10. Bowling for Columbine (2002)
> Domestic box office, adjusted for inflation: $34.1 million
> IMDb user rating: 8.0/10 (144,519 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes user rating: 83% (203,105 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 95% (173 reviews)
> Directed by: Michael Moore
The country was still reeling from the Columbine High School massacre when Michael Moore delivered this zeitgeist-capturing documentary. Putting American gun culture in its proverbial crosshairs, the film targets everyone from Kmart executives to the NRA. It won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.
9. Dirt (1979)
> Domestic box office, adjusted for inflation: $34.1 million
> IMDb user rating: 6.7/10 (46 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes user rating: 0% (00 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 0% (0 reviews)
> Directed by: Eric Karson
A surprise smash among thrill-seekers, Eric Karson’s documentary captures two years’ worth of various off-road competitions. It features interviews with some of the country’s biggest racing stars along with a soundtrack of popular songs.
8. 2016: Obama’s America (2012)
> Domestic box office, adjusted for inflation: $38.4 million
> IMDb user rating: 4.9/10 (10,860 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes user rating: 73% (32,225 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 26% (34 reviews)
> Directed by: Dinesh D’Souza
Right wing political commentator and filmmaker Dinesh D’Souza envisions a catastrophic outcome of Obama’s reelection in this 2012 documentary. It opened in a single Texas theater and eventually went nationwide to lucrative box office results.
7. Michael Jackson’s This Is It (2009)
> Domestic box office, adjusted for inflation: $88.0 million
> IMDb user rating: 7.2/10 (40,453 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes user rating: 82% (221,697 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 81% (187 reviews)
> Directed by: Kenny Ortega
Pop legend Michael Jackson was preparing for an epic final concert series at London’s O2 Arena before he passed away in June of 2009. Featuring rehearsals, auditions, and other behind-the-scenes footage, this documentary attempts to approximate the experience. For most of his loyal fans, it made for a fitting send-off.
6. Beyond and Back (1978)
> Domestic box office, adjusted for inflation: $93.2 million
> IMDb user rating: 4.5/10 (174 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes user rating: 33% (50 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 0% (1 reviews)
> Directed by: James L. Conway
This 1978 documentary, which tackles the subject of near-death experiences, has been alternately described as a “ââdeath-sploitation flick.” Potentially riveting (or not) at the time of its release, its pseudo-scientific posturing has aged like sour milk.
