#1 of 5 #1 documentary movie of May 2026
Iron Maiden: Burning Ambition (2026)
2026 · Documentary, Biography
$3M worldwide · 83% of the chart's total
No US & Canada figure reported
Documentary box office · May 2026
Documentary Box Office, May 2026: Top-Grossing Releases
Iron Maiden: Burning Ambition (2026) is the highest-grossing documentary movie released in May 2026, with $3M worldwide, ahead of Everybody to Kenmure Street (2026) at $294.9K and Time and Water (2026) at $178.6K. 5 documentary films released in May 2026 report a worldwide gross, $3.7M in all, 7% of it from the US & Canada. By language, English leads with $3.5M across 4 documentary releases.
- May 2026 releases with a gross
- 5
- combined worldwide
- $3.7M
- Iron Maiden: Burning Ambition (2026), the #1
- $3M
- earned in the US & Canada
- 7%
#1 of 5 Top 5
What Were the Biggest Documentary Hits of May 2026?
Iron Maiden: Burning Ambition (2026) leads with $3M, 83% of the total. The top 5 together took $3.7M, almost all of what the 5 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 2026, 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 2026.
- 1 Iron Maiden: Burning Ambition (2026)May 7, 2026 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $3M
May 7, 2026 · English · Documentary, Biography, Music $3M worldwide - 2 May 22, 2026 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $294.9K
- 3 May 29, 2026 US and Canada: $95.8K Rest of the world: $82.8K Worldwide: $178.6K
- 4 May 8, 2026 US and Canada: $93.5K Rest of the world: Worldwide: $93.5K
- 5 May 22, 2026 US and Canada: $63.4K Rest of the world: $1.2K Worldwide: $64.6K
US & Canada vs the world
Where Did the Money Come From in May 2026?
Of the top 5, The Python Hunt (2026) earned the biggest share at home (100% in the US & Canada), while Time and Water (2026) made 46% of its gross abroad. Across all 5 films, $252.7K (7%) came from the US & Canada. 2 films of the top 5 report no US & Canada figure.
- 1 Iron Maiden: Burning Ambition (2026) $3M No US & Canada figure reported
- 2 Everybody to Kenmure Street (2026) $294.9K No US & Canada figure reported
- 3 Time and Water (2026) $178.6K $95.8K US & Canada · 54% $82.8K elsewhere · 46%
- 4 The Python Hunt (2026) $93.5K $93.5K US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%
- 5 Ask E. Jean (2026) $64.6K $63.4K US & Canada · 98% $1.2K elsewhere · 2%
By release week
Which Week of May 2026 Had the Biggest Releases?
Films released in week 19 (May 3–9) took $3.1M, led by Iron Maiden: Burning Ambition (2026). Each column links to that week's chart; weeks are Sunday to Saturday.
- Week 18 Wk 18 Apr 26–May 2 No reported grosses – No reported grosses
- Week 19 Wk 19 May 3–9 Iron Maiden: Burning Ambition (2026) $3.1M Iron Maiden: Burning Ambition (2026)
- Week 20 Wk 20 May 10–16 No reported grosses – No reported grosses
- Week 21 Wk 21 May 17–23 Everybody to Kenmure Street (2026) $359.5K Everybody to Kenmure Street (2026)
- Week 22 Wk 22 May 24–30 Time and Water (2026) $178.6K Time and Water (2026)
- Week 23 Wk 23 May 31–Jun 6 No reported grosses – No reported grosses
Earlier years
How Does May 2026 Compare With May in Earlier Years?
Of these 10 years, May 2018 earned the most: $26.6M from 19 films, led by RBG (2018). May 2026 took $3.7M.
| Month | Films | Worldwide | Change | Biggest film |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 2017 22 films | 22 | $4.1M | – | Buena Vista Social Club: Adios (2017) $701.6K |
| May 2018 19 films · +549% | 19 | $26.6M | +549% | RBG (2018) $14.5M |
| May 2019 28 films · −53% | 28 | $12.6M | −53% | The Biggest Little Farm (2019) $5.3M |
| May 2020 9 films · −70% | 9 | $3.8M | −70% | The House in Between (2020) $1.7M |
| May 2021 11 films · −81% | 11 | $723.3K | −81% | Final Account (2021) $353.1K |
| May 2022 18 films · +482% | 18 | $4.2M | +482% | 2000 Mules (2022) $1.5M |
| May 2023 6 films · −10% | 6 | $3.8M | −10% | John Farnham: Finding the Voice (2023) $3M |
| May 2024 22 films · +153% | 22 | $9.6M | +153% | Queen Rock Montreal (2024) $2.7M |
| May 2025 9 films · −79% | 9 | $2M | −79% | I Love Peru (2025) $1M |
| May 2026 5 films · +83% | 5 | $3.7M | +83% | Iron Maiden: Burning Ambition (2026) $3M |
Archive
Documentary Box Office in 2026, Month by Month
The months of 2026 with their totals: October leads with $57.6M, led by You Can See Everything (2026).
- January $23.5M #1 Melania (2026)
- February $184.3K #1 Paul McCartney: Man on the Run (2026)
- March $1.9M #1 The AI Doc: Or How I Became an Apocaloptimist (2026)
- April $593.9K #1 Lorne (2026)
- May $3.7M #1 Iron Maiden: Burning Ambition (2026)
- June $28M #1 jackass: best and last (2026)
- July $1.9M #1 Mary Oliver: Saved by the Beauty of the World (2026)
- August $1.3M #1 Cookie Queens (2026)
- September $15.9M #1 Oasis: Don’t Look Back in Anger (2026)
- October $57.6M #1 You Can See Everything (2026)
- November so far No grosses
FAQ
Documentary Box Office May 2026: 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 5 films as the chart.
What is the highest-grossing documentary movie in May 2026?
Iron Maiden: Burning Ambition (2026) leads with $3M worldwide. Next come Everybody to Kenmure Street (2026) at $294.9K and Time and Water (2026) at $178.6K.
How much did documentary movies released in May 2026 earn?
5 documentary films released in May 2026 report a worldwide gross, $3.7M in all, or $731.3K per film on average.
How many documentary movies released in May 2026 made $1 billion?
None. The biggest, Iron Maiden: Burning Ambition (2026), earned $3M.
How is the May 2026 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 2026. 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 2026 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.