A24’s surprise documentary “You Can See Everything” is on course for the biggest opening by a non-music documentary since the pandemic, even as it plays in a fraction of the theaters its rivals do. The film, directed by Noah Oppenheim and Nathan Fielder and focused on convicted Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes, opens this weekend in roughly 800 locations. Projections call for at least $8 million, a per-theater average above $10,000. The current record holder is “Melania,” Amazon MGM’s film about the First Lady, which opened to $7.1 million in February and finished its run with $16.3 million.
Buzz, not marketing, drives the numbers. The film surfaced at the Telluride Film Festival, and a viral teaser showed Holmes smiling intently as she explained why Fielder should trust her. It holds a perfect Rotten Tomatoes score across 50 reviews, and some observers speculate about a Best Picture nomination, which no documentary has ever received.
The project began in an unusual way. Oppenheim said at Telluride that Holmes herself invited A24 to her home shortly before starting an 11-year prison sentence, and the studio let him pursue the film with no obligation to finish it. The second half follows Fielder after Holmes goes to prison, and some critics have urged readers to avoid spoilers.
A24 has not said whether it will widen the release. An $8 million start would give the film a solid chance at $20 million domestically. Clearing $22 million would make it the top-grossing non-music documentary since “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” took $22.4 million in 2018.
The wide releases look softer. Paramount’s “Street Fighter” is projected at around $30 million, though theatrical sources point to $22 million to $25 million on lagging presales. A review embargo had not lifted less than a day before previews. Tracking from Box Office Pro placed the film between $30 million and $40 million, in line with May’s “Mortal Kombat II,” which opened to $38.5 million.
“Whalefall” from 20th Century Studios is projected near $12 million, while Focus Features’ “Sense & Sensibility” is expected to take about $8 million from 2,436 theaters. For exhibitors, the documentary offers a rare bright spot. Specialty theaters have gone years without a nonfiction release that drew crowds beyond concert films, and a nonfiction title selling out screens would mark a sharp change.
