Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos made headlines recently when he called the movie theater model as we know it an "outdated" concept. "Knives Out" director Rian Johnson disagrees, firing back that theatrical releases aren't going anywhere and, in fact, he wants Netflix to put his third "Knives Out" film in "as many theaters for as long as possible."
He said as much in a recent Business Insider interview to promote the second season of his whodunnit series "Poker Face," which debuts on Peacock this week. When asked whether he agreed with Sarandos' comments, he made his stance clear:
"Obviously, I don't, because I love movies. I love going to see movies," Johnson said.
He pointed to the recent successes of "Sinners" and "A Minecraft Movie" as evidence that audiences still have an appetite for heading to the theaters over streaming the latest releases from home.
“I think theatrical is not going anywhere,” Johnson said. "I think we've seen if you put a movie people want to see in the theaters, they are going to show up for it, and that experience of being in a full house and having that experience is so important. It's something that I love and I want more of in the world."
He added that when "Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery” debuts this fall, he hopes it'll be in more theaters than the series' previous entry, "Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery."
"I want this in as many theaters for as long as possible," he told the outlet. "We're going to push for everything we can get in terms of theatrical because I want as many people as possible to see it in that form."
The original "Knives Out" premiered in 2019 through Lionsgate and quickly became a box office success. Netflix later signed a deal with writer-director Rian Johnson to create two sequels for its platform, the first of which, 2022's "Glass Onion," broke records as the widest release ever for Netflix.
It also marked the first time a Netflix film played in AMC and Regal theaters, debuting in 600 locations thanks to a partnership between Netflix, AMC Theatres, Regal Cinemas, and Cinemark.
While Netflix's CEO doesn't have high hopes for theatrical releases, franchise star Daniel Craig is in Johnson's corner on the matter. He said in a Variety interview last year that he hopes the upcoming sequel will enjoy a longer theatrical run than its predecessor.
“Hopefully, Netflix will push it out a bit, and people will get to see it,” he said. “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.”
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