Market Charts > 2019 > Genres > Documentary

Domestic Box Office Performance for Documentary Movies in 2019

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RankMovieRelease
Date		 Theatrical
Distributor		MPAA
Rating		2019 GrossTickets Sold
1 They Shall Not Grow Old Dec 17, 2018 Warner Bros. R $12,253,074 1,337,672
2 Apollo 11 Mar 1, 2019 Neon G $9,040,224 986,924
3 Penguins Apr 17, 2019 Walt Disney G $7,699,452 840,552
4 Free Solo Sep 28, 2018 Greenwich PG-13 $6,300,521 687,830
5 Bring the Soul: The Movie Aug 7, 2019 Trafalgar Releasing Not Rated $4,809,800 525,087
6 Pavarotti Jun 7, 2019 CBS Films PG-13 $4,686,402 511,616
7 The Biggest Little Farm May 10, 2019 Neon PG $4,367,816 476,836
8 Amazing Grace Apr 5, 2019 Neon G $4,339,065 473,697
9 Linda Ronstadt: The Sound o… Sep 6, 2019 Greenwich PG-13 $4,240,509 462,938
10 Echo in the Canyon May 24, 2019 Greenwich PG-13 $3,355,266 366,295
11 Maiden Jun 28, 2019 Sony Pictures Cla… PG $3,162,490 345,250
12 Pandas Apr 6, 2018 IMAX Films G $1,816,106 198,265
13 Western Stars Oct 25, 2019 Warner Bros. PG $1,581,681 172,673
14 Fantastic Fungi Sep 20, 2019 Area 23a Not Rated $1,325,374 144,691
15 No Safe Spaces Dec 6, 2019 Atlas Distribution PG-13 $1,159,359 126,568
16 Marianne & Leonard: Words o… Jul 5, 2019 Roadside Attractions R $1,013,820 110,679
17 Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am Jun 21, 2019 Magnolia Pictures PG-13 $903,018 98,583
18 Between Me and My Mind Jul 17, 2019 Trafalgar Releasing Not Rated $813,844 88,848
19 David Crosby: Remember My Name Jul 19, 2019 Sony Pictures Cla… R $732,515 79,969
20 Honeyland Jul 26, 2019 Neon Not Rated $712,363 77,769
21 Where’s My Roy Cohn? Sep 20, 2019 Sony Pictures Cla… PG-13 $704,780 76,941
22 Raise Hell: The Life and Ti… Aug 30, 2019 Magnolia Pictures Not Rated $694,410 75,809
23 Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool Aug 23, 2019 Abramorama Films Not Rated $614,201 67,053
24 Roger Waters Us + Them Oct 2, 2019 Trafalgar Releasing Not Rated $594,982 64,954
25 Bethany Hamilton: Unstoppable Jul 12, 2019 Entertainment Stu… PG $590,671 64,484
26 Fiddler: A Miracle of Miracles Aug 23, 2019 Roadside Attractions PG-13 $549,385 59,977
27 Everybody’s Everything Nov 12, 2019 Gunpowder & Sky Not Rated $547,207 59,739
28 Anthropocene: The Human Epoch Sep 28, 2018 Kino Lorber Not Rated $546,722 59,686
29 Grateful Dead Meet-Up at th… Aug 1, 2019 Trafalgar Releasing Not Rated $534,611 58,364
30 The Spy Behind Home Plate May 24, 2019 The Ciesla Founda… Not Rated $519,525 56,717
31 CatVideoFest 2019 Feb 15, 2019 Oscilloscope Pict… Not Rated $470,923 51,411
32 Hail Satan? Apr 17, 2019 Magnolia Pictures R $424,284 46,319
33 Die Unsichtbaren Jan 25, 2019 Greenwich Not Rated $408,397 44,585
34 Aquarela Aug 16, 2019 Sony Pictures Cla… PG $301,429 32,907
35 Ask Dr. Ruth May 3, 2019 Magnolia Pictures Not Rated $297,195 32,445
36 Free Spirit Mar 29, 2019 Trafalgar Releasing Not Rated $284,229 31,029
37 Mike Wallace is Here Jul 26, 2019 Magnolia Pictures PG-13 $281,245 30,704
38 One Child Nation Aug 9, 2019 Amazon Studios R $252,734 27,591
39 Meeting Gorbachev May 3, 2019 1091 Media Not Rated $251,837 27,493
40 Under the Sea 3D Feb 13, 2009 Warner Bros. G $246,137 26,871
41 63 Up Nov 27, 2019 BritBox Not Rated $229,280 25,031
42 Hesburgh Apr 26, 2019 O’Malley Creadon … Not Rated $204,709 22,348
43 Iyengar: The Man, Yoga, The… Apr 12, 2019 Kino Lorber Not Rated $176,387 19,256
44 The World Before Your Feet Nov 21, 2018 Greenwich Not Rated $156,823 17,120
45 Halston May 24, 2019 1091 Media Not Rated $151,991 16,593
46 Jay Myself Jul 31, 2019 Oscilloscope Pict… Not Rated $151,331 16,521
47 The River and the Wall May 3, 2019 Gravitas Ventures Not Rated $150,816 16,465
48 Hubble 3D Mar 19, 2010 Warner Bros. G $147,277 16,078
49 Framing John DeLorean Jun 7, 2019 Sundance Selects Not Rated $145,626 15,898
50 The Last Resort Dec 21, 2018 Kino Lorber Not Rated $141,074 15,401
51 Who Will Write Our History Jan 18, 2019 Abramorama Films Not Rated $138,039 15,070
52 Born to be Wild 3D Apr 8, 2011 Warner Bros. G $134,027 14,632
53 Paris is Burning Mar 13, 1991 R $125,677 13,720
54 A Tuba to Cuba Feb 15, 2019 Blue Fox Entertai… Not Rated $121,772 13,294
55 Free Trip to Egypt May 31, 2019 Not Rated $120,780 13,186
56 Be Natural: The Untold Stor… Apr 19, 2019 Zeitgeist Not Rated $113,914 12,436
57 The Kingmaker Nov 8, 2019 Greenwich R $109,948 12,003
58 The Brink Mar 29, 2019 Magnolia Pictures Not Rated $106,059 11,578
59 Cold Case Hammarskjold Aug 16, 2019 Magnolia Pictures Not Rated $104,965 11,459
60 Varda by Agnes Nov 22, 2019 Janus Films Not Rated $103,101 11,256
61 Walking on Water May 17, 2019 Kino Lorber Not Rated $98,358 10,738
62 Woodstock: Three Days That … May 24, 2019 Self Distributed Not Rated $84,440 9,218
63 Hale County This Morning, T… Sep 14, 2018 Cinema Guild Not Rated $74,926 8,180
64 Cunningham Dec 13, 2019 Magnolia Pictures PG $59,951 6,545
65 Loopers: The Caddie’s Long … Jun 7, 2019 Gravitas Ventures PG $58,085 6,341
66 Making Waves: The Art of Ci… Oct 25, 2019 Matson Not Rated $53,144 5,802
67 Maria by Callas Nov 2, 2018 Sony Pictures Cla… PG $50,990 5,567
68 Love, Antosha Aug 2, 2019 Lurker Films R $50,168 5,477
69 The Queen Jun 17, 1968 Kino Lorber Not Rated $47,818 5,220
70 The Proposal May 24, 2019 Oscilloscope Pict… Not Rated $45,149 4,929
71 The Cave Oct 18, 2019 National Geograph… PG-13 $45,096 4,923
72 What is Democracy Jan 16, 2019 Zeitgeist Not Rated $44,502 4,858
73 Carmine Street Guitars Apr 24, 2019 Abramorama Films Not Rated $44,253 4,831
74 American Dharma Nov 1, 2019 Utopia R $44,009 4,804
75 For Sama Jul 26, 2019 PBS Distribution Not Rated $43,796 4,781
76 Midnight Traveler Sep 18, 2019 Oscilloscope Pict… Not Rated $41,265 4,505
77 The Quiet One Jun 21, 2019 IFC Films Not Rated $37,012 4,041
78 Loro 1 Sep 20, 2019 IFC Films Not Rated $35,613 3,888
79 Moonlight Sonata: Deafness … Sep 13, 2019 Abramorama Films Not Rated $33,841 3,694
80 Recorder: The Marion Stokes… Nov 15, 2019 Zeitgeist Not Rated $33,472 3,654
81 Deep Sea 3D Mar 3, 2006 Warner Bros. G $32,831 3,584
82 Desolation Center Sep 13, 2019 Self Distributed Not Rated $32,016 3,495
83 Gift Oct 11, 2019 Matson Not Rated $31,588 3,448
84 Memory: The Origins of Alien Oct 4, 2019 Screen Media Films Not Rated $31,378 3,426
85 Horn From the Heart: The Pa… Oct 17, 2018 Abramorama Films Not Rated $30,179 3,295
86 Leaving Home, Coming Home: … May 29, 2019 Greenwich Not Rated $27,073 2,956
87 Wrestle Feb 22, 2019 Oscilloscope Pict… Not Rated $26,597 2,904
88 Chasing Einstein Sep 13, 2019 Atlas Distribution Not Rated $24,117 2,633
89 Island of Lemurs: Madagascar Apr 4, 2014 Warner Bros. G $23,187 2,531
90 Célébration Oct 2, 2019 KimStim Not Rated $22,557 2,463
91 The Gospel of Eureka Feb 8, 2019 Kino Lorber Not Rated $20,873 2,279
92 The All Americans Nov 8, 2019 Abramorama Films Not Rated $20,322 2,219
93 Storia di B. — La scomparsa… Dec 6, 2019 Kino Lorber Not Rated $19,588 2,138
94 Scandalous: The Untold Stor… Nov 15, 2019 Magnolia Pictures Not Rated $18,759 2,048
95 Before Stonewall Jun 27, 1985 First Run Features Not Rated $18,724 2,044
96 To the Arctic 3D Apr 20, 2012 Warner Bros. G $18,010 1,966
97 Citizen K Nov 22, 2019 Greenwich Not Rated $17,704 1,933
98 Joseph Pulitzer: Voice of t… Mar 1, 2019 First Run Features Not Rated $16,971 1,853
99 Midnight Family Dec 6, 2019 1091 Media Not Rated $15,537 1,696
100 Wrinkles the Clown Oct 4, 2019 Magnolia Pictures Not Rated $14,938 1,631
101 ZZ Top: That Little Ol’ Ban… Aug 19, 2019 Abramorama Films Not Rated $14,879 1,624
102 The Woman Who Loves Giraffes Oct 4, 2019 Zeitgeist Not Rated $14,350 1,567
103 Combat Obscura Mar 15, 2019 Oscilloscope Pict… Not Rated $14,242 1,555
104 Touch Me Not Jan 11, 2019 Kino Lorber Not Rated $13,782 1,505
105 This One’s For The Ladies Jun 7, 2019 Super LTD NC-17 $13,688 1,494
106 Rapid Response Sep 6, 2019 Atlas Distribution PG-13 $13,262 1,448
107 Zen for Nothing Mar 29, 2019 Zeitgeist Not Rated $12,107 1,322
108 Cassandro the Exotico Jul 19, 2019 Film Movement Not Rated $11,897 1,299
109 Stuffed Oct 16, 2019 Music Box Films Not Rated $11,683 1,275
110 Ferrante Fever Mar 8, 2019 Greenwich Not Rated $11,137 1,216
111 If the Dancer Dances Apr 26, 2019 Monument Releasing Not Rated $10,912 1,191
112 Vision Portraits Aug 9, 2019 Self Distributed Not Rated $10,771 1,176
113 The Eyes of Orson Welles Mar 15, 2019 Janus Films Not Rated $10,252 1,119
114 Shooting the Mafia Nov 22, 2019 Cohen Media Group Not Rated $9,988 1,090
115 Streetwise Oct 26, 1984 Janus Films Not Rated $9,904 1,081
116 Liyana Oct 10, 2018 Abramorama Films Not Rated $9,843 1,075
117 Studio 54 Oct 5, 2018 Zeitgeist Not Rated $9,355 1,021
118 When Lambs Become Lions Nov 22, 2019 Oscilloscope Pict… Not Rated $9,337 1,019
119 Cracked Up Sep 13, 2019 Abramorama Films Not Rated $9,197 1,004
120 Advocate Jan 3, 2020 Not Rated $9,152 999
121 Frantz Fanon: Black Skin, W… Mar 15, 2019 Film Movement Not Rated $9,025 985
122 That Pärt Feeling—The Unive… May 24, 2019 Film Movement Not Rated $8,818 963
123 Ghost Fleet Jun 7, 2019 Abramorama Films Not Rated $7,850 857
124 To Be of Service Nov 1, 2019 First Run Features Not Rated $6,173 674
125 Kinder des Kalifats Nov 16, 2018 Kino Lorber Not Rated $6,118 668
126 Monrovia, Indiana Oct 26, 2018 Zipporah Not Rated $5,738 626
127 Het Wonder van Le Petit Prince Aug 28, 2019 Film Movement Not Rated $5,553 606
128 What You Gonna Do When The … Aug 16, 2019 KimStim Not Rated $4,672 510
129 I’m Leaving Now Sep 6, 2019 Cinema Guild Not Rated $4,443 485
130 Chasing Portraits Feb 26, 2019 First Run Features Not Rated $3,076 336
131 Filmworker May 11, 2018 Kino Lorber Not Rated $3,016 329
132 Back to the Fatherland Jun 14, 2019 First Run Features Not Rated $2,697 294
133 TINY: The Life of Erin Blac… Jul 19, 2019 Janus Films Not Rated $2,465 269
134 Chef Flynn Nov 9, 2018 Kino Lorber Not Rated $2,267 247
135 Serendipity Oct 18, 2019 Cohen Media Group Not Rated $2,213 242
136 Salafists Jan 25, 2019 Cinema Libre Not Rated $1,939 212
137 Une jeunesse allemande Oct 11, 2019 Big World Pictures Not Rated $1,834 200
138 Divide and Conquer: The Sto… Dec 7, 2018 Magnolia Pictures Not Rated $1,813 198
139 Owarani hito Miyazaki: Hayao Dec 13, 2018 GKIDS Not Rated $1,449 158
140 Chinese Portrait Dec 13, 2019 Cinema Guild Not Rated $1,152 126
141 Narcissister Organ Player Nov 7, 2018 Film Movement Not Rated $1,015 111
142 Over the Limit Oct 3, 2018 Film Movement Not Rated $69 8
Total Gross of All Movies$88,063,169
Total Tickets Sold9,613,888

Note: This chart ranks movies by the amount they earned during 2019. It includes movies released in previous years that earned money during 2019. For example, a movie released over Thanksgiving in 2010 will most likely earn money in 2010 and 2011. Click on the individual movie to see its total gross over all the years in which it played.

Inflation-adjusted figures are based ticket sale estimates, and may not be precise due to rounding errors.

Our Theatrical Market pages are based on the Domestic Theatrical Market performance only. The Domestic Market is defined as the North American movie territory (consisting of the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico and Guam).

The yearly amounts on our Theatrical Market pages are based on box office years. Each box office year starts on the first Monday of the year, so the previous year ends on the Sunday before the first Monday. For example, the "2017 box office year" started on January 2, 2017 so the "2016 box office year" ended on Sunday, January 1, 2017.