“You Can See Everything”, the documentary about jailed biotech fraudster Elizabeth Holmes that is generating major Oscar buzz, topped a quiet Halloween weekend at the North American box office, industry estimates showed on Sunday.
The three-hour A24 documentary, co-directed by comedian Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim, earned $10.6 million in the United States and Canada, according to Exhibitor Relations. It narrowly edged out “Clayface”, with just $200,000 separating the weekend’s two leading films.
The documentary follows the Theranos founder and her family during the month before she began an 11-year prison sentence in 2023 for fraud and conspiracy. Holmes had made lofty promises about innovations in medical testing, but failed to deliver on them.
The scandal surrounding her company fueled a media circus and has already been chronicled in a book, multiple podcasts and the biographical miniseries “The Dropout”, starring Amanda Seyfried.
Seyfried has now sparked awards chatter of her own with a surprise cameo in “You Can See Everything”. The documentary has also entered the conversation around the Oscars’ best picture category, adding to the attention surrounding its theatrical release.
“Clayface”, a gory Batman villain origin story from Warner Bros. and DC Comics, finished a close second with $10.4 million.
“Wildwood”, a stop-motion animated tale from Laika Studios, held on to third place with $7.5 million. The film follows a young girl who ventures into an enchanted forest to rescue her kidnapped brother.
Despite the range of films on offer, Halloween celebrations appeared to draw younger audiences away from cinemas.
“This weekend’s numbers are weak. Last Halloween had the same trouble, and this one looks like it’s coming in below that”, said David A Gross of Franchise Entertainment Research.
“‘Clayface’ and ‘Wildwood’ would be doing significantly better if kids, teens and young adults weren’t focused on costumes, candy and trick-or-treating — ‘Wildwood’ especially”.
Fourth place went to Black Bear’s “Wicker”, which collected $4.1 million. Olivia Colman stars as a lonely fisherwoman opposite Alexander Skarsgard as her fantastical husband made of wicker.
Paramount’s video game adaptation “Street Fighter” slipped one place from the previous weekend to finish fifth with $3.2 million.
Rounding out the top 10 were the concert film “BTS World Tour – Sao Paulo (Live)”, with $2.8 million; “Resident Evil”, with $2.53 million; and “Other Mommy”, close behind with $2.5 million.
“The Only Living Pickpocket in New York” took ninth place with $1.8 million, while “Heart of the Beast” completed the chart in tenth, earning $1.6 million during the subdued holiday weekend. — AFP
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