- “Glass Onion” director Rian Johnson said he was “pissed off” about the movie’s subtitle.
- He told The Atlantic that he wants the “Knives Out” sequels to be “self-contained.”
- “Glass Onion” debuted on Netflix on Friday.
“Knives Out” was a surprise hit in 2019, grossing $300 million at the worldwide box office after being made for just $40 million.
But despite the name recognition, director Rian Johnson still wasn’t thrilled to have “Knives Out” in the title of his sequel, “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery,” which hit Netflix on Friday.
“I’ve tried hard to make them self-contained,” Johnson told The Atlantic’s David Sims in an interview published Monday. “Honestly, I’m pissed off that we have ‘A Knives Out Mystery’ in the title. You know? I want it to just be called ‘Glass Onion.'”
Whether it’s partly due to the familiar subtitle or not, “Glass Onion” appears to be a hit on Netflix. It’s been the No. 1 most-popular movie on the streamer in the US since it debuted.
“I get it, and I want everyone who liked the first movie to know this is next in the series, but also, the whole appeal to me is it’s a new novel off the shelf every time,” Johnson added. “But there’s a gravity of a thousand suns toward serialized storytelling.”
Netflix nabbed the rights to two “Knives Out” sequels last year, meaning viewers can expect a follow-up to “Glass Onion.”
The deal was worth more than $400 million, according to The Hollywood Reporter and Deadline. Johnson, his producing partner Ram Bergman, and star Daniel Craig were each expected to earn around $100 million as part of the agreement, THR reported.
Netflix gave “Glass Onion” a one-week theatrical release in 600 theaters last month, including for the first time in all three major cinema chains: AMC, Regal, and Cinemark.
But industry observers feel it could have been a big hit with a more robust theatrical release.
Netflix doesn’t report box-office figures, but THR and Variety reported that it earned $13 million to $15 million in its first weekend. Shawn Robbins, the Box Office Pro chief analyst, told Insider that was an accurate estimate based on his observations of pre-sale tickets and pre-release tracking.
“I think this should make Netflix rethink how it approaches high-profile movies like this,” Robbins said.
But Netflix has been steadfast in its strategy. During Netflix’s most recent earnings call in October, co-CEO Ted Sarandos said: “We’re in the business of entertaining our members with Netflix movies on Netflix.”
Sarandos added that a theatrical release for a Netflix movie can “build anticipation for the film and build buzz for the film” before it’s available to stream.
Related Post
- “Glass Onion” director Rian Johnson said he was “pissed off” about the movie’s subtitle.
- He told The Atlantic that he wants the “Knives Out” sequels to be “self-contained.”
- “Glass Onion” debuted on Netflix on Friday.
“Knives Out” was a surprise hit in 2019, grossing $300 million at the worldwide box office after being made for just $40 million.
But despite the name recognition, director Rian Johnson still wasn’t thrilled to have “Knives Out” in the title of his sequel, “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery,” which hit Netflix on Friday.
“I’ve tried hard to make them self-contained,” Johnson told The Atlantic’s David Sims in an interview published Monday. “Honestly, I’m pissed off that we have ‘A Knives Out Mystery’ in the title. You know? I want it to just be called ‘Glass Onion.'”
Whether it’s partly due to the familiar subtitle or not, “Glass Onion” appears to be a hit on Netflix. It’s been the No. 1 most-popular movie on the streamer in the US since it debuted.
“I get it, and I want everyone who liked the first movie to know this is next in the series, but also, the whole appeal to me is it’s a new novel off the shelf every time,” Johnson added. “But there’s a gravity of a thousand suns toward serialized storytelling.”
Netflix nabbed the rights to two “Knives Out” sequels last year, meaning viewers can expect a follow-up to “Glass Onion.”
The deal was worth more than $400 million, according to The Hollywood Reporter and Deadline. Johnson, his producing partner Ram Bergman, and star Daniel Craig were each expected to earn around $100 million as part of the agreement, THR reported.
Netflix gave “Glass Onion” a one-week theatrical release in 600 theaters last month, including for the first time in all three major cinema chains: AMC, Regal, and Cinemark.
But industry observers feel it could have been a big hit with a more robust theatrical release.
Netflix doesn’t report box-office figures, but THR and Variety reported that it earned $13 million to $15 million in its first weekend. Shawn Robbins, the Box Office Pro chief analyst, told Insider that was an accurate estimate based on his observations of pre-sale tickets and pre-release tracking.
“I think this should make Netflix rethink how it approaches high-profile movies like this,” Robbins said.
But Netflix has been steadfast in its strategy. During Netflix’s most recent earnings call in October, co-CEO Ted Sarandos said: “We’re in the business of entertaining our members with Netflix movies on Netflix.”
Sarandos added that a theatrical release for a Netflix movie can “build anticipation for the film and build buzz for the film” before it’s available to stream.
