5. March of the Penguins (2005)
> Domestic box office, adjusted for inflation: $110.7 million
> IMDb user rating: 7.5/10 (58,122 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes user rating: 81% (99,912 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 94% (184 reviews)
> Directed by: Luc Jacquet
As the Antarctic summer draws to a close, emperor penguins march across a frozen tundra for their annual mating ritual. French documentarian Luc Jacquet captures the epic journey in all its triumph and tragedy in this blockbuster film. Morgan Freeman narrates the English version as well as its lesser-known sequel.
4. Chariots of the Gods (1974)
> Domestic box office, adjusted for inflation: $125.5 million
> IMDb user rating: 6.2/10 (1,565 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes user rating: 42% (50 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 0% (3 reviews)
> Directed by: Harald Reinl
Long before the current obsession with aliens, there came this Oscar-nominated documentary from German director Harald Reinl. Based on a book of the same name, it explores the theory that extraterrestrials provided the early foundations for religion, art, and civilization.
3. Galapagos (1955)
> Domestic box office, adjusted for inflation: $167.6 million
> IMDb user rating: 6.7/10 (104 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes user rating: 83% (1,000 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 100% (10 reviews)
> Directed by: Thor Heyerdahl
Norwegian explorer Thor Heyerdahl chronicles his archaeological expedition to the Galapagos Islands in this travel documentary. It came on the heels of his famous journey across the Pacific aboard a pae-pae raft, as depicted in the 1950 Oscar-winner “Kon-Tiki.”
2. Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004)
> Domestic box office, adjusted for inflation: $175.7 million
> IMDb user rating: 7.5/10 (129,614 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes user rating: 70% (207,876 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 82% (238 reviews)
> Directed by: Michael Moore
Left-wing activist, Michael Moore’s controversial documentary revisits the terrorist attack of 9/1 and the war campaigns that followed. It explores various geopolitical motives and theories and doubles as a scathing takedown of the former President George W. Bush and his administration. One-sided perhaps, but it’s nevertheless quite revealing.
1. Woodstock (1970)
> Domestic box office, adjusted for inflation: $191.6 million
> IMDb user rating: 8.1/10 (17,388 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes user rating: 92% (9,343 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 100% (25 reviews)
> Directed by: Michael Wadleigh
The highest-grossing documentary ever made (when adjusted for inflation) earned a greater profit than the famous concert it depicted. Witness three impactful days of peace, love, and music, complete with naked hippies and thrilling live performances. A director’s cut was released in 1994 with nearly 40 minutes of extra footage.
