Market Charts > 2004 > Genres > Documentary
Box Office Performance for Documentary Movies in 2004
Rank | Movie | Release Date |
Theatrical Distributor | MPAA Rating | 2004 Gross | Tickets Sold |
1 |
Fahrenheit 9/11 |
Jun 23, 2004 |
Lionsgate |
R |
$119,114,517 |
19,181,081 |
2 |
NASCAR: The IMAX Experience |
Mar 12, 2004 |
Warner Bros. |
PG |
$19,558,397 |
3,149,500 |
3 |
Super Size Me |
May 7, 2004 |
IDP Distribution |
PG-13 |
$11,529,368 |
1,856,580 |
4 |
What the #$'! Do We Know |
Feb 6, 2004 |
Captured Light |
Not Rated |
$10,091,903 |
1,625,105 |
5 |
Space Station |
Apr 19, 2002 |
IMAX Films |
Not Rated |
$9,598,551 |
1,545,660 |
6 |
Bugs! (IMAX) |
Mar 14, 2003 |
SK Films |
Not Rated |
$9,528,407 |
1,534,365 |
7 |
Adrenaline Rush: The Scienc… |
Oct 18, 2002 |
Giant Screen Films |
Not Rated |
$8,909,046 |
1,434,628 |
8 |
Pulse: A Stomp Odyssey |
Oct 11, 2002 |
Giant Screen Films |
Not Rated |
$7,760,025 |
1,249,601 |
9 |
To Be and To Have |
Sep 17, 2003 |
New Yorker |
Not Rated |
$7,065,318 |
1,137,732 |
10 |
Touching the Void |
Jan 23, 2004 |
IFC Films |
R |
$4,593,598 |
739,709 |
11 |
The Fog of War |
Dec 19, 2003 |
Sony Pictures Cla… |
PG-13 |
$3,922,139 |
631,584 |
12 |
The Corporation |
Jan 17, 2004 |
Zeitgeist |
Not Rated |
$3,493,516 |
562,562 |
13 |
Control Room |
May 21, 2004 |
Magnolia Pictures |
Not Rated |
$2,589,616 |
417,007 |
14 |
My Architect |
Nov 14, 2003 |
New Yorker |
Not Rated |
$2,382,942 |
383,726 |
15 |
Riding Giants |
Jul 9, 2004 |
Sony Pictures |
PG-13 |
$2,276,368 |
366,564 |
16 |
The Story of the Weeping Camel |
Jun 4, 2004 |
ThinkFilm |
PG |
$1,751,698 |
282,076 |
17 |
Ghosts of the Abyss |
Apr 11, 2003 |
Walt Disney |
G |
$1,322,679 |
212,991 |
18 |
Metallica: Some Kind of Mon… |
Jul 9, 2004 |
IFC Films |
Not Rated |
$1,222,708 |
196,893 |
19 |
Fade to Black |
Nov 5, 2004 |
Paramount Vantage |
R |
$728,802 |
117,359 |
20 |
Going Upriver: The Long War… |
Oct 1, 2004 |
ThinkFilm |
PG-13 |
$613,252 |
98,752 |
21 |
Tarnation |
Oct 6, 2004 |
WellSpring |
Not Rated |
$478,112 |
76,990 |
22 |
Outfoxed - Rupert Murdoch's… |
Aug 6, 2004 |
Cinema Libre |
Not Rated |
$405,900 |
65,362 |
23 |
Still, We Believe: The Bost… |
May 7, 2004 |
ThinkFilm |
Not Rated |
$396,803 |
63,897 |
24 |
End of the Century: The Sto… |
Aug 20, 2004 |
Magnolia Pictures |
Not Rated |
$391,950 |
63,115 |
25 |
The Hunting of the President |
Jun 11, 2004 |
Regent Releasing |
Not Rated |
$376,552 |
60,636 |
26 |
Broadway: The Golden Age, b… |
Jun 11, 2004 |
First Independent… |
Not Rated |
$341,493 |
54,990 |
27 |
America's Heart and Soul |
Jul 2, 2004 |
Walt Disney |
Not Rated |
$314,000 |
50,563 |
28 |
Bukowski: Born Into This |
May 28, 2004 |
Magnolia Pictures |
R |
$311,431 |
50,149 |
29 |
Galapagos |
Oct 29, 1999 |
IMAX Films |
Not Rated |
$305,814 |
49,245 |
30 |
Mayor of the Sunset Strip |
Mar 26, 2004 |
First Look |
R |
$257,315 |
41,435 |
31 |
This Old Cub |
Mar 26, 2004 |
Emerging Pictures |
Not Rated |
$253,531 |
40,826 |
32 |
The Agronomist |
Apr 23, 2004 |
ThinkFilm |
PG-13 |
$226,189 |
36,423 |
33 |
Tibet - Cry of the Snow Lion |
Sep 19, 2003 |
Artistic License |
Not Rated |
$202,592 |
32,623 |
34 |
Imelda |
Jun 11, 2004 |
Unico Entertainment |
Not Rated |
$200,992 |
32,365 |
35 |
The Yes Men |
Sep 24, 2004 |
MGM |
R |
$198,975 |
32,041 |
36 |
Uncovered: The Whole Truth … |
Aug 13, 2004 |
Cinema Libre |
Not Rated |
$190,424 |
30,664 |
37 |
Lost Boys of Sudan |
Feb 20, 2004 |
Shadow |
Not Rated |
$182,839 |
29,442 |
38 |
Bush's Brain |
Aug 20, 2004 |
Vitagraph Films |
PG-13 |
$176,610 |
28,439 |
39 |
De fem benspaend |
May 28, 2004 |
Koch Lorber Films |
Not Rated |
$150,966 |
24,310 |
40 |
Lightning in a Bottle |
Oct 22, 2004 |
Sony Pictures Cla… |
PG-13 |
$136,367 |
21,959 |
41 |
Dig |
Oct 1, 2004 |
Palm/Manga |
Not Rated |
$127,067 |
20,461 |
42 |
Howard Zinn |
Jun 18, 2004 |
First Run Features |
Not Rated |
$116,230 |
18,716 |
43 |
In the Face of Evil |
Oct 1, 2004 |
Non Fiction Films |
PG-13 |
$110,577 |
17,806 |
44 |
Yves St. Laurent |
Jan 7, 2004 |
Empire Pictures |
Not Rated |
$97,092 |
15,634 |
45 |
Carlos Castaneda: Enigma of… |
Mar 5, 2004 |
Indican Pictures |
Not Rated |
$94,848 |
15,273 |
46 |
Aileen: Life and Death of a… |
Jan 9, 2004 |
Lantern Lane Ente… |
R |
$85,992 |
13,847 |
47 |
Encounter in the Third Dime… |
Feb 26, 1999 |
nWave Pictures |
Not Rated |
$78,181 |
12,589 |
48 |
Word Wars |
May 28, 2004 |
Seventh Art Relea… |
Not Rated |
$76,481 |
12,315 |
49 |
Guerrilla: The Taking of Pa… |
Nov 26, 2004 |
Magnolia Pictures |
Not Rated |
$72,933 |
11,744 |
50 |
In the Realms of the Unreal |
Dec 24, 2004 |
WellSpring |
Not Rated |
$70,465 |
11,347 |
51 |
Short Cut to Nirvana: Kumbh… |
Oct 22, 2004 |
Mela Films |
Not Rated |
$69,084 |
11,124 |
52 |
The Weather Underground |
Jun 6, 2003 |
Shadow |
Not Rated |
$63,755 |
10,266 |
53 |
Bright Leaves |
Aug 27, 2004 |
First Run Features |
Not Rated |
$62,474 |
10,060 |
54 |
Proteus |
Jul 30, 2004 |
Strand Releasing |
R |
$62,031 |
9,988 |
55 |
Voices of Iraq |
Oct 29, 2004 |
Magnolia Pictures |
Not Rated |
$57,102 |
9,195 |
56 |
Divan |
Mar 19, 2004 |
Zeitgeist |
Not Rated |
$56,214 |
9,052 |
57 |
Born Into Brothels: Calcutt… |
Dec 8, 2004 |
ThinkFilm |
R |
$55,045 |
8,863 |
58 |
Hiding and Seeking |
Feb 6, 2004 |
First Run Features |
Not Rated |
$51,091 |
8,227 |
59 |
Ônibus 174 |
Oct 8, 2003 |
ThinkFilm |
R |
$48,818 |
7,861 |
60 |
This So-Called Disaster |
Apr 21, 2004 |
IFC Films |
Not Rated |
$45,195 |
7,277 |
61 |
Paper Clips |
Nov 24, 2004 |
Slowhand Cinema |
G |
$42,311 |
6,813 |
62 |
Tom Dowd and the Language o… |
Aug 13, 2004 |
Palm/Manga |
Not Rated |
$40,238 |
6,479 |
63 |
Power Trip |
Mar 12, 2004 |
Artistic License |
Not Rated |
$38,593 |
6,214 |
64 |
Tying the Knot |
Oct 1, 2004 |
IDP Distribution |
Not Rated |
$37,464 |
6,032 |
65 |
Incident at Loch Ness |
Sep 17, 2004 |
Eden Rock/Abramorama |
PG-13 |
$36,830 |
5,930 |
66 |
Beyond the Gates of Splendor |
Nov 5, 2004 |
Every Tribe Enter… |
PG-13 |
$36,412 |
5,863 |
67 |
Hearts and Minds |
Jan 1, 1974 |
Rialto Pictures |
R |
$28,287 |
4,555 |
68 |
Maestro |
Mar 12, 2004 |
|
Not Rated |
$25,315 |
4,076 |
69 |
Bonhoeffer |
Jun 20, 2003 |
First Run Features |
Not Rated |
$24,944 |
4,016 |
70 |
WMD: Weapons of Mass Deception |
Dec 3, 2004 |
Cinema Libre |
Not Rated |
$21,843 |
3,517 |
71 |
S-21: The Khmer Rouge Death… |
May 19, 2004 |
First Run Features |
Not Rated |
$21,678 |
3,490 |
72 |
Orwell Rolls in His Grave |
Jul 23, 2004 |
Sky Harbor Basement |
Not Rated |
$19,257 |
3,100 |
73 |
Faster |
Apr 23, 2004 |
Slamdance on the … |
PG-13 |
$16,265 |
2,619 |
74 |
People Say I'm Crazy |
Apr 30, 2004 |
Palo Alto Pictures |
Not Rated |
$15,679 |
2,524 |
75 |
American Storytellers |
Nov 7, 2003 |
Indican Pictures |
Not Rated |
$15,642 |
2,518 |
76 |
A Letter to True |
Sep 8, 2004 |
Zeitgeist |
Not Rated |
$13,835 |
2,227 |
77 |
Freestyle: The Art of Rhyme |
Jul 16, 2004 |
Palm/Manga |
Not Rated |
$11,255 |
1,812 |
78 |
Let's Get Frank |
Jul 14, 2004 |
Random Media |
Not Rated |
$9,386 |
1,511 |
79 |
Girlhood |
Oct 31, 2003 |
|
Not Rated |
$8,935 |
1,438 |
80 |
Cuba: Island of Music |
Jan 16, 2004 |
Cinema Four |
Not Rated |
$8,806 |
1,418 |
81 |
I'll Sing for You |
Mar 26, 2004 |
First Run Features |
Not Rated |
$8,798 |
1,416 |
82 |
With All Deliberate Speed |
May 14, 2004 |
CameraPlanet/Disc… |
Not Rated |
$4,920 |
792 |
83 |
My Flesh and Blood |
Nov 26, 2003 |
|
Not Rated |
$4,274 |
688 |
84 |
Saints and Sinners |
Jun 18, 2004 |
Avatar |
Not Rated |
$3,826 |
616 |
85 |
Brothers in Arms |
Aug 27, 2004 |
First Run Features |
Not Rated |
$3,270 |
526 |
86 |
Venus Boyz |
Aug 22, 2003 |
First Run Features |
Not Rated |
$3,230 |
520 |
87 |
The Life and Times of Allen… |
Aug 20, 2004 |
New Yorker |
Not Rated |
$2,668 |
429 |
88 |
Moog |
Sep 24, 2004 |
Plexifilm |
Not Rated |
$2,227 |
358 |
89 |
Still, the Children are Here |
Nov 5, 2004 |
First Run/Icarus |
Not Rated |
$2,210 |
355 |
90 |
Rivers and Tides |
Jun 28, 2002 |
Roxie Releasing |
Not Rated |
$2,039 |
328 |
91 |
Jesus, You Know |
Dec 3, 2004 |
Leisure Time Feat… |
Not Rated |
$604 |
97 |
Total Gross of All Movies | $235,563,421 | |
Total Tickets Sold | 37,932,871 |
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 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.