'This is awesome': The surprising success of Everything Everywhere at Once

While the director is really only known for the cult comedy 2016 Swiss Armywhere Daniel Radcliffe plays a farting corpse washed up on a beach, social media has amplified interest in Everything Everywhere since premiering on South by Southwest in March.

The film has what the film industry clumsily calls the “coolness factor” because it was made by A24, the American producers-distributors behind hits like Hereditary, Moonlight, female bird, Uncut Gems and Minari as well as TV series Euphoria and Irma Vep.

On tax audits: Stephanie Hsu, Ke Huy Quan, Michelle Yeoh and James Hong in Everything Everywhere at Once.Credit:A24

“Amazing,” said Benji Tamir, program manager for the family-owned Randwick Ritz in Sydney and Classic, Lido and Cameo cinemas in Melbourne.

“We see so many flop films week in and week out, especially independent art house films, so for something that’s done so well is an overwhelming feeling.”

When cinema is launched Everything Everywhere at the Fantastic Film Festival in April, six sold-out sessions almost overnight.

“It’s weird and different,” he said. “It’s long – maybe a little too long – but it’s something fresh.”

The audience is mostly under 30 years old “but also parents by mistake,” Tamir said. “When it first came out, a lot of people thought this was the big sensation they needed to see. Some old people also came, and they didn’t enjoy it.”

Some fans have watched the film for the second, third and fourth time so they can bring friends.

Although there are elements of offbeat hits like Eternal Sunshine of Immaculate Mind and Become John Malkovich crossed with Matrixmore recent hits helped its success.

The chief executive of distributor Roadshow Films, Joel Pearlman, said the multiverse in Spider-Man: No Way Home – repeats in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness – means the audience immediately understands what is happening in the Everything Everywhere.

Michelle Yeoh (left) and Jing Li in Everything Everywhere All at once.Credit:AP

“It’s a very, very unusual film to play this long after it’s made its way to home entertainment platforms,” ​​he said.

Pearlman said it’s also rare for fans to want to talk about what happened – reveal details – after watching it.

“Once we read the script, there were a few things that really stuck out,” he said. “The first was that it was a completely original world that they built and it was immediately interesting. The second is that Michelle Yeoh is almost an old-fashioned movie star, and we feel that this is a very iconic role for her.”

Pearlman expects Everything Everywhere become a staple of the outdoor cinema season during the summer.

Stephanie Hsu in Everything Everywhere at Once.Credit:A24

Even though this is a comedy, there is something about the film that seems to connect with the audience on a deeper level.

There is a heart of shock in the theme: someone who is truly living the worst version of their life gets a chance for redemption; a mother comes to accept a gay daughter; broken families back together; and even two opposites – a tax auditor and his unfortunate subject of investigation – discover their common humanity.

The success of the film shows that audiences have no problem accepting a central character who is not young, white and male, played by an actor who is not a big Hollywood star.

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While mainstream Hollywood relies on adaptations of popular novels, comic books, and TV shows to limit financial risk, the kind of edgy material that A24 specializes in – often bold original ideas and relying on strong shows – can still work in theaters.

Palace Cinemas chief executive Benjamin Zeccola explained Everything Everywhere as a “great art house film” and was not surprised by its success.

“Australians like to go to the cinema to see a good film,” he said. “For anyone who says cinema is a thing of the past, every genre has now established itself as something of value in cinema.”

Zeccola confirmed that fans watched it more than once.

“It’s hard to understand the first time,” he said. “And it certainly stands for a second look.”

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Email the author at gmaddox@smh.com.au and follow him on Twitter at @gmaddox.

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