Netflix bets big on "Knives out" sequel with $450m deal

When it comes to breaking records, it’s all or nothing. Three years ago, in a wild auction involving streaming giants Netflix, Apple+, and Amazon Prime Video, the rights to produce the second and third parts of "Knives Out" were sold for $450 million! On June 10, filming began for "Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery." The director published the first photo of Daniel Craig.

The first part of "Knives Out" was a theatrical production but produced outside a major studio. It had a relatively modest budget by Hollywood standards ($40 million) and was not initially considered a hit before its release. However, thanks to very good reviews and audience opinions, the crime story achieved spectacular success, especially in the United States, where it earned $165 million in cinemas.

Overall, "Knives Out" grossed $310 million worldwide in cinemas, which, given its small budget, made it one of the most profitable Hollywood films of 2019. The icing on the cake was three Golden Globe nominations (including for Daniel Craig and Ana de Armas) and an Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay, authored by the film’s director, Rian Johnson.

"Knives Out" was an independent production, so the rights to produce and distribute the sequels could be sold to platforms not associated with major studios. And so, in the wild auction, Netflix won. It cost them $400 million. Then, of course, they still had to pay for the film's production, which was a relatively small expense overall. The sequel cost $40 million.

Did this very costly investment pay off for Netflix? "Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery" is currently only the tenth hit in the streaming platform's history. 136.3 million users watched it. While this is not a bad result, it fell short of the record achievement of "Red Notice" by nearly 100 million viewers.

The third part of "Knives Out" has been titled "Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery." The director published the first photo from the set on the day filming began, showing Daniel Craig. The actor looks significantly different than in the previous two parts. He has long hair and a bigger beard.