The numbers are in for Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery's limited theatrical release.According to Variety, Glass Onion grossed $13 million over the extended Thanksgiving holiday period, whereas its predecessor, Knives Out, earned $26 million over the same time frame back in 2019. However, the Netflix-distributed sequel was given a limited, week-long theatrical run starting Nov. 23. Estimates suggest that the sequel will earn a total of $15 million across 600 theaters. In contrast, the original Knives Out released in 3,461 theaters.
The sequel to Rian Johnson's whodunit earned about $19,000 per theater during Thanksgiving. While Netflix hasn’t released official box office numbers for the film, sources suggest that, based on current estimates, Glass Onion would be third on domestic box office charts. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever reigns at the top of the box office with nearly $65 million from 4,258 cinemas over five days of the holiday period.
Many reportedly believe the film would have continued to perform exceptionally well if it was screened at more theaters for longer. The overall performance of Knives Out at the box office -- earning $165 million in North America and $311 million worldwide -- is further proof that the sequel had the potential to earn big. During its week-long run, Glass Onion is playing in three of the biggest cinema chains in the USA, including AMC Theaters, Regal Cinemas and Cinemark, which is a first for a Netflix film.
The Knives Out Franchise
Glass Onion sees the return of eccentric detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) as he navigates another whodunit with an ensemble cast comprising a series of A-listers including Edward Norton, Janelle Monáe, Kathryn Hahn, Kate Hudson and more. Following the success of the original film, Netflix purchased the rights to the franchise for over $450 million and will also be producing a third installment.
Craig previously shared that director Rian Johnson is excited to begin working on the next film. "He’s already got some ideas, and they sound to me to be really interesting, so I’m going to let him just get on with that," Craig said. Johnson and Craig also discussed wanting to steer clear of churning out films in the franchise just for the sake of it. "Unless people are getting genuine fun out of them, forget it," Craig added.
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery is set to stream on Netflix on Dec. 23.
Source: Variety; Twitter