Holmes Doc Tops Weekday Box Office, Eyes Global Rollout

TheWrap reports 'You Can See Everything' edged out 'Street Fighter' on Monday, while international distribution rights have been sold.

@sharedot

Holmes Doc Tops Weekday Box Office, Eyes Global Rollout

By @sharedot · · 8 pages

  • Entertainment
  • Box Office
  • Documentary

TheWrap reports 'You Can See Everything' edged out 'Street Fighter' on Monday, while international distribution rights have been sold.

A documentary just won a weekday box office chart

TheWrap reports that A24's 'You Can See Everything' edged out Paramount/Legendary's 'Street Fighter' to become the No. 1 movie at the Monday box office.

'Street Fighter,' which won the weekend with a $31 million domestic opening, made a decent $2 million on Monday, while the documentary — playing in only 855 locations, a fraction of 'Street Fighter's screens — took $2.57 million.

Why the numbers are beating expectations

The outlet reports that by next weekend the film is set to pass the Fred Rogers documentary 'Won't You Be My Neighbor?' as the highest-grossing documentary of the past 10 years, and will soon pass scripted indie hits like A24's own 'The Invite,' which grossed $26.1 million this past summer.

It also earned a higher first Monday than director Lance Oppenheim's other A24 release this fall, 'Primetime,' which made $1.7 million after an $18.8 million opening.

According to TheWrap, an A24 audience poll found 70% of those surveyed said Nathan Fielder was a major reason they bought a ticket, with the opening weekend audience 70% under the age of 35.

The film behind the frenzy

According to Ynetnews, the documentary was filmed largely in secret over three years and begins 34 days before Elizabeth Holmes enters prison, when she allowed Fielder and his crew into her home to document her life with her partner, Billy Evans, and their two young children.

The outlet describes what initially appears to be an intimate portrait of a convicted fraudster evolving into an unconventional examination of truth, deception and manipulation, blurring the boundaries between documentary filmmaking and staged reality.

The film carries a 99% critics' score on Rotten Tomatoes, a figure also cited by The Independent, which reported the film's record $15 million opening weekend from around 850 screens.

The stakes for A24 and the Oscars

The commercial context matters too: The Independent notes this has been a huge year for A24, after 'Backrooms' grossed more than $400 million on a $10 million budget this summer.

TheWrap adds that 'You Can See Everything' was made for even less, at a budget of just $7 million, so a long run similar to 'Primetime,' which has passed $45 million domestic after four weekends, would be a huge win for the studio.

International rights sold, rollout unclear

Ynetnews reports, citing Deadline, that Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions has acquired distribution rights for Israel and several other international markets, including Europe, Latin America and Asia.

However, the outlet notes no Israeli theatrical release date has been announced, and details of the local rollout remain unclear.

That means audiences who did not closely follow Holmes' downfall — or who are not familiar with Fielder's brand of dry, discomfiting humor that TheWrap says makes viewers question whether what they are seeing is real — may soon get their own chance to weigh in on the phenomenon.

What comes next

TheWrap reports that the film is set to expand after scoring thousands of sellout screenings — The Independent cited more than 2,000 sellout showings over opening weekend per A24 — and says there is no telling how far it can leg out with the buzz it has.

The publication suggests a run similar to 'Primetime' is not out of the realm of possibility.

For now, the film remains second on the weekend chart behind 'Street Fighter' but first on the weekdays, a reversal that suggests the viral marketing campaign and festival acclaim have transferred to the wider populace.

Sources

  1. thewrap.com › 'You Can See Everything' Bests 'Street Fighter' as Top Movie at Monday Box Office
  2. ynetnews.com › Elizabeth Holmes documentary 'You Can See Everything' stuns with $15M opening and Oscar buzz
  3. the-independent.com › Elizabeth Holmes documentary surprises at the box office with $15M debut

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