The following are the highest-grossing documentary films worldwide. The list also charts the highest-grossing documentary movies by calendar year. It includes different hybrid genre documentary films while excluding performance movies such as concert films, sometimes categorized as documentaries. Almost all reported figures are taken from Box Office Mojo and The Numbers, two publications that provide figures of film revenues.

Traditional observational-stylized films are dominant in the list, notably space and nature documentaries. Few documentaries have outspaced the $100 million mark. The highest-grossing documentary film is the biographical film Michael Jackson's This Is It (2009) released following the artist's death that year, 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 Antarctica (1983), March of the Penguins (2005), Space Station 3D (2002), Everest (1998), To Fly! (1976), Earth (2007), and Deep Sea 3D (2006) are the only other documentary films to reach $100 million in revenue as of 2026.

In addition, Grand Canyon: The Hidden Secrets remains the highest-grossing IMAX documentary film in history and from the 20th century. Fahrenheit 9/11 had 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 opening weekend.

Key +Key † Indicates films currently playing in theaters ‡ Indicates US and Canada grosses only* Indicates films shown primarily in premium large format theaters

Highest-grossing documentary films +Top 50 highest-grossing documentaries as of May 2025 Rank Title Lifetime gross Year Narrator(s) Topic(s) 1 Michael Jackson's This Is It $267,983,588 2009 Rehearsals for a concert residency by Michael Jackson 2 Grand Canyon: The Hidden Secrets* $239,000,000 1984 Grand Canyon 3 Fahrenheit 9/11 $222,446,882 2004 Michael Moore The presidency of George W. Bush, the Iraq War 4 March of the Penguins $133,276,359 2005 Charles Berling Emperor penguin of Antarctica 5 Space Station 3D* $128,363,881 2002 Tom Cruise International Space Station 6 Everest* $127,990,128 1998 Liam Neeson Mount Everest 7 To Fly!* $120,700,000 1976 Thomas McGrath History of aviation in the U.S. 8 Earth $108,975,160 2009 Patrick Stewart Diversity of wild habitats and creatures across the planet 9 Deep Sea 3D* $105,779,761 2006 Johnny Depp Sea life 10Antarctica$103,000,0001983Asao KoikeAntarctica 11 Oceans $86,787,530 2009 Pierce Brosnan Marine species of Earth's five oceans 12 Hubble* $74,249,729 2010 Leonardo DiCaprio Repair and update of the Hubble Space Telescope 13 Amazing China $72,506,344 2018 China during Xi Jinping's tenure from a Chinese perspective 14 The Dream Is Alive* $70,000,000‡ 1985 Walter Cronkite NASA's Space Shuttle program 15 Dolphins* $69,600,000 2000 Pierce Brosnan Dolphins 16 Antarctica* $66,070,389 1991 Alex Scott Antarctica 17 The Living Sea* $64,800,000‡ 1995 Meryl Streep Marine biology/oceans (conservation) 18 Bowling for Columbine $58,008,423 2002 Michael Moore Gun violence and causes of Columbine High School massacre (Moore perspective) 19 In Search of Noah's Ark $55,700,000‡ 1976 Alleged resting place of Noah's Ark 20 To the Limit* $53,000,000 1989 Effects of intense physical activity on the human body 21 Sea Monsters: A Prehistoric Adventure* $50,728,163 2007 Liev Schreiber Prehistoric marine reptiles 22 An Inconvenient Truth $49,782,012 2006 Global warming 23 Under the Sea* $48,059,141 2009 A look at the underwater of Indo-Pacific areas / Impact of global warming on the oceans 24 Born to Be Wild* $47,309,175 2011 Morgan Freeman Orphaned orangutans and elephants 25 Mysteries of Egypt* $44,703,731 1998 Howard Carter's discovery of King Tutankhamun's tomb in 1922 26 This Is Cinerama* $41,600,000‡ 1952 Lowell Thomas Demonstration of the Cinerama film format 27 Magnificent Desolation: Walking on the Moon 3D* $40,339,402 2005 Tom Hanks Apollo program (first humans on the Moon) 28 Encounter in the Third Dimension* $40,102,213 1999 Harry Shearer Fictional characters describe the history and technology of 3D movies 29 Galapagos* $40,070,358 1999 Carole Baldwin (marine biologist, Smithsonian Institution) and her first trips to Galapagos Islands 30 Winged Migration $39,134,983 2001 Jacques Perrin Philippe Labro Bird migration 31 Chimpanzee $36,834,823 2012 Tim Allen Common chimpanzee named "Oscar" 32 Sicko $36,093,504 2007 Michael Moore Healthcare in the U.S. (health insurance and pharmaceutical industry) 33 Woodstock $34,699,266‡ 1970 Woodstock Festival, 1969 34 My Love, Don't Cross That River $34,100,278 2014 76-year marriage of a South Korean couple 35 2016: Obama's America $33,449,086 2012 Barack Obama 36 Wild Safari: A South African Adventure* $32,446,750 2005 Real-life safari experience in South Africa following a scientist and tracker in search of the "Big Five" 37 Justin Bieber's Believe $32,226,781 2013 Justin Bieber 38 Seven Wonders of the World* $32,100,000‡ 1956 Natural and man-made wonders 39 Thrill Ride: The Science of Fun* $31,279,211 1997 Fun parks (imagination of movement) 40 African Cats $30,857,747 2011 Samuel L. Jackson Patrick Stewart Lions and cheetahs in the African savannah 41 Cinerama Holiday* $29,600,000‡ 1955 Travel 42 Bugs!* $29,445,226 2003 Insects in Borneo's rainforest 43 Free Solo $29,390,279 2018 Alex Honnold in his route to free solo climb on El Capitan 44 Ghosts of the Abyss* $28,742,313 2003 Bill Paxton Expedition staged by James Cameron and others to the Wreck of the RMS Titanic 45The Glacier Fox$27,000,0001978Eiji OkadaTwo foxes in Hokkaido 46 Beavers* $26,400,000‡ 1988 Earl Pennington Beavers 47 Twenty Two $26,289,378 2017 Chinese women (200,000 estimated) forced into prostitution by the Japanese army during WWII. 48 Ocean Wonderland* $25,977,417 2003 Underwater environment 49 Extreme* $25,956,582 2003 6 extreme sports: big wave surfing, ice climbing, skiing, snowboarding, windsurfing and rock climbing. 50 Chariots of the Gods $25,900,000‡ 1970 Heinz-Detlev Bock Extraterrestrial life

Sub-genres

Nature documentaries + Nature documentaries that surpassed $20 million Rank Title Lifetime gross Year 1 March of the Penguins $133,276,359 2005 2 Earth $108,975,160 2009 3 Deep Sea 3D $105,779,761 2006 4Antarctica$103,000,0001983 5 Oceans $86,787,530 2009 6 Dolphins $69,600,000 2000 7 Antarctica $66,070,389 1991 8 The Living Sea $64,800,000‡ 1995 9 Sea Monsters: A Prehistoric Adventure $50,728,163 2007 10 Under the Sea $48,059,141 2009 11 Born to be Wild $47,309,175 2011 12 Galapagos $40,070,358 1999 13 Winged Migration $39,134,983 2001 14 Chimpanzee $36,834,823 2012 15 Wild Safari $32,446,750 2005 16African Cats$30,857,7472011 17 Bugs! $29,445,226 2003 18The Glacier Fox$27,000,0001978 19 Beavers $26,400,000‡ 1988 20 Ocean Wonderland $25,977,417 2003 21 A Beautiful Planet $25,520,273 2016 22 Born in China $25,081,168 2016 23 To the Arctic 3D $23,695,3882012

Space +Space documentaries that surpassed $15 million as of May 2025 Rank Title Lifetime gross Year 1 Space Station 3D $128,363,881 2002 2 Hubble $74,249,729 2010 3 The Dream Is Alive $70,000,000‡ 1985 4 Magnificent Desolation: Walking on the Moon 3D $40,339,402 2005 5 A Beautiful Planet $25,520,273 2016 6 Blue Planet $22,800,000‡ 1990

Highest-grossing documentaries by year +Yearly highest-grossing documentaries (according to The Numbers) Year Title Total gross 2025 Becoming Led Zeppelin $16,766,323 2024 Am I Racist? $12,311,598‡ 2023 Beijing 2022 $24,790,100 2022 Moonage Daydream $13,910,491 2021 The Arctic: Our Last Great Wilderness $16,894,562 2020 Break the Silence: The Movie $10,670,308 2019 Bring the Soul: The Movie $12,984,708 2018 Amazing China $72,506,344 2017 Twenty-Two $25,733,825 2016 A Beautiful Planet $25,520,273 2015 Amy $23,778,585 2014 My Love, Don't Cross That River $34,100,278 2013 Justin Bieber's Believe $32,226,781 2012 Chimpanzee $36,834,823 2011 Born to Be Wild $47,309,175 2010 Oceans $86,787,530 2009 Michael Jackson's This Is It $261,183,588 2008 Dolphins and Whales Tribes of the Ocean $17,252,287 2007 Sea Monsters: A Prehistoric Adventure $50,728,163 2006 Deep Sea 3D $105,779,761 2005 March of the Penguins $133,276,359 2004 Fahrenheit 9/11 $222,446,882 2003 Winged Migration $39,134,983 2002 Space Station 3D $128,363,881 2001 Shackleton's Antarctic Adventure $19,667,161 2000 Dolphins $69,600,000 1999 Encounter in the Third Dimension $40,102,213 1998 Everest $127,990,128 1997 Thrill Ride: The Science of Fun $31,279,211 1996 Microcosmos $6,973,842 1995 The Living Sea $64,800,000‡ 1994 Hoop Dreams $11,768,371 1993 Black Diamond Rush $1,634,386 1992 Daddy and the Muscle Academy $109,513‡ 1991 Antarctica $66,070,389 1989 To the Limit $53,000,000 1988 Beavers $26,400,000‡ 1987 Hail! Hail! Rock 'n' Roll $719,323‡ 1986 Stripper $39,065‡ 1985 The Dream Is Alive $70,000,000‡ 1984 Grand Canyon: The Hidden Secrets $239,000,000 1983 Antarctica $103,000,000 1982 It Came from Hollywood $2,091,037‡ 1981 This Is Elvis $429,146‡ 1980 In Search of Historic Jesus $22,000,000‡ 1979 Dirt $9,200,000‡1978The Glacier Fox$27,000,000 1977 In Search of Noah's Ark $55,700,000‡ 1976 To Fly! $120,700,000 1973 Chariots of the Gods $25,900,000‡ 1972 Five Summer Stories 1970 Woodstock $34,699,266‡ 1969 Muhammad Ali: The Greatest 1967 Bob Dylan: Don't Look Back 1966 The Endless Summer $20,000,000 1964 Belarmino 1956 Seven Wonders of the World $32,100,000‡ 1955 Cinerama Holiday $29,600,000‡ 1952 This Is Cinerama $41,600,000‡ 1927 The Epic of Everest $133,823 1922 The Great White Silence $85,214 1919 South $66,676

See also Lists of highest-grossing films List of highest-grossing films List of highest-grossing concert films List of films by box office admissions

Notes

References

External links Top 100 documentaries of all time in Australia by Screen Australia Top-Grossing Documentaries in the United States (til 2010) by Box Office Mojo Documentary Index by Box Office Mojo (US) All Time Worldwide Box Office for Documentary Movies by The Numbers