Daniel Craig would really like to see the next Knives Out get a proper theatrical release
Daniel Craig is hoping Benoit Blanc fans have a bit more time to wake up and get themselves to a theater to see Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery than they did with 2022's Glass Onion. "You know I do," the James Bond veteran answered when Variety asked if he hoped the upcoming Knives Out installment would get a longer theatrical window than its predecessor. The Netflix release somewhat infamously only played in theaters for a single week.
"Hopefully, Netflix will push it out a bit, and people will get to see it," he continued. "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."
According to Variety, Glass Onion's release—despite the limited window—was and is still a bit of an anomaly for the streamer. It was the first Netflix film to ever play at AMC and Regal locations, and, with the 600 theaters that screened it, remains the widest release the streamer has done to date. Still, that's nothing compared to the series' original Lionsgate outing in 2019, which became a word-of-mouth hit at the box office to the tune of $312 million globally. Glass Onion brought in $13 million domestically during its weeklong run, and did not screen in other territories.
With those numbers in mind, it makes sense that Craig would be more than a little peeved about Netflix's model. According to Matthew Belloni of Puck News, this isn't the first time he's publicly expressed his disappointment either. Apparently, the star had some choice words for Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos after Glass Onion received a lengthy ovation following its Toronto International Film Festival premiere in 2022. Reportedly, Craig pointed to the ovation as evidence that the film should get a longer theatrical window, to which Sarandos responded with a version of his tried and true "not our model" mantra. To this, Craig apparently responded with "a variation on 'Your model is fucked.'"
As of this writing, no official premiere date or release strategy for Wake Up Dead Man has been announced. The Rian Johnson-directed film, which is expected sometime in 2025, also stars Josh O'Connor, Cailee Spaeny, Andrew Scott, Mila Kunis, Jeremy Renner, Thomas Haden Church, Glenn Close, Daryl McCormack, Kerry Washington, and Josh Brolin.