Doc box office: Another big weekend for 'They Shall Not Grow Old'; 'Free Solo' nears $16 million

Peter Jackson's World War I documentary becomes latest nonfiction breakout hit

Nonfiction films are off to a brisk start at the box office in 2019, following a stellar year in 2018. 

Peter Jackson's documentary They Shall Not Grow Old, which gives new life to World War I footage through 3D and colorization, made an impressive $1.7 million over the weekend, according to audience measurement firm comScore.

The film easily claimed the number one spot among documentaries in theatrical release, and pushed its cume to $13.6 million after eight weeks of release, comScore reported. They Shall Not Grow Old is now the fourth most popular documentary released in 2018, following Won't You Be My Neighbor? ($22.8 million), Free Solo $15.9 million), and RBG ($14 million).

Just came out of "They Shall Not Grow Old"

Speechless

If you have a chance to see it, do it.

Absolutely speechless.

— Angry Staff Officer (@pptsapper) February 3, 2019

Free Solo. the Oscar-nominated documentary about Alex Honnold, who climbed Yosemite's forbidding El Capitan rock race without ropes, finished in second place over the weekend, tallying $324,597. After 20 weeks of release, the film's cume stands at $15,933,605, according to comScore.

Free Solo, directed by E. Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin, played at 153 locations, versus 827 for They Shall Not Grow Old.

Climber Alex Honnold poses with a fan at an IMAX screening of "Free Solo." Hollywood, Wednesday, February 6, 2019. Photo by Matt Carey

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>Climber Alex Honnold mobbed at IMAX screening of Free Solo (video)

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