accidentalpaint: Justin Bieber's 'Never Say Never' Is Third-Highest-Grossing Documentary Of All Time

Sunday, March 6, 2011

Justin Bieber's 'Never Say Never' Is Third-Highest-Grossing Documentary Of All Time

Insiders say film could get nominated in documentary category at next year's Oscars.
By Gil Kaufman

Justin Bieber in "Justin Bieber: Never Say Never"
Photo: Paramount Pictures

The kid is hot. First, Justin Bieber became the first person since, well, himself to land two albums in the top five on the Billboard 200, and now his 3-D movie, "Never Say Never," has vaulted into the #3 position on the list of top-grossing documentaries of all time.

According to Box Office Mojo, "Never" has grossed $64,162,036 to date, putting it on track to possibly overtake the #2 doc of all time, "March of the Penguins," which grossed more than $77 million. It's unlikely to knock off the top documentary of all time, Michael Moore's 2004 flick "Fahrenheit 9/11," which rolled up $119 million, but with the "Never" director's cut re-release last weekend (which brought in another $9 million), Bieber is positioned to conquer yet another medium.

In his run to the top, Bieber has leaped over such lauded and popular docs as "Super Size Me," Madonna's "Truth or Dare," Moore's "Bowling for Columbine," former Vice President Al Gore's "An Inconvenient Truth" and the nature flick "Earth." It also took the crown for the biggest opening weekend of any documentary, with a $29.5 million first weekend, squeezing past the $23 million open of "Fahrenheit."

Hollywood may end up catching Bieber Fever as well, with The Hollywood Reporter asking in a recent article whether "Never" could land the 17-year-old phenom a spot at the Oscars next year. A source told the trade magazine that "Never" had serious buzz at some post-Oscar parties thanks to its healthy grosses, which have impressed some Academy members.

"You'd be surprised at the caliber of people who came up to Justin at the Vanity Fair party at the Sunset Tower, most of whom had seen the movie and loved it," said an unnamed insider. "There was even talk of putting it up for an Oscar next year in the documentary category. People appreciate that it's not just a kids' movie." The article mentioned that Bieber was one of the brightest stars at the Fair party, chatting up Rolling Stones singer Mick Jagger and working the room like a pro.

Check out everything we've got on "Justin Bieber: Never Say Never."

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