Elizabeth Holmes Documentary ‘You Can See Everything’ Beats Tom Cruise’s ‘Digger’ in 4 Days

Avatar photoRobert Milaković
Digger movie You can see everything
Share:

Hollywood is buzzing with a classic David-versus-Goliath box office tale this fall. On one side, we have a high-budget star vehicle, and on the other, an almost three-hour documentary produced for a fraction of the cost. The box office performance of ‘You Can See Everything’ is quickly emerging as the sleeper hit of the season.

The Goliath in this scenario is ‘Digger,’ a satire directed by Alejandro G. Iñárritu featuring Tom Cruise as oil tycoon Digger Rockwell. Released on October 2, it had a production budget reported between $125 million and $150 million. The film opened to a disappointing $8 million in the US and Canada, totaling around $20 million globally, marking the lowest opening for Cruise in nearly two decades.

In a surprising turn, A24’s documentary has outperformed it. After just four days in theaters, ‘You Can See Everything’ has grossed approximately $18 million domestically, surpassing ‘Digger’s’ $17 million earnings. This is particularly impressive considering ‘Digger’ had a two-week head start.

The statistics behind this achievement are remarkable. ‘You Can See Everything’ debuted on October 16 across only 855 screens, earning an estimated $15 million with over 2,000 sold-out showings, according to A24. This marks the largest opening for a non-concert documentary since Michael Moore’s ‘Fahrenheit 9/11’ in 2004 and the biggest for any film on fewer than 1,000 screens since ‘Borat’ in 2006.

The documentary finished second at the weekend box office, trailing only the video game adaptation ‘Street Fighter,’ which opened on 3,575 screens. Its per-screen average of $17,544 significantly outperformed the leader’s $8,671.

The film boasts an impressive pedigree, co-directed by ‘The Rehearsal’ creator Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim. Running 174 minutes, it chronicles the final weeks of Elizabeth Holmes, founder of Theranos, before she begins an 11-year prison sentence for defrauding investors. It premiered unexpectedly at the Telluride Film Festival last month and currently holds a 99% score on Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic, along with an A- CinemaScore.

Screenshot 2026 10 16 at 21 13 19 You Can See Everything Rotten Tomatoes

The contrast with ‘Digger’ is striking. ‘You Can See Everything’ reportedly cost under $7 million to produce and less than $10 million for marketing, meaning it is already nearing profitability after just one weekend. In contrast, ‘Digger’ has seen ticket sales drop by about 60% in its second weekend and holds a Rotten Tomatoes score of 51%.

Audience demographics also play a crucial role. Over 70% of the opening weekend audience for the documentary was under 35, mirroring trends seen in other successful films this year like ‘Backrooms’ and ‘Obsession.’ This indicates that younger viewers are eager to attend events that feel significant, even when the film runs nearly three hours and centers on a business scandal.

The documentary has also outperformed other major nonfiction releases this year. Amazon MGM’s ‘Melania’ opened with $7.1 million and concluded its entire domestic run at approximately $16 million, a figure that ‘You Can See Everything’ nearly matched in just one weekend.

Screenshot 2026 10 03 at 08 58 38 Digger 2026 Rotten Tomatoes

The biggest challenge lies ahead. The film is set for a wider nationwide release this weekend, which should capitalize on the buzz and sold-out shows from its limited debut. Its current theatrical-only status, with no streaming date announced, adds to the urgency for audiences to experience it on the big screen.

For ‘Digger,’ the outlook appears grim. After 17 days in theaters, it has earned around $17.2 million domestically and is now showing on fewer than 800 screens. While Cruise has stated he doesn’t focus on opening weekend numbers, the stark contrast with a documentary that cost significantly less is hard to overlook.

Overall, these figures highlight the unpredictability of the current box office landscape. A scrappy, critically acclaimed documentary featuring a cult comedian has outperformed one of the biggest movie stars in the world, and it achieved this before reaching most theaters.

Have something to add? Let us know in the comments!

Share: