Documentaries at box office 2018: ‘Won’t You Be My Neighbor?,’ ‘RBG’

National
Geographic

• 2018 was one of the best years for documentary films ever.
• Four documentaries in 2018 are among the top 30
  highest-grossing documentaries of all time.
• They are also some of the best-reviewed films of the year,
  all with Rotten Tomatoes critic scores above 90%.

2018 has been a significant year for films, and is heading toward a box-office
record in the US.

A lot of films have contributed to that: the Marvel hits “Black
Panther” and “Avengers: Infinity War,” the horror sensation “A
Quiet Place,” and the Oscar hopeful “A Star Is Born,” to name a
few. But one film genre that often goes overlooked has had one of
its best years ever, both in terms of box office and critical
acclaim: documentaries. 

Four films from 2018 have landed in the top 30 highest-grossing
documentaries of all time before inflation (and the top 35 when
adjusted for inflation), according to Box Office Mojo. That’s even
more impressive when you consider that list also includes concert
films.

READ MORE: The new ‘Robin Hood’ movie is
officially the biggest box-office bomb of the year

Those docs were:

• The Fred Rogers doc “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” from the
  Oscar-winning director of “20 Feet From Stardom,” Morgan Neville.
• “RBG,” about Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
• “Three Identical Strangers,” about triplets separated at
  birth that reunite years later.
• “Free Solo,” which follows Alex Honnold on a harrowing
  3,000-foot climb without a rope. 

These films didn’t rake in the hundreds of millions of
dollars that superhero blockbusters do, but they have left a
memorable impression on audiences and critics. They are some of
the best-reviewed films of the year with Rotten Tomatoes critic
scores all above 90%.

As award season begins, these documentaries will be brought
back into the spotlight. A documentary has never been nominated
for best picture at the Oscars, but with so many acclaimed and
crowd-pleasing ones to choose from, this would be the year to do
it.

Here’s how much each movie made at the domestic box office
and their Rotten Tomatoes critic scores:

• “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” —  $22,609,437 / 99%
• “RBG” — $14,017,361 / 94%
• “Three Identical Strangers” — $12,320,845 / 96%
• “Free Solo” (Still in theaters) — $9,645,192 / 97%