Netflix releasing Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery in major theaters might mean more for the streamer than just a premiere.
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery will be released for a sneak preview in theaters with a historic deal Netflix made with AMC, Regal, and Cinemark. Netflix's original films have had theatrical releases for a while now, but this is the first time the streaming platform has made a deal with the three top movie exhibitors in the US. Usually, a Netflix Original is released at a prominent film festival such as Sundance or Cannes, followed by a smaller theater release a few days ahead of its streaming release. This time, the biggest theaters in the US will let the public get a sneak peek at Glass Onion a month before its release on Netflix.
Typically, groups like AMC, Regal, and Cinemark tend not to cooperate with big streaming platforms like Netflix. But as theatrical release windows shrink from 3 months to about 45 days, movie theaters need more films to pack their schedule. And with streaming-only releases lacking the punch that theatrical releases have, Netflix can use this opportunity to give its originals a boost. With Knives Out a huge success at the box office in 2019, Netflix hopes to capitalize on it with Glass Onion and possibly more movies in theaters in the future. This deal could be the start of something big for Netflix.
Netflix, having done limited theatrical releases in the past, is no stranger to having its movies put into theaters. But Glass Onion is an individual case. Though its release will also be quite limited, the nature of the deal is what is important here, and Glass Onion is the perfect film to make it. When Knives Out premiered in 2019, it made a huge splash at the box office, making $311 million. Immediately, Netflix ordered two sequels from director Rian Johnson. Now Netflix's Glass Onion offers a unique opportunity to exhibitors.
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The Knives Out sequel had an auspicious premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, gaining a 91% on Rotten Tomatoes and 8/10 on IMDb. With good numbers to start with and a solid group of fans from the original film, Glass Onion is a very secure movie to bet on for theatrical success. Another benefit the film will get is its release date set at the end of November.
Thanksgiving usually sees a bump in movie theater attendance. That’s when the first Knives Out movie was released, and it did quite well. Although Glass Onion will only be in theaters for seven days, Knives Out had the impressive statistic of making $41 million over its 5-day opening. If Glass Onion lives up to that hype, then even a short time in theaters will certainly be worth it. Besides, small theaters are known for keeping Netflix originals playing even after they’ve transitioned to the streaming platform. Glass Onion could see success on both big and small screens.
Exhibitors and streaming sites have never worked too well together. The two have seen each other as competing industries for a long time, and there have been previous difficulties between Netflix and some bigger streaming companies. When they tried to sell AMC The Irishman in 2019, they and Cineworld refused to play it. The reason being that large theaters usually demand exclusive 3-month rights to the movie, thus preventing Netflix from releasing it online until much later.
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Now there’s been a change in the movie theater business, largely due to the pandemic. Obviously, theaters experienced a big slump in attendance during 2020 and 2021, and they still haven’t fully recovered. The entertainment industry, unable to produce or release any films, also found itself on the other side of the pandemic with a compacted schedule to release a lot of late movies and restart the engine on as many productions as possible.
With this 3-month theatrical release window squished to about 45 days, Netflix finds itself in a unique position of providing its limited releases to theaters and still being able to release them online a month later with measurable success. Now the two find common ground. Netflix gets the notoriety of a big theatrical release, and the theaters get a good movie that will put buts in seats and keep their titles fresh. The deal means we could start seeing many more Netflix movies in theaters before they’re released on the streaming site. This could be the peace treaty that finally marries the two ways of watching films.
Deadline quoted Glass Onion’s director Rian Johnson as saying:
“I’m over the moon that Netflix has worked with AMC, Regal and Cinemark to get Glass Onion in theaters for this one of a kind sneak preview. These movies are made to thrill audiences, and I can’t wait to feel the energy of the crowd as they experience Glass Onion. Between this and the release on Netflix in December, I’m excited that audiences around the world will be able to enjoy the film!”
Glass Onion will come out in theaters on November 23rd to the 29th. It will then be released on Netflix on December 23rd.
Ted Bajer is a Features Writer for Movieweb and world traveling digital nomad. He uses his close eye on the entertainment industry to help inform his screenplays and hopes to one day publish an exclusive interview with himself for his new movie.