Nathan Fielder’s film You Can See Everything, about the incarcerated Elizabeth Holmes at the centre of the Theranos scandal has created its own release strategy controversy. A24’s decision to release in the US over the weekend, while leaving the rest of the world in suspense for another month has actually generated ire and frustration among cinephiles – instead of anticipation. We won’t delve too deeply into what the film is, very few will because of its experiential nature, and I suppose that’s what is making this issue so fraught among the film community. The film is an experiential masterpiece, but You Can See Everything ironically can only be seen if you’re in North America. With the documentary breaking records reaching an incredible $15M domestic opening at the weekend, the month long wait is driving audiences nuts.
A film would come out 20 years ago and you knew with almost 100% certainty, that America would see it first. Domestic dominates always, this is nothing new, and release dates are generally anchored around the North American release, with international territories staggering their release dates after the US. This is a well-worn strategy by the way, marketing and publicity efforts in the US always spill over into the rest of the world, so it ripples across the pond without having to spend anything additional.
Then there’s the type of domestic release approach. For a smaller film, it makes sense to do a “platform release” ie. Put them on a platform of sorts in key cinema sites, for example some key independents on the East and West coasts, let momentum build and then expand out further – this worked well for The Brutalist which was also A24. It means that there aren’t a load of empty seats in cinemas where word of mouth hasn’t reached yet, meaning there’s a better chance at sustaining a longer run, and therefore more box office.
In a viral world however, a staggered release date across territories is becoming increasingly untenable. Post COVID this was evident as the US and rest of world release dates slowly started closing the gap. Some films are even released day and date with the US (ie. Released on the same date.), particularly large Marvel films with huge spoilers that simply can’t be contained with the advent of the internet. There is simply no point, those films are generally front loaded (a lot of their money is made in opening weekend) so it makes sense to release on the same day.
But for the young distributor kids on the block, A24 are as ever doing their own thing. It worked wonders for The Brutalist, the 3 hour epic that did well at the Oscars. Here they are with another 3 hour masterpiece, which by all accounts is in the running to be the first documentary nominated for Best Picture, and the anticipation is turning to anger. No doubt it was strategic to release in the US first where the Theranos scandal initiated, the domestic audience are more aware of this local issue. But in a viral world, audiences are desperate to watch simultaneously. They can’t see everything… yet.
You Can See Everything is in cinemas in the UK and Ireland on 20th November..
