The documentary “You Can See Everything” has become a box office hit, debuting with $15 million over its opening weekend, marking the second-largest premiere for a documentary film.
This nearly three-hour feature, which was first previewed at a discreet screening during the Telluride Film Festival, is currently showing in just 855 theaters. In comparison, the weekend’s leading film, “Street Fighter,” is available in 3,575 locations. Despite this limited release, the documentary experienced a remarkable 2,000 sellout screenings, with reviews being overwhelmingly positive; it boasts a staggering 99% rating on both Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic.
The film chronicles the dramatic journey of Elizabeth Holmes, who founded the blood-testing company Theranos, garnered support from prominent figures in Silicon Valley, and ultimately faced an 11-year prison sentence for defrauding investors. This narrative has been explored across various mediums, including books, podcasts, television series, and other documentaries.
However, “You Can See Everything” stands out because its creators had considerable access to Holmes and her family in the lead-up to her incarceration. The involvement of Nathan Fielder, known for “The Rehearsal,” who co-directed the film alongside Lance Oppenheim, adds an extra layer of intrigue to the project.
While I haven’t personally viewed the film, I can confirm the challenge of securing tickets in Manhattan: I spent significant time yesterday searching for a screening for that evening and found only one showing with available seats that weren’t in the front row. (Yes, I will be attending.)
TechCrunch’s Amanda Silberling attended a screening on Thursday, noting that Holmes seems to have met her match in Fielder, a deadpan humorist who shares her enigmatic qualities. Fielder’s month spent with Holmes appears to be just the tip of an increasingly surreal and metatextual narrative.
The buzz surrounding “You Can See Everything” may be impacting the performance of other tech-focused films. For instance, Aaron Sorkin’s follow-up to “The Social Network,” titled “The Social Reckoning,” opened to a disappointing $5.5 million last weekend and has already dropped out of the top 10. Additionally, Alex Gibney’s extensive four-hour documentary “Musk” struggled, earning only $306,702 this weekend, potentially hindered by pushback from social media platforms and its lengthy runtime.
