Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim’s documentary You Can See Everything pulls in $19.5 million domestically in its second weekend, bringing its total box office haul to a high amount and creating intense Oscar buzz.
Co-directed by Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim, the three-hour project follows disgraced Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes during her final 34 days of freedom before reporting to a federal prison camp in Bryan, Texas, on May 30, 2023. The film has defied standard documentary expectations since its release, expanding its screen count and posting a 23% bump from its opening weekend, according to TheWrap.
Yahoo film critic Brett Arnold called it a brilliant film that could and should earn the distinction of becoming the first documentary ever nominated for Best Picture, while Daily Beast film critic Nick Schager declared it the film of the year. Deadline’s Pete Hammond described the release as unlike any he had ever seen.
Documentary Smashes Box Office Records
Daniel Loria, SVP and Editorial Director for The Boxoffice Company, stated that if You Can See Everything posts a third weekend of at least $15 million, it has a strong chance of passing the domestic run of Marty Supreme to become A24’s highest-grossing film. Industry analysts note that You Can See Everything earned the second best opening weekend for a documentary since 2004’s Fahrenheit 9/11.
Owen Gleiberman, a reviewer for Variety, remarked that the picture will undoubtedly land on numerous annual top 10 lists by December, by which point it is anticipated to have accumulated $100 million in ticket sales. International distribution handled by Sony Pictures is expected to push global grosses past $100 million in the coming months. The film’s trajectory places it on track to become just the 11th documentary in box office history to pass $100 million in domestic grosses, joining Fahrenheit 9/11 as only the second non-music or non-nature documentary to reach that threshold.
Holmes Claims She Has No Money for Restitution
In 2023, a federal judge ordered Holmes and former Theranos President Ramesh “Sunny” Balwani to pay more than $452 million in restitution to defrauded investors and companies. During a court appearance captured in the film, Holmes insists, I don’t have any money,
explaining her deep debt from legal fees.
I don’t have the option to care about money. I owe hundreds of millions of dollars of restitution.
Elizabeth Holmes, Theranos founder, via Los Angeles Times
Midway through production, filmmakers discovered that Holmes’ partner, Billy Evans—an heir to a wealthy San Diego hotel family—had brokered a deal with A24 to profit off the sales of the film. Fielder initially objected, arguing that financial compensation could cast doubt on the subjects’ motives and suggest editorial influence. Evans insisted compensation was nonnegotiable, telling the crew And I feel strongly that if this movie were to make money, that we should be entitled to some of it.
According to Fielder, A24 ultimately agreed to a profit-sharing arrangement.
Holmes Faces Early Prison Release
Holmes is currently serving her sentence at the Federal Prison Camp in Bryan, Texas, where she earns 30 cents an hour, according to details shared by Evans in the film. While her original sentence carried a release date in 2034, a judge ruled earlier this year that because she did not cause substantial financial hardship to victims, she can secure an early release in 2030.
I think I approach, look at, read all text anywhere differently now because of generative AI
A defrauded Theranos investor reported that the Justice Department alerted them that Holmes is headed for a halfway house in Austin as soon as this summer due to good behavior, setting her expected release timeline even earlier.
More on Elizabeth Holmes
Wonder if anyone outside of the movie + documentary + journalsim professions cares about this debate or understands what's been going on over the past few years. It used to be that documentary subjects were never paid. Now, for celeb and athlete stuff, the subjects are often…
‘YOU CAN SEE EVERYTHING’ grossed around $19.5M this weekend, a 25% increase from its opening.It has grossed around $45.2M domestically – now eyeing a 90M+ finish. pic.twitter.com/dLcGFfVpz5
“As viewers, we want to believe that it is hard to sustain cold-blooded fakery hour after hour and day after day in front of family, friends, and a very skeptical filmmaker.” How can we know what is true about Elizabeth Holmes?https://t.co/AU767IXn9r pic.twitter.com/ch9wYFCXzq
A24 turned the Theranos story into a hit with a campaign built on mystery and scarcity, no trailer flood, no spoilers. Tech marketers should take notes, most of us overshare on launch. Also a little surreal that the biggest fraud in our industry is now a date night movie. Check…