare With May in Earlier Years?
Of these 10 years, May 2013 earned the most: $84.2M from 19 films, led by The Source Family (2013). May 2018 took $26.6M.
| Month | Films | Worldwide | Change | Biggest film |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 2009 7 films | 7 | $330K | – | 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 |
| May 2013 19 films · +2182% | 19 | $84.2M | +2182% | The Source Family (2013) $78.4M |
| May 2014 16 films · −96% | 16 | $3M | −96% | Fed Up (2014) $1.5M |
| May 2015 8 films · +1028% | 8 | $33.4M | +1028% | The Crossing (2015) $32.8M |
| May 2016 15 films · −88% | 15 | $4.1M | −88% | Weiner (2016) $1.7M |
| May 2017 22 films · +1% | 22 | $4.1M | +1% | Buena Vista Social Club: Adios (2017) $701.6K |
| May 2018 19 films · +549% | 19 | $26.6M | +549% | RBG (2018) $14.5M |
By language
Which Languages Do the Biggest Documentary Movies Speak in May 2018?
English-language documentary films took $17.6M across 12 films, 66% of the total, ahead of Hindi-language documentary films ($273.3K) and French-language documentary films ($77K).
May 2018 Documentary Box Office by Language
- English $17.6M12 films · #1 RBG (2018)
-
Hindi $273.3K1 film · #1 Becoming Who I Was (2018) - French $77K1 film · #1 The State Against Mandela and the Others (2018)
-
Latvian $26.4K1 film · #1 Baltic Tribes (2018) -
Spanish $13K1 film · #1 Eugenio (2018) -
Portuguese $2K1 film · #1 O Homem Pykante - Diálogos com Pimenta (2018)
Archive
Documentary Box Office in 2018, Month by Month
The months of 2018 with their totals: June leads with $77.1M, led by Believer (2018).
- January $3.1M #1 Per Fugelli: Siste resept (2018)
- February $1.2M #1 Kirk Cameron: Connect (2018)
- March $6.2M #1 March of the Penguins 2: The Next Step (2018)
- April $15.4M #1 Pandas (2018)
- May $26.6M #1 RBG (2018)
- June $77.1M #1 Believer (2018)
- July $10.3M #1 Whitney (2018)
- August $7.6M #1 Death of a Nation (2018)
- September $45.9M #1 Free Solo (2018)
- October $4.2M #1 Klimt & Schiele: Eros and Psyche (2018)
- November $34.5M #1 Burn the Stage: The Movie (2018)
- December $25.2M #1 They Shall Not Grow Old (2018)
FAQ
Documentary Box Office May 2018: 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 19 films as the chart.
What is the highest-grossing documentary movie in May 2018?
RBG (2018) leads with $14.5M worldwide, $14.1M of it in the US & Canada. Next come Pope Francis - A Man of His Word (2018) at $8.6M and Mountain (2018) at $2.1M.
How much did documentary movies released in May 2018 earn?
19 documentary films released in May 2018 report a worldwide gross, $26.6M in all, or $1.4M per film on average. April 2018 releases took $15.4M.
How many documentary movies released in May 2018 made $1 billion?
None. The biggest, RBG (2018), earned $14.5M.
How is the May 2018 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 2018. 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 2018 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.