To the surprise of nobody, Rian Johnson’s Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery is well on its way to becoming one of Netflix’s most popular in-house exclusives of all-time, having already entered the overall Top 10.
Given that Benoit Blanc’s return has only been available on the library for less than two weeks, we’d feel very confident in saying that it’s in with a genuine shot at topping Red Notice as the streaming service’s number one most-watched feature ever, but therein lies the rub.
Netflix has been open in reiterating countless times over the years that it desires a marquee franchise that can compete with the biggest brands in the business like Harry Potter, Star Wars, and the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Knives Out has given the company exactly what it desires, but it came at a cost of almost $470 million.
Not only that, but Glass Onion earning $15 million during its limited theatrical run indicates that there were potentially hundreds of millions of dollars in box office revenue left on the table in favor of an on-demand release, which comes across as Netflix shooting itself in the foot a little bit.
That’s arguably a microcosm of the streamer’s biggest issue; Knives Out will generate huge numbers, but it came after an investment nearing half a billion dollars, for a property that was originated outside of its own HQ. The Gray Man and Red Notice might have sequels and/or spinoffs on the way, but Glass Onion also secured that which the overwhelming majority of original blockbusters can’t manage to attain – unanimous critical acclaim.
Netflix tends to release either widely popular big budget productions or acclaimed, smaller-scale dramas, but very rarely the two at once. The Knives Out series ticks both boxes, but it wasn’t created with designs on being watched only on streaming.
