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List of highest-grossing documentary films

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List of highest-grossing documentary films
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The following are the highest-grossing documentary films worldwide. The list also charts the highest-grossing documentary movies by calendar year, and overall excludes performance movies such as concert films. Almost all reported figures are taken from Box Office Mojo and The Numbers, two publications that provide figures of film revenues.

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A sign for Grand Canyon: The Hidden Secrets (1984) at the National Geographic Society visitor center of Arizona, in 2009. It is the highest-grossing documentary film from the 20th century.

Traditionally, observational releases are dominant in the list, including nature documentaries and also hybrids like docudramas. However, few movies have outspaced the $100 million mark. The highest-grossing documentary film is the biographical film Michael Jackson's This Is It (2009) released following artist's death occurred on that year,[1] surpassing Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004) both of which grossed over $200 million. Grand Canyon: The Hidden Secrets (1984) also earned more than $200 million, while March of the Penguins (2005), Space Station 3D (2002), Everest (1998), To Fly! (1976), Earth (2007), and Deep Sea 3D (2006) are the only following documentary films to reach $100 million in revenues as of 2025.

In addition, Grand Canyon: The Hidden Secrets remains the highest-grossing IMAX documentary film in history and from the 20th century. Fahrenheit 9/11 have the biggest opening weekend sales for a documentary at over $23.9 million in the U.S. as well the widest release for a documentary film in its open day.[2][3]

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Key

Key
Indicates films currently playing in theaters
Indicates domestic report only

All-time list

General

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Nature Documentary

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Space

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Highest-grossing documentaries by year

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Drive-in advertisement for Woodstock (1970), highest-grossing documentary film on that year, and one of the top-grossing overall
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See also

References

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