Netflix and traditional cinema are usually mortal enemies; many film organizations don’t even want to count Netflix movies as eligible for awards, while Netflix would generally love for you to stay home and watch The Adam Project instead. However, the two warring factions appear to have struck a temporary deal, as Rian Johnson’s Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery will spend a week in theaters this fall before its Christmas release.
From Wednesday, November 23 through November 29, director Rian Johnson is getting his wish: You’ll be able to see Glass Onion in theaters as part of what Netflix calls a “theatrical preview event.” AMC, Regal and Cinemark theaters participate in the event. However, this is not a full theatrical release. While a full theatrical release would typically consist of 2,000-3,000 screens, Glass Onion will be shown on just 600. Once the run ends on November 29, the film will be gone until its release on Netflix on December 23.
TWITTER PEOPLE! Ahead of our big holiday release on Netflix, this Thanksgiving GLASS ONION will have a special week-long SNEAK THEATRICAL PREVIEW EVENT. HUGE thanks to @AMCTeaters @RegalMovies @Cinemark and more. I am very, VERY excited about this.
—Rian Johnson (@rianjohnson) October 6, 2022
This is a noteworthy move given the inherently antagonistic relationship between Netflix and theaters, but it seems to indicate more of this sort of thing. AMC head Adam Aron said Netflix and theaters have “cracked the code,” while Cineworld CEO Mooky Greidinger said the “experiment is a breakthrough for both the film industry and Netflix and can pave the way for stronger cooperation in the future as a big Netflix company.” Cheap movies surely belong on the big screen first.”
Glass Onion has performed well with critics thus far and has a 91% score on Rotten Tomatoes. Netflix acquired Glass Onion and a potential sequel in April 2021 for $465 million. The film will re-star Daniel Craig as southern-born detective Benoit Blanc, but he is the only returning cast member that we are currently aware of. Instead, his new mystery will deal with a whole new group of suspects, including Dave Bautista, Jessica Henwick, Ethan Hawke, Kate Hudson, Janelle Monae, and more. Like Knives Out, Glass Onion is directed and written by Johnson himself.
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