Box Office Performance for Documentary Movies in 2004
| Rank | Movie | Genre | MPAA | 2004 Gross | Tickets Sold | Inflation- Adjusted Gross |
| 1 |
Fahrenheit 9/11
|
Documentary
|
R
|
$119,078,393 |
19,175,265 |
$151,292,841 |
| 2 |
NASCAR: The IMAX Experience
|
Documentary
|
PG
|
$19,558,397 |
3,149,500 |
$24,849,555 |
| 3 |
Super Size Me
|
Documentary
|
PG-13
|
$11,529,368 |
1,856,581 |
$14,648,424 |
| 4 |
What the #$'! Do We Know
|
Documentary
|
Not Rated
|
$10,091,903 |
1,625,105 |
$12,822,078 |
| 5 |
Space Station
|
Documentary
|
Not Rated
|
$9,598,551 |
1,545,660 |
$12,195,257 |
| 6 |
Bugs!
|
Documentary
|
Not Rated
|
$9,528,407 |
1,534,365 |
$12,106,140 |
| 7 |
To Be and To Have
|
Documentary
|
Not Rated
|
$7,065,318 |
1,137,732 |
$8,976,705 |
| 8 |
Touching the Void
|
Documentary
|
R
|
$4,581,222 |
737,717 |
$5,820,587 |
| 9 |
The Fog of War
|
Documentary
|
PG-13
|
$3,917,516 |
630,840 |
$4,977,328 |
| 10 |
Control Room
|
Documentary
|
Not Rated
|
$2,586,511 |
416,507 |
$3,286,240 |
| 11 |
My Architect
|
Documentary
|
Not Rated
|
$2,382,942 |
383,727 |
$3,027,606 |
| 12 |
Riding Giants
|
Documentary
|
PG-13
|
$2,276,368 |
366,565 |
$2,892,198 |
| 13 |
The Corporation
|
Documentary
|
Not Rated
|
$1,879,301 |
302,625 |
$2,387,711 |
| 14 |
The Story of the Weeping Camel
|
Documentary
|
PG
|
$1,742,832 |
280,649 |
$2,214,321 |
| 15 |
Ghosts of the Abyss
|
Documentary
|
G
|
$1,322,679 |
212,992 |
$1,680,507 |
| 16 |
Metallica: Some Kind of Monster
|
Documentary
|
Not Rated
|
$1,222,708 |
196,893 |
$1,553,486 |
| 17 |
Fade to Black
|
Documentary
|
R
|
$728,802 |
117,359 |
$925,963 |
| 18 |
Going Upriver: The Long War of John Kerry
|
Documentary
|
PG-13
|
$613,252 |
98,752 |
$779,153 |
| 19 |
Tarnation
|
Documentary
|
Not Rated
|
$478,112 |
76,991 |
$607,459 |
| 20 |
Outfoxed - Rupert Murdoch's War on Journalism
|
Documentary
|
Not Rated
|
$405,900 |
65,362 |
$515,706 |
| 21 |
Still, We Believe: The Boston Red Sox Movie
|
Documentary
|
Not Rated
|
$395,362 |
63,665 |
$502,317 |
| 22 |
End of the Century: The Story of the Ramones
|
Documentary
|
Not Rated
|
$391,950 |
63,116 |
$497,985 |
| 23 |
The Hunting of the President
|
Documentary
|
Not Rated
|
$376,552 |
60,636 |
$478,418 |
| 24 |
Broadway: The Golden Age, by the Legends Who Were There
|
Documentary
|
Not Rated
|
$341,493 |
54,991 |
$433,879 |
| 25 |
America's Heart and Soul
|
Documentary
|
Not Rated
|
$314,000 |
50,564 |
$398,950 |
| 26 |
Bukowski: Born Into This
|
Documentary
|
R
|
$311,431 |
50,150 |
$395,684 |
| 27 |
Galapagos
|
Documentary
|
Not Rated
|
$305,814 |
49,245 |
$388,543 |
| 28 |
Mayor of Sunset Strip
|
Documentary
|
Not Rated
|
$257,315 |
41,436 |
$326,930 |
| 29 |
This Old Cub
|
Documentary
|
Not Rated
|
$253,531 |
40,826 |
$322,117 |
| 30 |
The Agronomist
|
Documentary
|
PG-13
|
$226,189 |
36,423 |
$287,377 |
| 31 |
Tibet - Cry of the Snow Lion
|
Documentary
|
Not Rated
|
$202,592 |
32,624 |
$257,403 |
| 32 |
Imelda
|
Documentary
|
Not Rated
|
$200,752 |
32,327 |
$255,060 |
| 33 |
Yes Men
|
Documentary
|
R
|
$198,975 |
32,041 |
$252,803 |
| 34 |
Uncovered: The Whole Truth About the Iraq War
|
Documentary
|
Not Rated
|
$190,424 |
30,664 |
$241,939 |
| 35 |
Lost Boys of Sudan
|
Documentary
|
Not Rated
|
$182,839 |
29,443 |
$232,305 |
| 36 |
Bush's Brain
|
Documentary
|
PG-13
|
$176,610 |
28,440 |
$224,392 |
| 37 |
The Five Obstructions
|
Documentary
|
Not Rated
|
$150,966 |
24,310 |
$191,806 |
| 38 |
Lightning in a Bottle
|
Documentary
|
PG-13
|
$136,367 |
21,959 |
$173,257 |
| 39 |
Dig
|
Documentary
|
Not Rated
|
$127,067 |
20,462 |
$161,445 |
| 40 |
Howard Zinn
|
Documentary
|
Not Rated
|
$116,230 |
18,717 |
$147,677 |
| 41 |
In the Face of Evil
|
Documentary
|
PG-13
|
$110,577 |
17,806 |
$140,489 |
| 42 |
Yves St. Laurent
|
Documentary
|
Not Rated
|
$97,092 |
15,635 |
$123,360 |
| 43 |
Carlos Castaneda: Enigma of a Sorcerer
|
Documentary
|
Not Rated
|
$94,848 |
15,273 |
$120,504 |
| 44 |
Aileen: Life and Death of a Serial Killer
|
Documentary
|
R
|
$85,992 |
13,847 |
$109,253 |
| 45 |
Word Wars
|
Documentary
|
Not Rated
|
$76,481 |
12,316 |
$97,173 |
| 46 |
Guerrilla: The Taking of Patty Hearst
|
Documentary
|
Not Rated
|
$72,933 |
11,744 |
$92,660 |
| 47 |
In the Realms of the Unreal
|
Documentary
|
Not Rated
|
$70,465 |
11,347 |
$89,528 |
| 48 |
Short Cut to Nirvana: Kumbh Mela
|
Documentary
|
Not Rated
|
$69,084 |
11,125 |
$87,776 |
| 49 |
Weather Underground
|
Documentary
|
Not Rated
|
$63,755 |
10,267 |
$81,007 |
| 50 |
Bright Leaves
|
Documentary
|
Not Rated
|
$62,473 |
10,060 |
$79,373 |
| 51 |
Proteus
|
Documentary
|
R
|
$61,858 |
9,961 |
$78,592 |
| 52 |
Voices From Iraq
|
Documentary
|
Not Rated
|
$57,102 |
9,195 |
$72,549 |
| 53 |
Divan
|
Documentary
|
Not Rated
|
$56,214 |
9,052 |
$71,420 |
| 54 |
Born Into Brothels: Calcutta's Red Light Kids
|
Documentary
|
R
|
$55,045 |
8,864 |
$69,937 |
| 55 |
Hiding and Seeking
|
Documentary
|
Not Rated
|
$51,091 |
8,227 |
$64,911 |
| 56 |
Ônibus 174
|
Documentary
|
R
|
$48,818 |
7,861 |
$62,023 |
| 57 |
This So-Called Disaster
|
Documentary
|
Not Rated
|
$45,195 |
7,278 |
$57,423 |
| 58 |
Paperclips
|
Documentary
|
G
|
$42,311 |
6,813 |
$53,755 |
| 59 |
Tom Dowd and the Language of Music
|
Documentary
|
Not Rated
|
$40,238 |
6,480 |
$51,127 |
| 60 |
Power Trip
|
Documentary
|
Not Rated
|
$38,593 |
6,215 |
$49,036 |
| 61 |
Tying the Knot
|
Documentary
|
Not Rated
|
$37,464 |
6,033 |
$47,600 |
| 62 |
Incident at Loch Ness
|
Documentary
|
PG-13
|
$36,830 |
5,931 |
$46,796 |
| 63 |
Beyond the Gates of Splendor
|
Documentary
|
PG-13
|
$36,412 |
5,863 |
$46,259 |
| 64 |
Maestro
|
Documentary
|
Not Rated
|
$25,315 |
4,076 |
$32,160 |
| 65 |
Bonhoeffer
|
Documentary
|
Not Rated
|
$24,944 |
4,017 |
$31,694 |
| 66 |
WMD: Weapons of Mass Deception
|
Documentary
|
Not Rated
|
$21,841 |
3,517 |
$27,749 |
| 67 |
S-21: The Khmer Rouge Death Machine
|
Documentary
|
Not Rated
|
$21,678 |
3,491 |
$27,544 |
| 68 |
Orwell Rolls in His Grave
|
Documentary
|
Not Rated
|
$19,257 |
3,101 |
$24,467 |
| 69 |
Faster
|
Documentary
|
PG-13
|
$16,265 |
2,619 |
$20,664 |
| 70 |
People Say I'm Crazy
|
Documentary
|
Not Rated
|
$15,679 |
2,525 |
$19,922 |
| 71 |
American Storytellers
|
Documentary
|
Not Rated
|
$15,642 |
2,519 |
$19,875 |
| 72 |
A Letter to True
|
Documentary
|
Not Rated
|
$13,835 |
2,228 |
$17,579 |
| 73 |
Freestyle: The Art of Rhyme
|
Documentary
|
Not Rated
|
$11,255 |
1,812 |
$14,297 |
| 74 |
Let's Get Frank
|
Documentary
|
Not Rated
|
$9,385 |
1,511 |
$11,922 |
| 75 |
Girlhood
|
Documentary
|
Not Rated
|
$9,060 |
1,459 |
$11,512 |
| 76 |
Cuba: Island of Music
|
Documentary
|
Not Rated
|
$8,806 |
1,418 |
$11,188 |
| 77 |
I'll Sing for You
|
Documentary
|
Not Rated
|
$8,798 |
1,417 |
$11,180 |
| 78 |
With All Deliberate Speed
|
Documentary
|
Not Rated
|
$4,920 |
792 |
$6,249 |
| 79 |
Brothers in Arms
|
Documentary
|
Not Rated
|
$3,270 |
527 |
$4,158 |
| 80 |
Venus Boyz
|
Documentary
|
Not Rated
|
$3,230 |
520 |
$4,103 |
| 81 |
The Life and Times of Allen Ginsberg
|
Documentary
|
Not Rated
|
$2,668 |
430 |
$3,393 |
| 82 |
Moog
|
Documentary
|
Not Rated
|
$2,227 |
359 |
$2,833 |
| 83 |
Still, the Children are Here
|
Documentary
|
Not Rated
|
$2,210 |
356 |
$2,809 |
| 84 |
Saints and Sinners
|
Documentary
|
Not Rated
|
$2,167 |
349 |
$2,754 |
| 85 |
Jesus, You Know
|
Documentary
|
Not Rated
|
$604 |
97 |
$765 |
| Total Gross of All Movies | $217,098,868 |
| Total Tickets Sold | 34,959,559 |
| Total Gross of All Movies at 2008 ticket prices | $275,830,921 |
Note: This chart ranks movies by the amount they earned during 2004.
It includes movies released in previous years that earned money during 2004.
For example, a movie released over Thanksgiving in 2003 will most likely earn money in 2003 and 2004.
Click on the individual movie to see its total gross over all the years in which it played.
Each box office year ends on the first Sunday of the following year.
The next year starts the following day (Monday).
For example, the "2004 box office year" ended on Sunday, January 2, 2005.
Inflation-adjusted figures are based ticket sale estimates, and may not be precise due to
rounding errors.
|