Nathan Fielder’s documentary opens with $1.75M in previews

A24’s three-hour documentary You Can See Everything, co-directed by Vancouver-born comedian Nathan Fielder, earned $1.75 million in Thursday previews in the United States, ahead of its wide opening this weekend, Deadline reported on Oct. 16.

That is a rare start for a documentary. Deadline said the film could open above $10 million, which would top the $7.1 million opening of Amazon MGM’s Melania, the comparison TheWrap drew. TheWrap said an opening above $9 million would be the biggest for a documentary since One Direction: This Is Us, which made $15.8 million in 2013.

The film is co-directed by Fielder and Lance Oppenheim and follows Elizabeth Holmes in the period before her federal prison sentence, according to Deadline. TheWrap said it was made in secret and announced about two months ago with a surprise premiere at the Telluride Film Festival. Deadline reported that it was shot over four years and that its production and marketing budgets were each under $10 million.

Early previews were first estimated at about $2 million and were revised to the official $1.75 million figure, Deadline said. TheWrap, which reported $1.7 million from 855 locations, called that unheard of for a documentary of that length. The two outlets also differ on the projection: TheWrap said at least $8 million, while Deadline said the film could pass $10 million.

Audience response has been strong in the early numbers. Deadline reported a 100 per cent fresh Rotten Tomatoes critics score and a 98 per cent audience score, with exit polling showing 92 per cent of preview viewers would definitely recommend it. Deadline said the preview crowd in Los Angeles and New York was split evenly between men and women and about 75 per cent were under 35.

Oppenheim’s previous feature, Primetime, took in $2.7 million in previews and opened to $18.8 million, Deadline said.

The rest of the weekend’s field is crowded. Paramount’s video game adaptation Street Fighter made about $4 million in previews and is expected to open above $30 million, according to both outlets, as we reported ahead of the weekend. 20th Century Studios’ Whalefall took in about $900,000 from 3,065 theatres.

For Canadian audiences, the film is a notable showcase for Fielder, the Vancouver-born creator of Nathan for You and The Rehearsal. Neither outlet’s report covered Canadian theatres or Canadian box office for the film. Theatre chains are coming off a strong stretch, with Cineplex reporting a record $215.7 million third-quarter box office.

All dollar figures are U.S. dollars. Weekend estimates are due on Sunday, Oct. 18, and final figures follow on Monday. Budgets and runtime are as reported by Deadline and TheWrap. Via TheWrap and Deadline.

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