Rian Johnson Wants Netflix to Give Full Theatrical Rollout for ‘Knives Out: Wake Up Dead Man’

Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos recently called movie theaters an "outdated concept" during his appearance at the Time100 Summit. However, his viewpoint isn't universally shared among filmmakers who work with the streaming platform.

During an interview with Rian Johnson, Business Insider asked the filmmaker, known for creating the hit ‘Knives Out’ movies on Netflix, whether he agreed with Ted Sarandos' remarks.

Obviously, I don't, because I love movies. I love going to see movies, but also, I have a feeling talking to Ted, it would be a different thing than one quote taken and kind of tossed at me in this context. So, I don't want to phrase this as I'm having a proxy discussion with Ted right here.

Nonetheless, Johnson firmly expressed his belief that audiences still enjoy going to the movies, and that “theatrical is not going anywhere,” citing the strong box office performance of Ryan Coogler’s “Sinners” and “A Minecraft Movie” as evidence.

I think we've seen if you put a movie people want to see in the theaters, they are going to show up for it, and that experience of being in a full house and having that experience is so important. It's something that I love and I want more of in the world.

Netflix has also offered limited theatrical runs for certain films, such as Johnson’s 2022 title “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery,” which played on approximately 700 screens. Greta Gerwig’s upcoming adaptation of ‘Narnia’ is likewise slated for an IMAX release ahead of its Netflix debut on Christmas. As for Johnson, he’s hopeful that the next installment in the Knives Out series, ‘Wake Up Dead Man,’ expected to arrive this fall, will be shown in more theaters than ‘Glass Onion’ was.

I want this in as many theaters for as long as possible. We're going to push for everything we can get in terms of theatrical, because I want as many people as possible to see it in that form.

In April 2021, Netflix shook the film world when it announced it was purchasing the rights to two ‘Knives Out’ sequels from Johnson in a deal worth a reported $400M.

A recent piece had Johnson, and his ‘Knives Out’ lead Daniel Craig, “not happy” with Netflix’s “business model.” Their ire was aimed directly towards 2022’s ‘Glass Onion’ not getting a proper theatrical run. According to Deadline’s sources, the ‘Knives Out’ sequel could have ended up making $600M worldwide if it had been released in theaters.

Of course, Netflix has another opportunity to pivot this year with ‘Wake Up Dead Man,’ but Deadline’s sources believe the streamer will not budge for that one either. Netflix might again be throwing away easy money, refusing to support chains and exhibitors, just because they have a “business model.”