Moonage Daydream, the acclaimed David Bowie documentary directed by Brett Morgen, is the biggest-grossing documentary of 2022 in any category, according to figures produced by BoxOfficeMojo. The film has already grossed more than $12.2m at the box office, just over eight times the box office gross of the number two documentary 2000 Mules.

Moonage Daydream, officially saw its cinematic and IMAX global release on September 16, 2022, following its critically-acclaimed world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival.

BMG and its co-production partner Live Nation Productions, the executive producers and financiers of the film, licensed US distribution rights to Neon with Universal Entertainment International handling the movie outside the US. North America cable and streaming rights have been licensed to HBO Max.

BMG CEO Hartwig Masuch, who served as Executive Producer of the movie said, “This is incredible news. To emerge with the largest-grossing documentary in any category, not just music, is a significant endorsement of our decision to build a films unit in-house rather than to acquire. It shows the BMG approach can deliver not just in music publishing and records but in film too. There is a lot more to come.”

Moonage Daydream draws extensively on Bowie’s 1970 to 1977 song catalogue in which BMG has a 25 per cent stake including ‘Changes’, ‘Starman’, ‘Ziggy Stardust’, ‘The Jean Genie’, ‘All The Young Dudes’, ‘Life on Mars’, ‘Rebel Rebel’, ‘Fame’, ‘Young Americans’, and ‘Golden Years’.

Acclaimed filmmaker Brett Morgen (The Kid Stays in the Picture, Cobain: Montage of Heck, Jane) synthesized David Bowie’s music and art into a sublime kaleidoscopic experiential cinematic odyssey that explores Bowie’s creative, spiritual, and philosophical journey. With never-before-seen footage, performances, and music, the film is guided exclusively by Bowie’s narration with long-time collaborator and friend Tony Visconti serving as the film’s music producer.

EVP Global Repertoire Fred Casimir said, “Moonage Daydream elevates the art of the music documentary to a new level. Brett Morgen doesn’t merely depict Bowie and his music, he embodies it visually to create a new immersive experience. It is great to see that such a creative achievement can also be a commercial success.”

Moonage Daydream is written, directed, edited, and produced by Brett Morgen. Executive Producers are Hartwig Masuch, Kathy Rivkin Daum, and Justus Haerder for BMG; Michael Rapino, Heather Parry, and Ryan Kroft for Live Nation Productions; Bill Zysblat, Tom Cyrana, Aisha Cohen, and Eileen D’Arcy for RZO; Billy Gerber, and Debra Eisenstadt. The feature is a Public Road Productions film.

Moonage Daydream follows several other high-profile BMG film releases this year including the first-ever, career-spanning documentary on the life and times of legendary metal icon Ronnie James Dio, Dio: Dreamers Never Die, which premiered at the SXSW Film Festival in March and made its worldwide theatrical debut in the fall. The film is currently airing on Showtime in North America. The documentary was financed solely by BMG and was directed by Don Argott and Demian Fenton (Framing John DeLorean, Believer, Last Days Here), produced by Don Argott and Sheena Joyce for 9.14 Pictures, and executive produced by Wendy Dio, wife and longtime manager of Ronnie James Dio, for Niji Productions and Kathy Rivkin Daum for BMG.

In May, Angelheaded Hipster: The Songs of Marc Bolan and T. Rex made its world premiere at the renowned Tribeca Film Festival in New York. Financed and executive produced by BMG, Angelheaded Hipster was written and directed by Ethan Silverman, produced by Bill Curbishley and Ethan Silverman, and follows the release of the extraordinary tribute album and musical companion album of the same name by BMG.

In 2021, BMG revealed it had partnered with Pulse and Quickfire Films and multi-Platinum, two-time BRIT Award-winning, Grammy Award-nominated singer-songwriter Lewis Capaldi for his upcoming debut feature-length documentary film, while earlier this year BMG announced its newest upcoming feature-length documentary film Squaring The Circle (the story of hipgnosis), the first feature documentary from celebrated filmmaker, photographer, and creative director Anton Corbijn. The film chronicles legendary designers Storm Thorgerson and Aubrey “Po” Powell as they form their iconic album art design studio Hipgnosis during the ferment of the 1960s and go on to help shape a new visual language for rock in the 70s.