'Street Fighter' tops the box office, but the Elizabeth Holmes documentary 'You Can See Everything' stuns in second place
The video-game adaptation opened at No. 1 in North America, yet the weekend's surprise was Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim's nearly three-hour documentary about Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes, which took $15 million from just 855 cinemas. It is the biggest opening for a film on fewer than 1,000 screens since 'Borat' in 2006.
Paramount's "Street Fighter" did the expected business and opened at the top of the North American box office, with $31 million at home and $51 million worldwide. But the result everyone in Hollywood is talking about came in second place: "You Can See Everything", A24's documentary about disgraced Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes, earned $15 million from only 855 cinemas, racking up more than 2,000 sold-out screenings across the weekend.
That makes it the largest opening ever for a film playing on fewer than 1,000 screens since "Borat" debuted with $26.5 million in 2006, and the biggest opening for a non-music documentary in two decades, since "Fahrenheit 9/11" took nearly $24 million from 868 cinemas in 2004 — figures that are not adjusted for inflation. Directed by Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim and made largely in secret over three years, the nearly three-hour film follows Holmes and her family in the period before she reported to federal prison.
The audience skewed young, with more than 70% of ticket buyers under 35, and reviews and word of mouth have been exceptionally strong — a combination analysts say explains why a long documentary, which on paper looked like a hard sell, has become a genuine theatrical event. A24 is expected to widen the release next weekend. Elsewhere, Disney's survival thriller "Whalefall", starring Austin Abrams and Josh Brolin, disappointed with $8 million despite a far wider release. Source: AP