Source: Fortune
Summary
The documentary “You Can See Everything,” about Elizabeth Holmes and Theranos, earned $15 million in its opening weekend, making it the second-highest-grossing documentary debut in U.S. box office history. A24 released the film in 855 theaters, averaging $17,544 per location. The film outperformed other new releases, including Tom Cruise’s “Digger,” which opened to $8 million. The documentary, with a production and marketing budget under $20 million, beat several narrative films and generated significant critical and commercial attention.
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The numbers tell one story.
“You Can See Everything” opened strong, beating most new releases.
It outperformed a Tom Cruise film with a much higher budget.
The documentary’s success is rare for nonfiction films.
Documentaries rarely get this kind of attention or box office.
Author: Evan Null
Outgrossing Tom Cruise’s ‘Digger’
The documentary’s debut also nearly doubled that of Warner Bros.’ “Digger,” the Tom Cruise–led dark comedy from director Alejandro G. Iñárritu, which opened to $8 million earlier this month. “Digger” was green-lit at a reported $125 million, with production costs reportedly climbing to between $160 million and $180 million, and Variety has projected it could lose about $245 million over its theatrical run. In its third weekend, “Digger” grossed just $920,000, finishing 15th—13 spots behind “You Can See Everything.”
Other films “You Can See Everything” outpaced over the weekend include “Other Mommy,” “Verity,” “Resident Evil,” “Heart of the Beast,” “Forgotten Island,” “The Social Reckoning,” and A24’s own “Primetime”—all narrative studio releases. The documentary, by contrast, carried a combined production and marketing budget reported to be under $20 million.
The film’s success is notable given the typically limited theatrical reach of documentaries. It also highlights the public’s fascination with the Theranos story and the unique marketing around the film’s release.
“You Can See Everything” has become a cultural touchstone, drawing comparisons to other successful documentaries like “Fahrenheit 9/11” and “March of the Penguins.”
Its commercial and critical success suggests a shift in how audiences engage with nonfiction storytelling, especially when tied to high-profile figures and controversies.
How it stacks up against other documentaries
“You Can See Everything” more than doubled the opening of Amazon MGM Studios’ “Melania,” which debuted to about $7 million across 1,778 theaters in late January after the studio spent $40 million on the rights and roughly $35 million on marketing.
Other documentaries have found box office success over the years. “Fahrenheit 9/11” went on to gross $119.2 million domestically, still the record for a documentary. “March of the Penguins” opened on just four screens in 2005 before expanding into a nationwide hit with $77.4 million domestically, and “Michael Jackson’s This Is It” grossed $72 million domestically in 2009, according to Box Office Mojo data.
These documentaries are the exceptions. Documentaries rarely get theatrical distribution, and when they do, releases are often limited and buried beneath narrative films at the box office. That makes “You Can See Everything” an outlier, not just as a commercial success for a documentary but in how thoroughly it has captured the public’s attention.
The film’s success is a rare example of a documentary breaking through the traditional box office barriers and capturing mainstream interest.
Its performance sets a new benchmark for nonfiction films and suggests a growing appetite for in-depth storytelling, even in a market dominated by big-budget narratives.
From a secret Telluride screening to Oscar buzz
Ever since the movie made its surprise premiere at the Telluride Film Festival on Sept. 6, critics have praised its audacity and distinctiveness, though not everyone is convinced it gets at the real Theranos story. A compelling marketing campaign highlighted the unusual dynamic between Holmes—the Theranos founder serving a more than 11-year federal prison sentence for fraud—and Fielder, a comedian whose work famously blurs the line between performance and reality.
Murmurs of surprises and spoilers—commonplace for blockbusters but hardly typical for documentaries—spread like wildfire in the lead-up to the release. The film now holds a 99% score on Rotten Tomatoes, and its 4.8 average on Letterboxd is the highest ever recorded on the platform, according to Boxoffice Pro.
Awards watchers are now debating whether it could make history as the first documentary ever nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards. All of this has made “You Can See Everything” one of the must-see movies of the fall—if not the must-see movie. Rarely has nonfiction been this popular, this captivating, or this big a box-office draw.
The film’s critical acclaim and commercial success have positioned it as a major contender in the awards season, raising questions about the future of documentary filmmaking and its place in the broader film industry.
Its unique blend of storytelling, real-life drama, and media spectacle has set it apart from other documentaries and made it a cultural phenomenon.
Documentary success in a narrative-dominated market
Documentaries have long struggled to find a place in the mainstream box office, often overshadowed by big-budget narrative films. “You Can See Everything” defies this trend, proving that nonfiction can attract large audiences and generate significant revenue when the subject matter is compelling and the marketing is effective.
The film’s success is also a testament to the power of storytelling, even when rooted in real events. Its ability to draw in viewers and spark conversation highlights the growing interest in true stories and the human elements behind them.
With its unique approach and high-profile subject, the documentary has managed to carve out a space for itself in a market that typically favors fiction. This could signal a shift in how audiences and studios view the potential of documentary films.
Its performance may encourage more investment in nonfiction projects, especially those with high-profile subjects and strong narrative structures. The film’s success could also influence how documentaries are marketed and distributed in the future.
Ultimately, “You Can See Everything” has not only captured the attention of moviegoers but also redefined the possibilities for documentary filmmaking in the modern era.
