A24's 'You Can See Everything' Opens to $12M–$15M Weekend, Setting Non-Music Documentary Record

Weekend estimates range from $12 million to $15 million

A24's documentary "You Can See Everything" collected $5.5 million on Friday, including Thursday previews, from just 855 screens, and is projected to open between $12 million and $15 million for the weekend, according to competing industry tallies. TheWrap and The Hollywood Reporter each placed the weekend estimate around $12 million, while Deadline reported a higher $15 million figure. The film, directed by Lance Oppenheim and Nathan Fielder, examines the life of Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes leading up to her prison sentence. TheWrap noted the Friday haul puts the documentary on pace for a $12.5 million weekend, topping the estimated $7 million opening of "Whalefall" from a much wider 3,065 locations.

Sellout counts vary significantly across the three outlets. The Hollywood Reporter cited studio figures of roughly 750 sellout screenings for the weekend, with plenty of lines in cinemas. Deadline reported a far higher 2,000-plus sellouts and lines around the block for the three-hour feature. TheWrap did not publish a specific sellout number but noted the film's 855-screen footprint, less than one-third the location count of "Whalefall." The discrepancy underscores the difficulty of real-time box-office tracking for event-driven documentary releases.

Reception metrics show near-universal acclaim with minor discrepancies

Audience reception scores are exceptionally high across measurement platforms, though the exact percentages differ slightly. TheWrap reported a 100% critics score and 98% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, while The Hollywood Reporter recorded 99% approval from both critics and audiences. TheWrap added that CinemaScore did not poll for the documentary, but PostTrak exit polls showed a 92% "definite recommend" rating — well above the 81% earned by "The Odyssey" this summer and a level usually reserved for faith-based films. Letterboxd users have given the film a 4.8 score, which The Hollywood Reporter identified as the highest-rated title in the platform's history.

A24's three-year secrecy strategy and Telluride launch

A24 kept "You Can See Everything" secret from the public for three years until its surprise premiere at Telluride in August 2026, a strategy that appears to have amplified anticipation. The film runs three hours, a lengthy runtime for a documentary that has not deterred turnout. The Hollywood Reporter noted that 75% of ticket buyers in New York and Los Angeles were under age 35, signaling strong appeal to younger audiences. Directors Oppenheim and Fielder have each built reputations for incisive, absurdist examinations of American life, which TheWrap suggested helped fuel the "buzz through the roof" since Telluride. (Deadline; DOC NYC)

Historical context: biggest non-music documentary opening in over a decade

The opening ranks as the best-ever start for a non-music documentary in more than a decade, surpassing the $7.1 million launch of Amazon MGM's "Melania" from February, which opened on twice as many screens. If concert films are excluded, it stands as the biggest documentary opening since Michael Moore's "Fahrenheit 9/11" set the all-time record with a $23.9 million unadjusted debut in 2004. TheWrap reported the film is on pace to pass the $22.8 million domestic total of "Won't You Be My Neighbor?" to become the highest-grossing documentary of the past decade. The Hollywood Reporter confirmed the movie is heading toward one of the best-ever starts for a non-music doc, besting the "Melania" launch that had been the category's biggest in over ten years.

'Street Fighter' leads weekend with $31 million but faces steep competition

Paramount and Legendary's "Street Fighter" adaptation topped the overall box office with a $31 million opening weekend, including a $12.5 million opening day. The Capcom fighting game adaptation carries an $82 million co-production budget and earned a B- CinemaScore — the same grade audiences gave the 1994 "Street Fighter" film — along with an 80% Rotten Tomatoes audience score, slightly below the B CinemaScore and 86% audience score of "Mortal Kombat II," which opened to $38.5 million in May. TheWrap noted overseas grosses will help the co-production, but the domestic launch is well below its R-rated genre predecessor.

Rest of top five: horror holdover, whale thriller, Austen adaptation, and Netflix experiment

Universal and Blumhouse-Atomic Monster's "Other Mommy" fell 72% in its second weekend to $7.8 million, landing in third place. The survival thriller "Whalefall," about a scuba diver swallowed by a whale, opened in fourth with a disappointing $7 million from 3,065 screens, though it earned a B CinemaScore and stronger Rotten Tomatoes scores (71% critics, 82% audience) than either "Street Fighter" or "Other Mommy." Focus Features' "Sense & Sensibility" adaptation debuted fifth with $6.7 million from 2,545 screens, drawing a primarily female audience. Meanwhile, Netflix released the Oscar contender "La Bola Negra" in four theaters, marking the first time the streamer will publicly report box-office returns. (The Hollywood Reporter; TheWrap)

What's next: tracking a potential documentary milestone

With a 92% PostTrak "definite recommend" score and a 4.8 Letterboxd rating, "You Can See Everything" appears positioned for strong holdover performance in the coming weeks. TheWrap projects the film could become the highest-grossing documentary of the past decade if it surpasses "Won't You Be My Neighbor?" at $22.8 million. The Hollywood Reporter emphasized the movie is on track for one of the best-ever non-music documentary starts. Industry observers will watch whether the young-skewing audience and word-of-mouth drive sustained weekday business, a pattern that has historically separated breakout documentaries from front-loaded openings.