Rian Johnson's Knives Out Sequel, Glass Onion, Is Heading To Theaters For One Week Only, One Month Early

When writer/director Rian Johnson's whodunnit "Knives Out" debuted in 2017 and promptly lit the box office on fire (on its way towards an Oscars nomination for Best Screenplay, no less!), theatrical release analysts spoke glowingly about how the throwback, mid-budget, star-studded hit provided a welcome dose of hope that original, old-school studio programmers not based on comic books or any other preexisting IP could, in fact, thrive on the big screen. So, naturally, all our hopes that this brand-new franchise would put the success of the theatrical model on its own shoulders went up in flames once the filmmaker left Lionsgate to partner up with Netflix — of all studios! — to produce multiple upcoming sequels, including this year's "Glass Onion."

Suddenly, those looking forward to seeing detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) solve many more murders on the big screen had to readjust to the harsh reality that anything worth watching these days has a solid chance of ending up on a streaming service. After all, Netflix has repeatedly opposed granting theatrical releases to its own original movies time and time again. So what hope did any subsequent "Knives Out" films possibly have?

Well, Rian Johnson himself took to Twitter today and announced the news that there will be a special limited engagement where "Glass Onion" will be shown exclusively in theaters for one week at chains such as AMC, Regal, and Cinemark. Not only does this twist feel worthy of Benoit Blanc's donut hole theory, but it confirms earlier reports from earlier this year suggesting this possibility. Now, it's become a thrilling reality.

Certain movies simply play better with a crowd: the "Fast and Furious" franchise, Marvel movies, and many others among them. Well, those who encountered the twists and turns of "Knives Out" with a packed theater audience can attest to how even smaller films rely heavily on viewer engagement, as opposed to watching them alone in one's living room. Thankfully, Rian Johnson appears to agree, as he has spearheaded the effort to make the sequel, "Glass Onion," available in a limited sneak preview for those lucky enough to catch it in one of the three major theater chains during the week of November 23 through 29.

According to THR, this unprecedented move for Netflix will result in roughly 600 theaters debuting the buzzy film (which premiered to incredibly high praise at this year's Toronto International Film Festival, as /Film's Chris Evangelista reviewed here) almost exactly a month before the film's release on Netflix. As Netflix Head of Global Film Scott Stuben said in a statement:

"We're excited to offer fans an exclusive sneak preview of Rian's incredible film. Given the excitement surrounding the premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, we hope fans will enjoy this special theatrical event in celebration of the film's global debut on Netflix in December."

In a follow-up tweet, Johnson also indicated that fans can expect tickets for this sneak preview event to go on sale this Monday, October 10, 2022.

This is the first time a Netflix movie has been in all of these theater chains, which is a very big deal, it’s one week only, and tickets go on sale…… MONDAY! Let’s GOOOOOOOO

— Rian Johnson (@rianjohnson) October 6, 2022

For those unable to make it out to theaters, "Glass Onion" will still begin streaming on Netflix December 23, 2022.