‘NAZA’ Becomes One Of The Most Watched Docs On Theatrical Release In 2026
Bombshell Gaza documentary NAZA by Israeli film-makers Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor is on track to become one of the most-watched documentary films on theatrical release of 2026.
New figures, collated by producers The Guardian and JW Films, reveal that the film had been seen by a world-wide audience of 1,547,033 across 47 territories by November 6.
With $13.5 million in international gross, excluding the U.S. where it has grossed more than $1 million, it ranks among the best-performing documentaries internationally of 2026 to date.
Based on interviews with 24 Israeli intelligence officers and soldiers, the documentary exposes the AI, phone surveillance and points-based systems deployed by the Israeli military in Gaza to identify targets, Hamas-related or otherwise, and then kill them in their homes regardless of whether other family members are likely to die in the strike as well.
The documentary has performed best in Italy, where it was released by I Wonder on September 29 shortly after its Venice world premiere.
The doc has reached 717.517 admissions there to date, with the film still playing in 379 cinemas, making history as the third most-watched documentary of all time in Italian cinemas, behind only Fahrenheit 9/11 and The March of the Penguins.
Having started as a self-release through Michael Tuckman’s mTuckman Media in the U.S., Neon signed on as U.S. distributor in late October, aiming to enlarge the film’s footprint by building on the successful initial theatrical launch.
To date the doc has clocked 83,673 admissions across the U.S. and Canada since its release on September 30.
In the UK and Ireland, Dogwoof released NAZA on October 15 with a special live event screening at the Ritz in London, featuring directors Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, alongside producer Jim Wilson and exec producer Jonathan Glazer. The Q&A was broadcast live to a further 104 cinemas across the UK and Ireland.
The release received strong support from the entire Picturehouse circuit, as well as venues from the three major multiplex chains (Odeon, Cineworld and Vue) alongside several independent cinemas. The live event alone attracted more than 7,000 admissions, with NAZA since climbing to 102.509 to date.
In France, during a 48-hour event release due to French rules for films to be streamed online, NAZA attracted an audience of over 82,000 admissions.
The film screened in more than 260 theaters nationwide, with nearly 500 screenings over two days. It topped the box office on both days, making it one of the most-watched documentaries in French theaters in 2026.
The doc’s German distributor ImmerGuteFilme Germany has reported 83.355 admissions in the territory to date, with its strongest day to date on Sunday, November 1. In Austria, it has drawn 16.521 spectators, with Polyfilm releasing on October 1.
In both countries, NAZA is outperforming Abraham and Szor’s Oscar-winning documentary No Other Land and Kaouther Ben Hania’s Oscar-nominated feature The Voice of Hind Rajab at the same stage.
There was also a strong turnout in Spain, where Elastica released on October 9 on 105 screens, reaching 61.783 visitors by last Friday.
Smaller countries are also reflecting the huge public interest in NAZA. Benelux distributor Cherry Pickers counted 132.323 admissions, a level of interest echoed by the over 50.000 visitors in Switzerland.
The release said there are similar stories in other territories such as Australia / New Zealand, Scandinavia, Indonesia or Romania, Thailand, Poland, Mexico and Japan.
The theatrical success follows the film’s high-profile premiere in Venice in September where it received a 25-minute ovation and won the Special Jury Prize.
It has since won the Audience Award in San Sebastián and the Critics Prize at the Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival.
At the New York Critics Circle Awards on November 8, it won Best Political Documentary, having also been nominated for Best Documentary Feature and Best Directors.
NAZA is nominated as Best Documentary Feature for the Gotham Film Awards and included in both the DOC NYC shortlist and the shortlist for Best European Documentary at the European Film Awards.
