His documentary
Nanook of the North (1922) was sponsored by French fur company Revillon
Freres, which provided $50,000 for Flaherty's 16-month expedition
halfway to the North Pole. Depsite being rejected by five distributors,
the film opened in New York City in 1922, after its success in Paris
and Berlin, and grossed well over $40,000 in its first week.