Los Angeles – A new documentary about Elizabeth Holmes, the notorious founder of Theranos, has captured significant box office attention following its release, marking a milestone for the documentary genre. Titled “You Can See Everything,” the film achieved an impressive $15.6 million over its opening weekend from just 855 theaters across the U.S. and Canada, more than double the earnings of the previous record holder for non-music documentaries.
This opening weekend revenue far surpassed the $7 million to $8 million forecast by industry experts, with A24 reporting over 2,000 sold-out screenings. The film’s three-hour runtime did not deter audiences, and it earned an additional $2.57 million on Monday, bringing its North American total to $18.1 million.
The only film that outperformed “You Can See Everything” during the weekend was the video game adaptation “Street Fighter,” which grossed approximately $30 million to $31 million. Despite competing in a busy box office environment, the Holmes documentary commanded an impressive per-screen average of more than $18,000, significantly higher than that of its competitors.
With this impressive debut, “You Can See Everything” has claimed the title for the largest opening weekend for a non-music documentary in nearly two decades, fallowing in the footsteps of Michael Moore’s “Fahrenheit 9/11” in 2004. Notably, this marks the highest debut for a film released on fewer than 1,000 screens since “Borat” in 2006.
Industry analyst David A. Gross noted the remarkable performance of the documentary genre, highlighting that films of this type usually earn around $3 million during their initial weekends. He added that the unique approaches of directors Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim, who filmed the documentary over three years on a budget of under $7 million, may have contributed to its success.
Conversely, the documentary “Melania,” directed by Brett Ratner and released earlier this year, made $7.1 million during its debut from 1,778 locations before concluding its domestic run at $16.3 million. It initially enjoyed the largest opening for a non-music documentary, but “You Can See Everything” has now eclipsed this figure in just four days.
The audience reception for the Holmes documentary has been overwhelmingly positive, with audiences rating it at 99% on Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic. In contrast, “Melania” received a dismal 9% approval rating. Exit polls from the opening weekend revealed that 91% of viewers would recommend it to others, and it currently ranks as the highest-rated film on Letterboxd.
This documentary offers an intimate look into Holmes’s life during the month leading up to her incarceration for defrauding investors. The filmmakers capture her interactions with her partner, Billy Evans, and their two children, as well as her reflections on her controversial journey and the portrayal of her character in other media, such as Hulu’s “The Dropout.”
As buzz grows around potential awards nominations, some industry analysts speculate whether “You Can See Everything” could make history by receiving a Best Picture nomination at the Academy Awards, a feat no documentary has ever accomplished. The collective excitement around the film’s narrative and Holmes’s dramatic story has drawn in a younger demographic, with more than 70% of opening-weekend viewers under the age of 35.
With a promising beginning, the documentary is set to expand nationwide in the coming weeks. The overall box office performance across theaters in North America was strong, totaling approximately $101.6 million for the weekend, showing a 45% increase compared to the same period last year. Year-to-date domestic earnings have reached $8.2 billion, reflecting nearly a 20% rise from 2022.