 Documentary filmmaking depicts real events, people, and places. Documentaries may eschew or embrace traditional narrative structures. The narrator of a documentary may never appear on screen or may play a driving role in the film. Types of documentaries include biographies and nature films.
The first documentary, Nanook of the North, was released in 1922. It depicted the lives and struggles of indigenous people in the Canadian Arctic. Since that time, countless documentaries have left lasting impacts on American culture and the global box office. The highest-grossing documentary film of all time is Michael Jackson's This Is It. The film grossed just over $72 million in the United States and nearly $190 million internationally for a worldwide box office haul of $261.18 million. Released in 2009, the documentary came together somewhat haphazardly. Director Kenny Ortega was capturing footage to promote and chronicle Jackson's This Is It concert residency at the O2 Arena in London. However, Jackson's health declined during preparations for the concerts, and he passed away in June 2009. Ortega assembled the footage, mostly from the Staples Center and The Forum in Los Angeles, into the film released in October 2009. While many critics and fans praised the film, others believed the filmmakers were profiting from Jackson's death. Grand Canyon: The Hidden Secrets remains the second highest-grossing documentary. The 1984 film grossed $52.8 million in the United States, for the No. 5 all-time documentary at the domestic box office but is one of just three documentaries to break $100 million at the international box office, resulting in a $239 million worldwide box office gross. The film, a travelogue exploring the Grand Canyon, is only 34 minutes long and is not always included on lists of the highest-grossing documentaries. However, it was a breakout hit at IMAX theaters, which were relatively new at the time. American documentaries experienced a boom in the early to mid-2000s with the release of three highly successful films. Fahrenheit 9/11, released in 2004, made over $119 million in the US and approximately $102 million internationally for a worldwide box office total of $221.14 million, third all-time for the documentary genre. The film explores America's controversial war on terrorism in Iraq and Afghanistan. Filmmaker Michael Moore's previous documentary, Bowling for Columbine, is another of the top 20 highest-grossing documentaries. One year after Fahrenheit 9/11, National Geographic Films and Bonne Pioche collaborated on the French nature documentary La marche de l'empereur, known in the US as The March of the Penguins. Morgan Freeman narrated the English version of the film, which depicts the lives and challenges of the emperor penguin. Unlike other successful documentaries, The March of the Penguins initially had a limited release, screening in just four theaters. By comparison, This Is It and Fahrenheit 9/11 opened in 3,481 and 868 theaters, respectively. The penguin film grew in popularity, ultimately expanding to more than 2,500 theaters and grossing $133,27 million at the global box office. Other financially successful documentaries include 1998's Everest, which grossed approximately $128 million, and 2002's Space Station, which grossed $126.51 million.
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