Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor’s Gaza documentary NAZA has passed 1.5 million theatrical admissions across 47 territories as of Nov. 6, with a worldwide gross of about $14.5 million. The figure puts the film among the year’s most-seen documentaries in cinemas, a rare position for an issue-driven title that opened outside the studio system.
The film, from the co-directors of Oscar-winning No Other Land, has grossed $13.5 million outside the U.S. and another $1 million domestically. Its awards run is feeding the theatrical momentum: after Venice, it won the San Sebastián audience award, the Hot Springs critics prize, and the New York Critics Circle’s best political documentary honor on Nov. 8. It is also up for best documentary at the Gotham Awards and shortlisted by DOC NYC and the European Film Awards.
One territory is carrying the global total
Italy is the standout. Distributor I Wonder opened the film on Sept. 29, soon after Venice, and Italian admissions now stand at 717,517—just under half the worldwide number. It has topped the Italian box office and is still playing on 379 screens. In the country’s all-time documentary rankings, only Fahrenheit 9/11 and March of the Penguins sit ahead of it.
That concentration matters for release planning. A single market that converts festival attention into a durable theatrical story can make a global number look far healthier than the per-territory average, and can be used to win wider distribution elsewhere.
Event releases and local windows shaped the rollout
The U.S. opened Sept. 30 through Michael Tuckman’s mTuckman Media and reached 83,673 admissions in the U.S. and Canada before Neon came aboard in late October to take the film wider. That late distributor entry suggests the first-run data was strong enough to attract a bigger player.
The U.K. and Ireland took an event-first route. Dogwoof opened at the Ritz on Oct. 15 with a Q&A beamed live to 104 cinemas, and the night sold more than 7,000 tickets. The full run has now reached 102,509 admissions.
France had to work around local streaming-window rules, so the release ran as a 48-hour theatrical event: close to 500 screenings in more than 260 theaters drew over 82,000 admissions, and the film topped the box office on both days.
- Italy: 717,517 admissions, on 379 screens
- U.K. & Ireland: 102,509 after an event opening at the Ritz
- France: 82,000+ in a 48-hour window
- U.S. & Canada: 83,673 before Neon’s wider push
- Germany: 83,355; Austria: 16,521
- Benelux: 132,323; Spain: 61,783
What the data says for documentary distribution
The territory splits show that issue-driven documentaries do not move as one global release. Italy chose a fast festival follow-up and long hold; France chose scarcity with a two-day event; the U.K. used a live broadcast premiere. All three converted into six-figure or near-six-figure markets. Distributors in Germany and Austria also say NAZA is running ahead of No Other Land and The Voice of Hind Rajab at the same point, which gives a rough benchmark for how this title might finish in Europe.
With Neon now in place and 379 Italian cinemas still playing the film, the next leg depends on awards attention and whether the U.S. expansion can close the gap with Europe.
Source: Variety
