The documentary about Elizabeth Holmes, produced by A24 for roughly $7 million, achieved $15 million in its opening weekend from 855 theaters, placing it second behind Paramount’s ‘Street Fighter’ which earned $30 million from 3,575 venues. The film, directed by Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim, was initially expected to gross $7 million to $8 million, according to Variety. Its success followed a surprise premiere at the Telluride Film Festival and generated more than 2,000 sellout screenings as audiences avoided spoilers about Holmes’ story, which also inspired the Hulu series ‘The Dropout’.
A24 reported more than 2,000 sold-out screenings for ‘You Can See Everything,’ with 90% of attendees recommending the film and 80% saying it exceeded expectations, per exit polls. The documentary’s budget of less than $10 million positioned it for significant profitability, contrasting with Amazon MGM’s ‘Melania,’ which opened to $7.1 million but had a $40 million budget. Analyst David A. Gross noted that documentaries rarely receive wide releases, with most averaging $3 million over their first three days, making ‘You Can See Everything’ an exception this year.
The film’s success was attributed to its marketing strategy, which avoided revealing spoilers, and the popularity of director Nathan Fielder, known for HBO’s ‘The Rehearsal’ and Comedy Central’s ‘Nathan For You.’ Co-director Lance Oppenheim previously directed ‘Primetime,’ another A24 hit. The documentary’s 99% critics score and 98% Rotten Tomatoes rating fueled its reception, with some speculation it could become the first documentary nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars.