A24’s documentary You Can See Everything
opened to $15 million over its first weekend, one of the largest openings for a nonfiction film in history. Co-directed by Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim, the film is now launching an aggressive awards campaign for Best Picture and supporting actress.
The film follows Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes during the 34 days before her incarceration and continues after she enters prison. It has become a critical phenomenon. Variety mentions The Shawshank Redemption (1994) as the highest-rated film of all time.
Box Office Records Hit $15 Million
The film grossed $15 million in 802 theaters during its opening weekend. It averaged $17,544 per screen. This is nearly unprecedented for the documentary genre.
It is the second-largest opening for a strict documentary. Fahrenheit 911
earned $23 million in 2024.
Buzz began with a surprise world premiere at the Telluride Film Festival. A Los Angeles screening took place earlier this month as demand surged quickly.
Amanda Seyfried Pursues Acting Award
Amanda Seyfried is the center of the film’s awards strategy. She previously played Holmes in the 2022 series The Dropout
. In You Can See Everything
, Seyfried appears as herself, serving as a critic and participant.
She is being campaigned in the supporting actress category for playing both herself and the woman she portrayed in the limited series.
The film’s narrative structure blends documentary footage with recreated scenes. Christopher Abbott portrays Billy Evans, the spouse of Holmes, in these scenes. He is qualified for consideration in the supporting actor category.
Sources close to the awards campaign say the acting push will center on Seyfried regardless.
I know I didn’t commit any crime.
Elizabeth Holmes, via Los Angeles Times
Documentaries Face Best Picture Barrier
No documentary has ever been nominated for the top prize in 98 Academy ceremonies. The film faces a steep climb toward a Best Picture nomination.
History suggests a pattern of cross-category pollination
aversion. Animated films have struggled to crack the Best Picture field since the creation of the Animated Feature category in 2001.
- Critics Choice Awards: Eligible across the board, including acting races.
- Directors Guild of America (DGA): Eligible in both top categories.
- Producers Guild of America (PGA): Eligible for both the theatrical motion picture award and the documentary prize.
- Golden Globes: Currently ineligible as the Globes do not recognize documentaries.
- Actor Awards (formerly SAG): Generally ineligible for documentaries, though a committee is reportedly reviewing the film.
- Writers Guild of America (WGA): Not eligible. It is not uncommon for a documentary to lack a credited screenplay, as is the case with this film.
Nathan Fielder Uses Meta Approach
Fielder lived with Holmes and her family to film them in the spring of 2023. This occurred just over a month before Holmes surrendered and began her prison sentence.
The film’s second half takes a meta-turn. Fielder recruited Seyfried to help make sense of his time with Holmes.
Seyfried attempted to meet the real Billy Evans and the couple’s children in November 2025. This effort was described as mostly unsuccessful in disarming Evans.
Why you would want to spend your last month of freedom in a decade with this guy.
Nathan Fielder, via Los Angeles Times
Some analysts suggest the biggest hurdle is the Academy’s historical resistance to nonfiction films in the main race. The film is a strong contender for the documentary feature category.
Its ability to break this ceiling may depend on whether voters view it as a traditional documentary or a hybrid. No documentary has ever been nominated for the top prize in 98 Academy ceremonies.