A documentary about Gaza has become one of 2026’s strongest theatrical performers, with NAZA crossing 1.54 million admissions across 47 territories. The film has earned $13.5 million internationally and more than $1 million in the United States, taking its worldwide box office total beyond $14.5 million. Directed by Oscar-winning filmmakers Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, and executive produced by Jonathan Glazer, the Guardian-produced documentary has significantly exceeded the usual theatrical reach of a specialist non-fiction release.
The film’s theatrical journey began after its premiere at the Venice International Film Festival, where it received the Special Jury Prize following a 25-minute standing ovation. Abraham and Szor previously co-directed No Other Land, which won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. With NAZA, the filmmakers turn their attention to Israel’s surveillance and targeting systems, examining them through testimony from Israeli military and intelligence insiders.
The documentary was filmed at night on rooftops in Tel Aviv, giving its interviews a distinctive visual setting while keeping the focus on the investigation and the accounts presented by its contributors. Rather than following a conventional observational documentary format, the film uses the testimony of people with direct knowledge of the systems under examination as the foundation of its narrative. Its festival reception subsequently provided a platform for its theatrical rollout across international markets.
Italy has emerged as the film’s biggest theatrical market. Released by I Wonder Pictures on September 29, NAZA has recorded more than 717,500 admissions and grossed over $6 million in the country. The result makes it the third most-watched documentary in Italian cinema history, behind Fahrenheit 9/11 and The March of the Penguins.
The film’s Italian opening also produced a notable box-office result. During its opening weekend, NAZA beat Avengers: Endgame Encore to claim the top position at the Italian box office. What began as a limited event booking continued beyond its initial engagement as audiences turned out in strong numbers. Its subsequent admissions and box-office earnings have established Italy as the documentary’s most significant theatrical territory so far.
France delivered another notable result, although through a different release strategy. The film received a 48-hour theatrical event across more than 260 cinemas, generating over 82,000 ticket sales from close to 500 screenings nationwide. NAZA ranked number one at the French box office on both days of its event release. The limited window was shaped by France’s regulations governing theatrical and online releases, but the admissions demonstrated the level of audience interest generated by the documentary beyond its festival screenings.
The film has also outperformed the earlier work of its directors in two European markets. In Germany, NAZA has crossed 83,355 admissions, while Austria has recorded more than 16,521. At comparable stages of their respective releases, both figures are ahead of the performances of No Other Land and The Voice of Hind Rajab in those territories. These results add to the documentary’s growing international theatrical footprint, with its performance extending across markets that have adopted different release strategies.
In the UK and Ireland, the release included a live cinema event that brought the filmmakers directly to audiences through a question-and-answer session. The event was broadcast from London’s Ritz and featured Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, producer James Wilson and executive producer Jonathan Glazer. Screened across 105 cinemas, it sold more than 7,000 tickets and contributed to the film crossing 102,500 admissions across the region.
North America has provided another important part of the release. NAZA initially opened through a self-release handled by mTuckman Media. The distribution arrangement subsequently changed in late October, with the film’s US release being expanded through a distributor partnership. The North American theatrical total has now exceeded $1 million, taking the worldwide box office beyond $14.5 million when combined with its international earnings.
The film’s commercial performance has unfolded alongside an awards run and strong political reactions. Following its recognition at Venice, NAZA won the audience award at the San Sebastián International Film Festival and the critics prize at the Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival. It also received the award for Best Political Documentary at the Critics Choice Documentary Awards.
Its reception in Israel has been sharply different. The documentary has faced intense criticism from officials, with threats directed at filmmakers Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor. There have also been calls to identify and prosecute individuals who provided testimony for the film. These reactions have placed the documentary within a wider political debate surrounding its subject and the accounts presented by its contributors.
The box-office figures, however, establish NAZA as an exceptional theatrical performer for a documentary. Its 1.54 million admissions across 47 territories, more than $13.5 million in international earnings and over $1 million in the United States represent a substantial international release. Italy’s historic documentary ranking, the French event results and the audience turnout in the UK and Ireland have each contributed to its theatrical reach.
For a film built around investigative testimony rather than conventional box-office appeal, NAZA‘s performance marks a significant result in the documentary market. Its theatrical journey has extended well beyond its festival launch, with different territories finding distinct ways to bring the film to audiences. The combination of its international admissions, box-office earnings and awards recognition has made it one of 2026’s most notable documentary releases.
