Sir Peter Jackson says he was "captivated" by the face of a young soldier while making his WWI film.

Sir Peter Jackson's World War I documentary continues to break records in the US.

By raking in a further US$2.64m (NZ$3.86m) on its third screening night last Monday, They Shall Not Grow Old has now become the highest-grossing slice of "event cinema" of all-time in America, ahead of anime presentations and concerts from the likes of Coldplay, the Rolling Stones and Black Sabbath.

It's overall haul of US$8.34m (NZ12.19) also makes it the fifth biggest documentary money-earner of 2018, behind only high-profile releases Free Solo, Three Identical Strangers, RBG and Won't You Be My Neighbour (and now ahead of Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 11/9). The figure is also more than half of what his high-profile blockbuster Mortal Engines (US $15.95m) has taken home in North America.

They Shall Not Grow Old has proved to be a hit with US audiences, to record-breaking effect.

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"We have heard from moviegoers who have gone back to see They Shall Not Grow Old multiple times, bringing new family members and friends each time," said the documentary's US distributor Fathom Events' CEO Ray Nutt. "The emotional response that audiences have had to this film is genuinely extraordinary and Fathom Events is proud to have worked with Warner Brothers to bring this one-of-a-kind cinematic experience to US movie theatres."

Seeking to cash in on its continued popularity, Fathom and worldwide distribution rights holder Warner Bros. will be releasing They Shall Not Grow Old for regular screenings in 150 North American markets and around 500 cinemas this Friday, February 1.

Sir Peter Jackson's They Shall Not Grow Old is in the running to win the Bafta for Best Documentary next month.

Released in New Zealand cinemas on November 11 (the 100th anniversary of Armistice Day), the documentary has wowed critics around the globe, with The Guardian's Peter Bradshaw describing the movie as "bringing the soldiers unforgettably back to life".

"Peter Jackson has created a visually staggering thought experiment; an immersive deep-dive into what it was like for ordinary British soldiers on the western front. The effect is electrifying. The soldiers are returned to an eerie, hyper-real kind of life in front of our eyes, like ghosts or figures summoned up in a seance. The faces are unforgettable."

Jackson worked with archival footage from Britain's Imperial War Museum and the BBC to bring to life the day-to-day experience of soldiers in World War I, using state-of-the-art technology to restore and colourise it.

While overlooked for the Academy Awards (because it wasn't submitted before the deadline for entries in October), They Shall Not Grow Old is expected to be in the running for Best Documentary when the Bafta Awards' winners are announced on February 11 (NZ Time).