There’s no denying the convenience of an exciting movie landing on Netflix and fans around the world all being able to check out the experience from the comfort of their own homes, though another undeniable argument is that there’s nothing quite like enjoying a movie in a theater. In this sense, while Daniel Craig is excited about the upcoming release of Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery on Netflix, he’s also encouraging the platform to bring the movie to theaters. The previous installment from Netflix, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, landed in theaters for a week, with Craig hoping the next entry gets to enjoy a longer run in cinemas. Wake Up Dead Man is expected to be released sometime in 2025.
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“You know I do,” Craig admitted to Variety when asked if he wants the sequel to screen for more than a week. “Hopefully, Netflix will push it out a bit, and people will get to see it. The people I speak to — the fans, I suppose — all they want to do is take their families and go see it at the cinemas. That’s all they want to do. Hopefully we can give them that experience.”
The Knives Out series comes from writer/director Rian Johnson, who unveiled the first entry in theaters in 2019, his first major release since the divisive Star Wars: The Last Jedi. Despite featuring a star-studded ensemble that included Craig, Chris Evans, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Ana de Armas, the movie was still considered a surprise success, as it went on to score $313 million on a reported budget of only $40 million. Not just a hit with audiences, it was also a major critical success, as it stands at 97% positive reviews on aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes.
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The tremendous financial and critical success of Knives Out resulted in a bidding war among distributors, which Netflix ultimately won, for more entries in the series. The deal was set for two more entries, and while Glass Onion only scored a week-long run at 600 theaters, this is the widest release a Netflix original has earned. Other movies, like last year’s The Killer, May December, and Rebel Moon — Part One: A Child of Fire, did earn theatrical presentations, though typically as part of film festivals or as limited-time engagements.
Understandably, Netflix is first and foremost a streaming platform so it wants to incentivize subscribers to watch their offerings at home, with theatrical screenings being exceptions to honor agreements with filmmakers or to meet criteria for awards consideration.
Also starring in the upcoming Wake Up Dead Man are Josh O’Connor, Glenn Close, Josh Brolin, Mila Kunis, Jeremy Renner, Kerry Washington, Andrew Scott, Cailee Spaeny, Daryl McCormack, and Thomas Haden Church.
Stay tuned for updates on Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery before it debuts in 2025.
Are you hoping the sequel gets a theatrical release? Contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter or on Instagram to talk all things Star Wars and horror!
