As the third film approaches, a new report indicates that Daniel Craig and Rian Johnson are reportedly unhappy with Netflix over the Knives out lack of theatrical future for the franchise. After Johnson’s cop wowed audiences and critics in 2019, Netflix purchased the rights to two more sequels to the series, following Craig’s gentleman detective Benoit Blanc. In Glass onion: a mystery with knivesIn the story, Benoit joined a close-knit group of wealthy friends on a private island, where a game of murder mystery led to the revelation of several sinister truths.
While Glass onion: a mystery with knives was able to keep up with and live up to the critical claims of its predecessors among viewers and the public, Disc News reports that the handling of its release caused divisions between creatives and higher-ups at Netflix. It is reported that Neither Johnson nor Craig were pleased with the film’s one-week limited theatrical release in December 2021, with the actor raising the issue with Sarandos after witnessing the ovation the film received at its Toronto premiere. Craig stated that the film being warmly embraced by audiences should be proof that it would be worth investing in a longer theatrical run.
Despite Craig’s evidence, Sarandos stood firm and stated that such a release simply wouldn’t fit the streaming service’s model. Craig responded bluntly stating that the “model is f—-d“with the actor’s response becoming a well-known sentiment among industry professionals.
What do we know about Glass OnionBox office results?
The sequel did not live up to the success of its predecessor with its limited run
Although critics and audiences were pleased with Glass Onion and allowed the film to become the service’s most-watched original film until the release of its 2024 fantasy film Maidenits theatrical run was unable to become a box office success at the time of its theatrical run. The film was only released in 600 cinemas for a single week from November 23rd to November 29th in the US, along with a similar limited release in international markets.
However, despite being the service’s biggest theatrical release to date, the film would still only gross approximately $15 million at the end of its brief theatrical run. It is reported that Glass OnionThe film’s budget was closer to its predecessor’s $40 million, so its box office run on Netflix’s final season failed to recoup half of its budget. It also proved to be a far cry from the box office success of the first film, which grossed just under $313 million worldwide.
Our thoughts on Craig & Johnson’s Glass Onion Netflix fallout
Could Netflix’s relationship with the filmmaker end?
While he may have brought success to the platform, Johnson is notably at odds with the streaming service on several cinematic positions. Johnson is a passionate advocate for theatrical distributionencouraging the streamer to experiment with theatrical releases and even joining a group of acclaimed directors in purchasing the Westwood Village theater in Los Angeles, along with their hopes of seeing Glass Onion receive a rare home release from Netflix.
As such, it is uncertain whether Johnson and Craig’s contrasting stance with Netflix may have affected their agreements following the release of the already agreed upon and already filmed third installment, Wake up Dead Mansince the streamer just bought the rights and Glass Oniondespite Johnson’s intentions to make more mysteries about Benoit Blanc, which means they may choose to do the Knives out franchise elsewhere. With Craig and Johnson eager to see the third film released in theaters and the third film reportedly having a budget of $210 million, it may be in Netflix’s favor to give the 2025 film a bigger theatrical run.
Source: Disc News