Knives Out
is an incredibly popular series of mystery movies that can be found on Netflix, but unlike most movies on the streamer, it also had a theatrical release. Rian Johnson is the writer and director behind the Knives Out franchise, but it’s not the first outing for the director. Early in Johnson’s career as a writer and director, he was fortunate to become a contributor to another incredibly popular series, Breaking Bad. Simultaneously, Johnson was able to create and release the film Looper, starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Bruce Willis, which helped establish him as a feature film director for more mainstream movies.

His next big break then came in 2017, when Johnson stepped up to direct Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi. And from there, Johnson went on to direct and write the Knives Out movies, while he continued to work on some other projects, such as Poker Face and numerous upcoming shows and films. However, while Netflix has since acquired the rights to the franchise, they boldly opted to allow the franchise to continue releasing movies in theaters, despite being Netflix Originals.

Knives Out Was Distributed By Lionsgate And Had A Wide Theatrical Release

Knives Out First Appeared In Festivals Before Moving On To Theaters

The thing is, when Knives Out was first playing in 2019, it was developed with private funding, to create an independent movie that was then shopped around at film festivals. It was here that the film drew incredible attention due to the clever, witty, and creative approach the film had to the usual mystery whodunnit genre. Johnson had largely played in the sci-fi space up to this point, but the film gained enough notoriety and acclaim at these festivals to land a distribution deal with Lionsgate, which meant Knives Out had a much larger platform.

The film’s theatrical run led to incredible success, with the movie earning $312 million at the box office (via Box Office Mojo). And at this stage, the film, which also received a nomination for an Oscar, was being courted to create another sequel. Within a short span of time, a sequel was approved, but before things progressed, Netflix expressed interest in the franchise’s future. Evidently, the culmination of popularity, nominations, and awards meant that the movie was a H๏τ ʙuттon topic, and Rian Johnson became one of the more sought after young directors on the market.

Netflix Bought The Rights For Two Knives Out Sequels In 2021

Netflix Headhunted Rian Johnson For More Mystery Stories

As mentioned above, Netflix stepped in to discussions about sequels and acquiring the rights. They paid a whopping sum of $469 million to secure the exclusive rights for the next two Knives Out sequels (via THR), which was evidently a significantly larger sum than the entire box office of Knives Out. Netflix saw big potential in the series, and the director, Rian Johnson, was establishing a promising career within the industry. But acquiring the rights came at a cost for Netflix, beyond even the original sum they purchased the films for.

Netflix often prides itself on having a diverse and expansive range of films and TV shows that are released on the platform every week. However, despite some attempts at the mystery genre, it appears that Netflix was prepared to negotiate and make concessions with the visionary director in order to secure a promising series of movies. Of course, Knives Out now has a reputation as a tense and wonderful psychological whodunnit, and the sequel, Glᴀss Onion, though it received somewhat less praise, stands out as another major triumph for Johnson. And that is partially down to the unique release the film experienced.

Glᴀss Onion Had A Limited Theatrical Release Before Dropping On Netflix

Glᴀss Onion Adopted A Hybrid Release Online And In Theaters

Over the years, Netflix has begun dipping its toes into the world of theatrical releases. However, this model does directly go against the foundational idea of a streaming service which creates original films for the platform, only to then debut those films in theaters. In order to satisfy both the need for an occasional theatrical release, and the paying subscribers, the window for these releases is typically very short, averaging about two weeks to a month. And aside from theatrical releases, Netflix has put a larger effort into premiering some of their original тιтles at film festivals around the world.

But when it came to releasing Johnson’s follow-up movie to Knives Out, Glᴀss Onion, having a theatrical release was a must. Evidently, fans of the first movie were eager to see the sequel in theaters, and this sentiment was echoed by the director, who was used to having his big releases come out on the big screen. Releasing the movie to theaters for a brief run before it debuted on Netflix also meant the movie qualified for awards, and it built anticipation for the movie ahead of its arrival on Netflix. And Netflix continues to see value in doing theatrical releases for big тιтles, such as the upcoming Greta Gerwig Chronicles of Narnia тιтles.

Will Wake Up ᴅᴇᴀᴅ Man Get A Theatrical Release Before Its Netflix Premiere?

Netflix And Johnson Have Yet To Confirm The Release Plans For Knives Out 3

While a theatrical release has yet to be explicitly confirmed for the third entry in the Knives Out franchise, Wake Up ᴅᴇᴀᴅ Man is likely to have a brief theatrical run similar to Glᴀss Onion. At this stage, Johnson has been able to have these films debut in theaters twice, so it is highly unlikely that he would be willing to walk back on that idea now. In addition, it is one of the largest releases by Netflix, which has an established pattern of appearing in the theaters, albeit only for a short time. With the movie expected to debut in late 2025, it would make sense for it to also have a brief run in cinemas.

While this may not be ideal for the Netflix subscribers who pay to see Netflix Originals like this first, opening the film up to the public and potential awards could have a huge impact on the future success of the franchise. With updates and news for Wake Up ᴅᴇᴀᴅ Man coming more frequently in recent weeks and months, it is expected to make an official announcement at some point in the next couple of months regarding the theatrical release. As a result, Wake Up ᴅᴇᴀᴅ Man is highly unlikely to be the last film in the series.