Rian Johnson says he's 'exploring' with Netflix a way to get 'Glass Onion' back in theaters

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Rian Johnson says he's 'exploring' with Netflix a way to get 'Glass Onion' back in theaters
"Glass Onion."Netflix
  • Rian Johnson told Insider he's "exploring" with Netflix a way to get "Glass Onion" back in theaters.
  • The movie had a one-week run over Thanksgiving and will be available on the streamer on December 23.
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Rian Johnson is actively working on getting his Netflix whodunit "Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery" back on the big screen.

In a Zoom chat the writer-director had with Insider on Friday, he revealed that he's in talks with the streaming giant following the movie's successful one-week run over Thanksgiving which brought in around $15 million.

"Any theaters we can get it into at any point I'm pushing for," Johnson said. "I want more people to have the opportunity to be able to watch it."

Johnson said it's more than likely a return to theaters wouldn't be until the movie is available on Netflix beginning on December 23.

"Once it's on the service it will be available to theaters and we're exploring what form that can take," Johnson said. "I'll take as much as I can possibly get. But a lot of that has to do with what the theaters are willing to do, what makes sense."

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"Glass Onion" marks the widest release Netflix has ever done for one of its original movies to date. Its one-week run, which began November 23, was released on around 600 screens and played at the three biggest movie chains in the country: AMC, Regal, and Cinemark — a first for the streamer.

Rian Johnson says he's 'exploring' with Netflix a way to get 'Glass Onion' back in theaters
"Glass Onion" writer-director Rian Johnson.Juan Naharro Gimenez/Getty

"We were very interested in how it did," Johnson said of the movie's box office. "We wanted it to do incredibly well for a lot of reasons. I guess for me, because I really want to show that this can happen and this can be a huge success. And that when it hits the service, people will still turn up and it will be huge on the service. That those two things can complement each other. Because I want more next time. I want more theaters. I want it for longer."

Johnson is beginning to write a third "Knives Out" movie, which will also be released by Netflix.

Insider contacted Netflix for comment but didn't get an immediate response.

Johnson also confirmed that the reported box office the movie took in on its week run is accurate and applauds the work of Netflix and the movie chains for pulling off the release.

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"The fact that Netflix did this is amazing," he said. "The fact that they did the effort, and the theater chains, to make this week happen the way it did, they were fantastic partners."

Rian Johnson says he's 'exploring' with Netflix a way to get 'Glass Onion' back in theaters
"Glass Onion."Netflix

The first movie, "Knives Out," was distributed by Lionsgate and earned $27 million in its opening weekend in the US. It went on to make $165 million in the US and $312 million globally. Netflix snatched up the rights to make the next two movies in the franchise, spending over $400 million, Deadline reported at the time.

Netflix CEO Reed Hastings said Wednesday at the New York Times' Dealbook Summit that "lots" of money was left on the table by not giving "Glass Onion" a wide release.

"It's a promotional tactic like film festivals, and if it works well we will do more of it," he said. "We are not trying to build a theatrical business, we are trying to break through the noise."

The franchise stars Daniel Craig as famed detective Benoit Blanc who is tasked in each movie with solving a murder. In "Glass Onion" the ensemble cast includes Edward Norton, Janelle Monáe, Kathryn Hahn, Leslie Odom Jr., Dave Bautista, and Kate Hudson.

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