While controversy continues to rage in Israel over the documentary NAZA, with growing calls for action against filmmakers Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor and for investigations into those who participated in the film, the controversial documentary is thriving in theaters across the Atlantic. American media outlets reported early Monday morning that NAZA had surpassed the $500,000 mark at the box office over the weekend, just its second since opening in the United States.
The achievement is remarkable, reflecting the level of interest among American audiences in the film and its subject: the Israeli military's policy on collateral damage during the war in Gaza, which the film argues has led to genocide, citing testimony from IDF soldiers.
NAZA — Trailer
(Courtesy of The Guardian)
Since its U.S. premiere at the New York Film Festival about two weeks ago, NAZA has been independently distributed after no major distributor was willing to take on the explosive film and the accompanying media controversy.
Following a successful opening weekend of regular, sold-out daily screenings at Manhattan's IFC Center, the decision was made to expand its release across the United States during its second week. The film is now screening coast to coast in 85 theaters across approximately 30 cities.
According to box office figures, NAZA grossed $298,240 over the past weekend, bringing its total earnings to approximately $504,000, with further growth expected. The success comes amid reports from Israel about attacks by the establishment on Abraham and Szor, which have received extensive coverage in the American media and dovetail with the film's publicity campaign.
From NAZA
(Photo: Courtesy of the Venice Film Festival)
The box office performance of NAZA already places it among the most commercially successful documentaries in the United States this year, a distinction that could also work in its favor as the Oscar race gathers momentum.
The highest-grossing documentary of 2026 so far is "Melania," Brett Ratner's film about Melania Trump, produced by Hollywood's Amazon MGM Studios. It has earned more than $13 million from screenings in 1,778 theaters across the United States.
By comparison, NAZA was playing in just 85 theaters at the end of its second weekend. Nevertheless, its performance can be considered a major commercial success, particularly given that it is a foreign, Hebrew-language documentary dealing with a subject that is controversial among mainstream American audiences.
The considerable attention it has attracted, along with praise from critics and numerous viewers, points to the effectiveness of its media exposure, which has amplified public criticism of the Israeli government and its security agencies.
It is worth noting that Abraham and Szor's previous film, "No Other Land," which they made in the Masafer Yatta area alongside their Palestinian partners Basel Adra and Hamdan Ballal, also faced reluctance from major American distributors and was not acquired by streaming platforms.
This was despite widespread expectations that the film would win an Oscar, as it ultimately did. Nevertheless, the film achieved remarkable box office success through independent distribution after opening in U.S. theaters in January 2025, eventually grossing $2,549,422 domestically.