Why You Can See Everything Defied Expectations At The Box Office

We just witnessed one of the most surprising box office debuts of 2026, if not the 2020s overall thus far. "You Can See Everything," a new documentary focused on notorious businesswoman and convicted fraudster Elizabeth Holmes, defied expectations this past weekend. Co-directed by Nathan Fielder ("Nathan for You") and Lance Oppenheim ("Primetime"), it's the exceptionally rare documentary to become an out-and-out theatrical hit.

Hailing from A24, "You Can See Everything" opened to $15 million domestically, good enough for the number two spot on the charts. Even more amazing? That was on just 855 screens, giving it a wild $17,543 per-screen average. It only trailed the colorful martial arts romp that is "Street Fighter" ($31 million), which is based on the video game series of the same name. But that's a big-budget action movie adapted from a huge franchise. The fact that a three-hour documentary managed to do half as much business on about a quarter as many screens is nothing shy of astounding.

"You Can See Everything" begins 34 days before Holmes is sent to prison as she invites a skeptical film crew to document her every move. But what begins as an intimate portrait of an enigmatic felon becomes a mind-bending three-year journey. It's less about what happened at Holmes' company Theranos and more about the woman herself, as well as her current partner, Billy Evans.

In terms of historical context, this is borderline unprecedented territory. The biggest opening ever for a documentary was "Fahrenheit 9/11" ($23.9 million) in 2004 on 868 screens, which George W. Bush won a Razzie for. But that was more than 20 years ago. In the 2010s and 2020s? Nothing else even comes close. So, how the heck did A24, Fielder, and Oppenheim score such an unexpected home run?

A big part of what helps right off the bat when it comes to "You Can See Everything" is the fact that it only cost $7 million. That's a bit steep for the average documentary (which aren't often huge commercial winners), but the movie has already more than doubled its budget in a single weekend against relatively minimal marketing. But without a full-tilt, big-spend promotional campaign, it only opens up more questions about how this movie broke out in such a big way.

For starters, it's been met with near-universal praise and is one of the best-reviewed wide-release movies of 2026. It currently holds a near-perfect 98% approval rating across the board on Rotten Tomatoes, and it's that "you need to see it to believe it" praise that actually moves the needle for the average viewer. In his "You Can See Everything" review, /Film's Ethan Anderton called the movie a "mystifying masterwork of mind-melting manipulation."

The secret sauce is, of course, Elizabeth Holmes, who has become a near-mythic figure in the true crime world. The Hulu miniseries "The Dropout" shed light on Theranos and how it went sideways, but Holmes herself is still very mysterious. The fact that this doc promised unrestricted access to her before her prison sentence was a juicy carrot to dangle. It resonated with the true crime obsessives out there. All those disposable true crime docs released directly to streaming simply can't compete.

Also, without getting into spoilers, "You Can See Everything" has a secret actor that will break your brain. That element of the movie has rightfully generated a lot of buzz and is only going to help when it comes to word of mouth.

Then there's the biggest asset to this movie's success, one Mr. Nathan Fielder. As a one-of-a-kind comedian and documentarian, Fielder has truly built a name for himself over the last decade or so, dating back to his Comedy Central show "Nathan for You." More recently, though, his HBO series "The Rehearsal" took him to new heights, with the second season of the show making real-world headlines within the aviation industry.

"The Rehearsal" Season 2 saw Fielder somehow reach new twisted heights, but it opened him up to a new, wider audience as well. That fanbase galvanized around the prospect of him shining his incredibly unique brand of light on Elizabeth Holmes. It worked better than anyone could have possibly imagined. As the reviews suggest, Fielder, along with Lance Oppenheim, struck gold. It's genuinely hard to believe it's real life, but it is.

Again, no spoilers, but "You Can See Everything" even has one of the best villains of 2026. And no, we're not talking about Holmes, but it's stuff like the villain of the piece that is getting people talking. It's not that kind of "Hey, this is good, you should watch it" recommendation that maybe gets people to watch it when it's convenient. It's the kind of buzz that forces people to get off the damn couch. It's rare.

It also doesn't hurt that "You Can See Everything" raises more questions than it answers. It generates a conversation that people are very much going to want to be a part of. More than just a documentary, this has managed to become a rare cultural moment that everyone wants to participate in.

"You Can See Everything" is in theaters now.