#1 of 8 #1 documentary movie of January 2025
Sarkozy-Gaddafi: The Scandal of All Scandals (2025)
2025 · Documentary
$826.9K worldwide · 37% of the chart's total
No US & Canada figure reported
Documentary box office · January 2025
Documentary Box Office, January 2025: Top-Grossing Releases
Sarkozy-Gaddafi: The Scandal of All Scandals (2025) is the highest-grossing documentary movie released in January 2025, with $826.9K worldwide, ahead of From Ground Zero (2025) at $359.8K and Riefenstahl (2025) at $275.1K. 8 documentary films released in January 2025 report a worldwide gross, $2.2M in all, 49% of it from the US & Canada. That is up 110% on December 2024, whose releases took $1.1M. By language, French leads with $826.9K across 1 documentary release.
- January 2025 releases with a gross
- 8
- combined worldwide
- $2.2M
- Sarkozy-Gaddafi: The Scandal of All Scandals (2025), the #1
- $826.9K
- vs December 2024
- +110%
#1 of 8 Top 5
What Were the Biggest Documentary Hits of January 2025?
Sarkozy-Gaddafi: The Scandal of All Scandals (2025) leads with $826.9K, 37% of the total. The top 5 together took $1.9M, 88% of what all 8 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 $236.8K Liza: A Truly Terrific Absolutely True Story (2025)$222.8K US & Canada · 94% $14K elsewhere · 6%
US & Canada (domestic) Rest of the world
The chart
Every Documentary Release of January 2025, 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 January 2025.
- 1 Sarkozy-Gaddafi: The Scandal of All Scandals (2025)Jan 8, 2025 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $826.9K
Jan 8, 2025 · French · Documentary $826.9K worldwide - 2 Jan 3, 2025 US and Canada: $330.2K Rest of the world: $29.6K Worldwide: $359.8K
- 3 Jan 9, 2025 US and Canada: $133.4K Rest of the world: $141.7K Worldwide: $275.1K
- 4 Jan 10, 2025 US and Canada: $200.7K Rest of the world: $47.4K Worldwide: $248.1K
- 5 Liza: A Truly Terrific Absolutely True Story (2025)Jan 24, 2025 US and Canada: $222.8K Rest of the world: $14K Worldwide: $236.8K
Jan 24, 2025 · English · Documentary $236.8K worldwide - 6
Jan 17, 2025 US and Canada: $143.5K Rest of the world: $74.5K Worldwide: $218K - 7
Jan 17, 2025 US and Canada: $47.1K Rest of the world: $5.9K Worldwide: $53K - 8
Jan 24, 2025 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $2.4K
US & Canada vs the world
Where Did the Money Come From in January 2025?
Of the top 8, Liza: A Truly Terrific Absolutely True Story (2025) earned the biggest share at home (94% in the US & Canada), while Riefenstahl (2025) made 52% of its gross abroad. Across all 8 films, $1.1M (49%) came from the US & Canada. 2 films of the top 8 report no US & Canada figure.
- 1 Sarkozy-Gaddafi: The Scandal of All Scandals (2025) $826.9K No US & Canada figure reported
- 2 From Ground Zero (2025) $359.8K $330.2K US & Canada · 92% $29.6K elsewhere · 8%
- 3 Riefenstahl (2025) $275.1K $133.4K US & Canada · 48% $141.7K elsewhere · 52%
- 4 Every Little Thing (2025) $248.1K $200.7K US & Canada · 81% $47.4K elsewhere · 19%
- 5 Liza: A Truly Terrific Absolutely True Story (2025) $236.8K $222.8K US & Canada · 94% $14K elsewhere · 6%
- 6 Grand Theft Hamlet (2025) $218K $143.5K US & Canada · 66% $74.5K elsewhere · 34%
- 7 DIG! XX (2025) $53K $47.1K US & Canada · 89% $5.9K elsewhere · 11%
- 8 Eternal You (2025) $2.4K No US & Canada figure reported
By release week
Which Week of January 2025 Had the Biggest Releases?
Films released in week 2 (Jan 5–11) took $1.3M, led by Sarkozy-Gaddafi: The Scandal of All Scandals (2025). Each column links to that week's chart; weeks are Sunday to Saturday.
- Week 1 Wk 1 Jan 1–4 From Ground Zero (2025) $359.8K From Ground Zero (2025)
- Week 2 Wk 2 Jan 5–11 Sarkozy-Gaddafi: The Scandal of All Scandals (2025) $1.3M Sarkozy-Gaddafi: The Scandal of All Scandals (2025)
- Week 3 Wk 3 Jan 12–18 Grand Theft Hamlet (2025) $271K Grand Theft Hamlet (2025)
- Week 4 Wk 4 Jan 19–25 Liza: A Truly Terrific Absolutely True Story (2025) $239.2K Liza: A Truly Terrific Absolutely True Story (2025)
- Week 5 Wk 5 Jan 26–Feb 1 No reported grosses – No reported grosses
Earlier years
How Does January 2025 Compare With January in Earlier Years?
Of these 10 years, January 2017 earned the most: $31M from 14 films, led by Reset (2017). January 2025 took $2.2M.
| Month | Films | Worldwide | Change | Biggest film |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 2016 12 films | 12 | $5.3M | – | Doing Good (2016) $2M |
| January 2017 14 films · +484% | 14 | $31M | +484% | Reset (2017) $30M |
| January 2018 12 films · −90% | 12 | $3.1M | −90% | Per Fugelli: Siste resept (2018) $977.6K |
| January 2019 8 films · −90% | 8 | $310.1K | −90% | Who Will Write Our History (2019) $138.9K |
| January 2020 10 films · +2563% | 10 | $8.3M | +2563% | Lindenberg! Mach dein Ding (2020) $6.4M |
| January 2021 7 films · −89% | 7 | $880.4K | −89% | Softie (2021) $489.1K |
| January 2022 7 films · −22% | 7 | $683.4K | −22% | Dawn Raid (2022) $296K |
| January 2023 8 films · −69% | 8 | $211.1K | −69% | Nam June Paik: Moon Is the Oldest TV (2023) $85.8K |
| January 2024 8 films · +3959% | 8 | $8.6M | +3959% | The Birth of Korea (2024) $8M |
| January 2025 8 films · −74% | 8 | $2.2M | −74% | Sarkozy-Gaddafi: The Scandal of All Scandals (2025) $826.9K |
By language
Which Languages Do the Biggest Documentary Movies Speak in January 2025?
French-language documentary films took $826.9K across 1 film, 37% of the total, ahead of English-language documentary films ($758.3K) and Arabic-language documentary films ($359.8K).
Archive
Documentary Box Office in 2025, Month by Month
The months of 2025 with their totals: February leads with $15.1M, led by Becoming Led Zeppelin (2025).
- January $2.2M #1 Sarkozy-Gaddafi: The Scandal of All Scandals (2025)
- February $15.1M #1 Becoming Led Zeppelin (2025)
- March $3.7M #1 October 8 (2025)
- April $2.2M #1 One to One: John & Yoko (2025)
- May $2M #1 I Love Peru (2025)
- June $6.8M #1 Ocean with David Attenborough (2025)
- July $190.5K #1 Folktales (2025)
- August $4.3M #1 It's Never Over, Jeff Buckley (2025)
- September $1.7M #1 In Whose Name? (2025)
- October $3.4M #1 Depeche Mode: M (2025)
- November $556.7K #1 j-hope Tour 'HOPE ON THE STAGE' THE MOVIE (2025)
- December $4.4K #1 The King of Color (2025)
FAQ
Documentary Box Office January 2025: 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 January 2025?
Sarkozy-Gaddafi: The Scandal of All Scandals (2025) leads with $826.9K worldwide. Next come From Ground Zero (2025) at $359.8K and Riefenstahl (2025) at $275.1K.
How much did documentary movies released in January 2025 earn?
8 documentary films released in January 2025 report a worldwide gross, $2.2M in all, or $277.5K per film on average. December 2024 releases took $1.1M.
How many documentary movies released in January 2025 made $1 billion?
None. The biggest, Sarkozy-Gaddafi: The Scandal of All Scandals (2025), earned $826.9K.
How is the January 2025 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 January 2025. 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 January 2025 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.