A documentary about Elizabeth Holmes has drawn significant attention with its recent theatrical release, selling out screenings nationwide and posting robust box office numbers despite a limited release. “You Can See Everything,” directed by Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim, chronicles the rise and fall of Holmes, the former CEO of the medical technology company Theranos, capturing footage just before she began serving a federal prison sentence and again two years into her incarceration. The nearly three-hour film opened on 855 screens and grossed an estimated $15 million over its opening weekend, making it one of the strongest openings of the 21st century for a documentary debuting on fewer than 1,000 screens. It is scheduled for a wider release next weekend.
Critics have praised the documentary for its compelling and unconventional approach, with some suggesting it could contend for a best-picture nomination, a rare achievement for a documentary film. Its success marks the highest box office for a nonmusical documentary since Michael Moore’s “Fahrenheit 9/11” in 2004.
Meanwhile, Netflix reported box office earnings for the first time with the theatrical release of its Spanish-language film “La Bola Negra.” The film opened on four screens in New York and Los Angeles as part of a 45-day exclusive theater run prior to its streaming debut on December 2. Directed by Javier Ambrossi and Javier Calvo, “La Bola Negra” has received critical acclaim and won the audience award at the Toronto International Film Festival. It earned an estimated $277,560 during its first weekend, posting a per-screen average of $69,375—the second-highest ever for a non-English language film. Netflix plans to expand the release to more cities and up to 300 screens by early November.
This theatrical push forms part of Netflix’s evolving strategy to balance its identity as a streaming service with selective theatrical releases, focusing on art house and family-oriented films that benefit from a big-screen experience and often generate strong repeat business. Netflix executives have indicated modest financial expectations for these releases but view them as a way to enhance awards prospects and critical reception.
The move has elicited cautious optimism from some theater operators eager to see Netflix embrace traditional box office practices. Luis Oloqui, CEO of the luxury chain Cinepolis USA, welcomed Netflix’s participation but noted his company will not screen “La Bola Negra” or another forthcoming Netflix title, “The Further Mis-Adventures of Cliff Booth.” Cinepolis is instead reserving its IMAX screens for high-profile releases like the upcoming “Hunger Games” film.
Oloqui highlighted Netflix’s planned wide theatrical release of Greta Gerwig’s upcoming film, “The Magician’s Nephew,” in February as particularly promising for the industry and audiences, describing it as a significant event with strong blockbuster potential.
In other box office news, Paramount’s “Street Fighter,” an action adaptation of the video game franchise, led the weekend with an estimated $31 million in ticket sales. Disney’s Fox division released “Whalefall,” an action film about a scuba diver’s encounter with a sperm whale, which earned around $7.5 million and is unlikely to recoup its $60 million production budget. Focus Features’ “Sense and Sensibility” remake also debuted, grossing approximately $6.7 million and benefiting from positive reviews and existing overseas earnings.