The documentary You Can See Everything, which chronicles former Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes prior to her federal prison sentence, expanded into a wide domestic release across roughly 2,655 North American theaters for its second weekend. Directed by Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim and distributed by A24, the nearly three-hour film is projected to earn between $19 million and $20 million in its second frame, building on an initial wave of sold-out limited screenings and exceptional audience word-of-mouth.

Rather than experiencing a standard second-weekend box office drop, the film is pacing for a substantial week-over-week revenue increase. Depending on final reconciled weekend figures, the surge sets a milestone for week-two growth among A24 releases that debuted on more than 600 screens, solidifying the feature as a rare non-music documentary to achieve blockbuster theatrical scale.

A Historic Second-Week Expansion

Following its surprise world premiere at the Telluride Film Festival, You Can See Everything debuted in a mid-sized footprint of 855 theaters across the United States and Canada. During that opening weekend, the documentary generated an estimated $15 million, according to NBC News and Variety, while Screen Rant cited a finalized opening figure of $15.6 million. The launch included more than 2,000 sold-out screenings and delivered a per-screen average of approximately $17,544, per The New York Times and Variety.

The debut marked the largest opening for any movie playing on fewer than 1,000 screens since Borat earned $26.5 million in 2006, and the biggest non-music documentary launch in two decades since Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11 opened to roughly $23.9 million from 868 theaters in 2004. Through its first full week in theaters—bolstered by roughly $10 million in Monday-through-Thursday ticket sales—the film accumulated $25.6 million domestically, according to Yahoo Entertainment.

With A24 expanding the footprint to approximately 2,655 domestic venues for its second weekend, early industry tracking points to a $19 million to $20 million three-day haul. While some coverage has framed the second-week surge as an all-time studio record, the milestone specifically reflects a 21.8% to 28.2% week-over-week increase, which Screen Rant identified as the best second-weekend hold for an A24 title opening on over 600 screens. A $19 million to $20 million performance will bring the documentary's 10-day domestic total to roughly $45.6 million, placing it in second place at the box office for a second consecutive week after finishing behind Paramount's Street Fighter ($30 million to $31 million) during its debut frame.

Inside Fielder and Oppenheim's Production

Produced in secret over three years by A24 on a budget of roughly $7 million—with less than $10 million spent on marketing—You Can See Everything examines the fallout of the Theranos scandal through an unconventional lens. According to Yahoo Entertainment, the core footage was filmed over 34 days right before Holmes surrendered to the Federal Prison Camp in Bryan, Texas, on May 30, 2023, to begin serving an 11-year sentence for defrauding investors.

During production, Fielder spent over a month embedded with Holmes, her partner Billy Evans, and their two young children. The documentary captures Holmes trading her signature black turtlenecks and blazers for beige sweaters and jeans, presenting herself as a devoted mother while frequently answering questions about the blood-testing startup's collapse with "I don't know." Critics have noted that Fielder and Oppenheim blend deadpan humor, sincerity, and skepticism to interrogate where performance ends and reality begins.

The pairing of the two filmmakers has proven commercially potent for A24. Fielder built a devoted following through boundary-blurring television projects like Comedy Central's Nathan For You and HBO's The Rehearsal, while Oppenheim recently directed another lucrative feature for the indie distributor, the Robert Pattinson-starrer Primetime, which grossed nearly $50 million against a $15 million budget.

Youth Turnout and Box Office Analytics

The theatrical breakout of You Can See Everything defies conventional marketplace expectations for non-fiction filmmaking. As FranchiseRe box office analyst David A. Gross noted to Variety, documentaries rarely receive wide theatrical rollouts—averaging only one every other year—and typically gross around $3 million over their first three days. Earlier in the year, Amazon MGM's $40 million documentary Melania opened to $7.1 million across 1,778 theaters before concluding its domestic run at $16.3 million, a lifetime total that the low-budget Holmes documentary nearly matched in a single weekend on half as many screens.

Paul Dergarabedian, head of marketplace trends for Rentrak, told NBC News that industry observers initially underestimated the commercial viability of a nearly three-hour non-fiction release, crediting Fielder's substantial social media following and the enduring public fascination with Holmes for driving turnout.

Exit polling and demographic data indicate that younger moviegoers are fueling the box office run:

  • Under-35 Majority: More than 70% of the opening weekend audience was under the age of 35, mirroring youth-driven theatrical trends seen in recent genre hits like Backrooms and Obsession.
  • Critical Consensus: The documentary holds a 99% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a 99 score on Metacritic.
  • Audience Polling: PostTrak exit surveys recorded a 90% to 91% "definite recommend" score from ticket buyers, with 80% of respondents stating the film exceeded their expectations.
  • Spoiler Avoidance: Studio reports noted that audiences rushed to early screenings specifically to avoid having the film's narrative twists spoiled on social media.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the exact A24 box office record set by the documentary?

Based on second-weekend projections of $19 million to $20 million, You Can See Everything achieved a week-over-week revenue increase of roughly 21.8% to 28.2%. Rather than representing the highest raw dollar gross in studio history, this marks the best second-weekend percentage hold for any A24 film that debuted across more than 600 theaters.

How does the film's box office compare to Fahrenheit 9/11?

Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11 remains the record holder for a non-music documentary debut, opening to roughly $23.9 million from 868 theaters in June 2004. You Can See Everything posted the largest non-music documentary opening since Moore's film, bringing in $15 million to $15.6 million from 855 screens during its first weekend.

When is Elizabeth Holmes scheduled to be released from prison?

Holmes reported to the minimum-security Federal Prison Camp in Bryan, Texas, on May 30, 2023, following her conviction for defrauding Theranos investors. She is currently scheduled for release on February 22, 2030.

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