‘You Can See Everything’ Earns Largest Doc Opening in 13 Years With $15 Million at Indie Box Office

A24's indie documentary "You Can See Everything" has shattered box office records for the documentary genre, earning an impressive $15 million in its opening weekend across only 855 theaters, according to TheWrap. This remarkable achievement has placed the film at the No. 2 spot on the weekend charts, boasting an outstanding per-theater average of $17,543.

The film's success can be attributed to its unanimous critical acclaim and exceptional audience scores, with 92% of surveyed audiences giving it a "definite recommend" rating, surpassing even other blockbuster hits like "The Odyssey."

Notably, "You Can See Everything" has become the highest opening for a documentary since 2013, surpassing Amazon MGM's "Melania" which opened with $7.1 million at 1,778 locations. The film's secret release strategy, initially unveiled at the Telluride Film Festival, has helped fuel the buzz surrounding it, with over 2,000 sellout screenings reported as of Sunday morning.

With a production and marketing budget under $10 million, this low-budget hit is expected to be a significant win for A24, who have largely drawn the attention for their breakout hit. In addition to the successful theatrical run, "La Bola Negra," a Cannes award-winning Spanish Civil War epic, has been reported to have earned $271,000 in U.S. box office numbers from just four screens in New York and Los Angeles, demonstrating the power of platform releases.