“You Can See Everything” has emerged as a remarkable box office success, achieving an estimated $15 million during its opening weekend. This figure marks the second-largest opening weekend for a documentary film in history. The nearly three-hour feature, which was first unveiled last month at a private screening during the Telluride Film Festival, is currently being shown in only 855 theaters. In comparison, the top film of the weekend, “Street Fighter,” is available in 3,575 locations. Nevertheless, it reportedly had 2,000 sold-out screenings, and critical reception has been overwhelmingly favorable; “You Can See Everything” boasts an impressive 99% rating on both Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic.
The documentary chronicles the dramatic rise and fall of Elizabeth Holmes, who founded the blood-testing startup Theranos, garnered backing from prominent figures in Silicon Valley, and ultimately received an 11-year prison sentence for defrauding investors. This narrative has previously been explored through various mediums, including books, podcasts, scripted miniseries, and other documentaries. However, the filmmakers of “You Can See Everything” were granted extensive access to Holmes and her family in the month leading up to her incarceration, and the involvement of Nathan Fielder, creator of “The Rehearsal,” who co-directed the film with Lance Oppenheim, adds an additional layer of intrigue.
While I have yet to view the film, I can confirm the challenge of securing tickets in Manhattan; I spent a considerable amount of time yesterday attempting to find a screening for tonight. I managed to locate only one showing with available seats that were not in the front row. (Naturally, I will be attending.) Furthermore, Amanda Silberling from hinews had the opportunity to see it on Thursday. She noted that the enigmatic Holmes appears to have finally encountered a worthy counterpart in Fielder, a deadpan comedian whose own strangeness and mystery are comparable to hers. Fielder’s month-long experience with Holmes seems to be just the beginning of what promises to be an increasingly surreal and metatextual journey.
The buzz surrounding “You Can See Everything” may be complicating the prospects for other technology-focused films seeking to gain traction. Aaron Sorkin’s follow-up to “The Social Network,” titled “The Social Reckoning,” debuted to a disappointing $5.5 million last weekend and has already dropped out of the top 10. Additionally, Alex Gibney’s four-hour documentary “Musk,” potentially hindered by resistance from social media platforms and its lengthy runtime, garnered only $306,702 this weekend.
