Michael Jackson’s This Is It (2009) ranks first in the reviewed worldwide-gross list, with $267,983,588 reported through May 2025. Grand Canyon: The Hidden Secrets (1984) and Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004) rank second and third. These are reported box-office grosses, not profit, admissions, inflation-adjusted totals, or streaming figures.
Highest-grossing documentaries: the top nine
The ranking below uses worldwide lifetime grosses in a table labeled “as of May 2025.” The figures are those reported by the ranking, which says nearly all its totals come from Box Office Mojo and The Numbers; they may change with rereleases or database revisions. The list also includes some hybrid documentary films, so its placements reflect that source’s classification.
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
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| 5 |
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| Rank | Film | Release year | Worldwide gross reported as of May 2025 | Subject |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michael Jackson’s This Is It | 2009 | $267,983,588 | Rehearsals for a concert residency |
| 2 | Grand Canyon: The Hidden Secrets | 1984 | $239,000,000 | The Grand Canyon; a premium large-format/IMAX-oriented film |
| 3 | Fahrenheit 9/11 | 2004 | $222,446,882 | George W. Bush’s presidency and the Iraq War |
| 4 | March of the Penguins | 2005 | $133,276,359 | Emperor penguins in Antarctica |
| 5 | Space Station 3D | 2002 | $128,363,881 | The International Space Station; a premium large-format film |
| 6 | Everest | 1998 | $127,990,128 | Mount Everest; a premium large-format film |
| 7 | To Fly! | 1976 | $120,700,000 | History of aviation in the United States; a premium large-format film |
| 8 | Earth | 2009 | $108,975,160 | Wildlife and habitats around the planet |
| 9 | Deep Sea 3D | 2006 | $105,779,761 | Sea life; a premium large-format film |
In this table, these are the other entries above $100 million after the top three. The surrounding source page uses a later 2026 framing, but the ranking table itself is dated May 2025; the two cutoffs should not be conflated.
Why This Is It is first—and why lists can differ
The ranking places This Is It at the top, and Guinness World Records also names it the highest-grossing documentary. Guinness reports $252,091,016 (£186,405,000) worldwide as of 11 January 2018, attributing that figure to The Numbers. Its historical list gives $239,000,000 for Grand Canyon: The Hidden Secrets and $221,148,959 for Fahrenheit 9/11. The later ranking’s totals for This Is It and Fahrenheit 9/11 differ, so any record claim needs its source and date.
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There is also a category boundary: the ranking says it excludes performance movies such as concert films, yet includes This Is It, which documents concert rehearsals. It describes its selection as including some hybrid documentary films. Documentary rankings do not necessarily apply identical rules to concert-related or hybrid works, so this is the list’s classification rather than a universal definition.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What these grosses do—and do not—measure
The ranking reports worldwide box-office receipts. A gross is not a film’s profit: it does not by itself account for production, distribution, or exhibition costs. Nor does this ranking adjust older releases for inflation or compare ticket admissions. The dollar totals therefore compare reported nominal receipts, not how many people saw each film or the relative purchasing power of its theatrical revenue.
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