Why the internet says ‘You Can See Everything’ must be seen in theaters

You Can See Everything has the internet in a chokehold. Since that teaser first dropped, people have been fascinated by the very idea that comedian Nathan Fielder made a documentary about infamous Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes. Then came a flood of praise from critics. Wild rumors about the movie’s contents sprung up online. Finally, last weekend, the public had the chance to see if You Can See Everything lived up to the hype, and they came out in force.

Making $15 million its opening weekend, You Can See Everything broke a record for the best opening of a documentary in a decade, according to Deadline. That record was briefly held by Melania, which made $7.1 million earlier this year. Making this achievement all the more remarkable, You Can See Everything is playing in fewer than 1,000 theaters across the U.S. and is nearly three hours long.

And the hype is not dying down. Fans are not only taking to social media to talk spoilers but also urging others not just to see the movie, but to see it in theaters. But not for the reasons you might think.

Often, when critics say “see it in theaters,” we mean that the cinematic spectacle a filmmaker has created deserves to be seen on the biggest screen possible with a top-notch immersive stereo system to match. When fandoms urge folks to go to theaters, they might also mean that a big box office could lead to more movies like this being made. But You Can See Everything fans have a different reason: This film demands to be experienced in a crowd.

This sentiment can be found on numerous posts on Threads, ranging from minor spoilers to major ones. Then there are brief, spoiler-free reviews, like this one:

Meanwhile, on X, similar sentiments of enthusiasm were echoed.

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On TikTok, some posted video of the lobby, following their screenings, where audience members stood around in groups to converse. While user Tyler Dema shared how watching You Can See Everything with a crowd was a terrific and unique experience. He explained, “Watching You Can See Everything in an theater packed with people is undoubtedly the way that god and Nathan Fielder intended it to be. We were all gooped and gasping and guffawing together. It…really gave you a sense of community at what a wild journey we all took together. It was beautiful.”

This reflected my own experience at the film’s New York Film Festival premiere, from which I wrote in my review, “As a movie, it’s a hell of an experience. Personally, I gasped, shouted, laughed, and even gagged.” What I left out is that I wasn’t alone. The theater was booming with vocal explosions. And to be a part of that, all you have to do is go to the theater and experience it for yourself.

You Can See Everything Is Now playing in theaters.