'Glass Onion' Heads to Netflix After Big Theatrical Debut
by EG
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery did respectable business when it was released in theaters back in November, but the plan all along was to move the Knives Out sequel to the Netflix streaming platform quickly. Now the mystery film is available for streaming, and it's performing well. Its initial viewership numbers weren't enough to bring to the top of Netflix's list of movie debuts, but it is definitely generating interest. Read on for details.
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, the Rian Johnson film that renewed the conversation over the coexistence of theaters and streaming services, has become Netflix’s sixth biggest film debut.
Glass Onion was streamed 82.1 million hours in the first three days since bowing Dec. 23, the streaming service said Tuesday. That puts it behind Sandra Bullock’s The Unforgivable (85.86. million hours) and The Gray Man, the pricey Ryan Gosling-Chris Evans feature that bowed to 88.55 million hours in July. Those films stand Netflix’s No. 5 and No. 4 debuts, respectively, since since the streamer began releasing such records in 2021.
Johnson pushed for Glass Onion to have a noteworthy theatrical component, and it became the first Netflix title to receive a theatrical release from all three major chains (AMC Theatres, Cinemark Theatres and Regal Cinemas). Netflix did not report grosses, but distribution sources told The Hollywood Reporter at the time that it brought in around $13 million over the five-day holiday, a strong number for a feature bowing in under 700 theaters, though the film left millions on the table by not getting a traditional theatrical release. It departed theaters after one week.
The first Knives Out, released by Lionsgate theatrically in 2019, was a sleeper hit and grossed $41.4 million from 3,461 locations over the five-day Thanksgiving holiday.
Get the rest of the story at The Hollywood Reporter.