SCOTT DETROW, HOST:
The No. 1 film at the box office this past weekend was the martial arts action flick "Street Fighter," but NPR's Bob Mondello says it is the film that came in second that is causing a stir.
BOB MONDELLO, BYLINE: It's sort of a dream matchup, a tech mogul convicted of defrauding investors and a comedian famous for mixing truth and fiction.
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NATHAN FIELDER: You really feel you did nothing wrong?
ELIZABETH HOLMES: I did not.
MONDELLO: Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes is currently in prison for falsely claiming to have a device that could run hundreds of medical tests from just a pinprick of blood. In "You Can See Everything," she is interrogated by TV's "Nathan For You" comedian Nathan Fielder.
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FIELDER: Where did things get lost? Like, how are you where you are right now?
HOLMES: I wish I knew, you know?
MONDELLO: The almost three-hour movie was on no one's radar until about two months ago. A24, the studio that released the surprise horror blockbuster "Backrooms" this summer, had produced it in secret and sneaked it into the Telluride Film Festival without even a title reveal. Then a scene from it went viral online.
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FIELDER: You're being real right now?
(SOUNDBITE OF BABY COOING)
HOLMES: I'm always being real.
MONDELLO: As did talk of a midfilm surprise.
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HOLMES: I'm not that person. I can promise you that.
MONDELLO: And this weekend, with spoiler-averse crowds flocking to theaters nationwide, "You Can See Everything" earned an unexpectedly impressive $15 million, the second best opening ever for a nonmusic documentary. With fewer than 900 theaters showing the film, that averages out to more than $17,000 per screen. Theaters were far less full for the weekend's No. 1 film, "Street Fighter."
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CALLINA LIANG: (As Chun-Li) The fiercest, deadliest fighters on Earth.
ERIC ANDRE: (As Don Sauvage) This is Street Fighter.
MONDELLO: It played in many more theaters but earned less than half as much per screen. "You Can See Everything" also earned some of the best reviews of the year and had lines around the block in major cities, all of which has industry observers buzzing about possible best picture nominations come awards season.
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BILLY EVANS: I know what you're feeling.
FIELDER: No, you don't.
MONDELLO: It also has theater owners clamoring to book the film in additional locations. Not surprisingly, next weekend, "You Can See Everything" will expand its run so that more moviegoers can see everything. Bob Mondello, NPR News.
(SOUNDBITE OF RADIOHEAD SONG, "NO SURPRISES") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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