Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery Director Rian Johnson ‘Frustrated’ at Limited Theatrical Release, Suggests Fans Call Up Their Local Theater Manager to Ask if It’s Coming
Rian Johnson has expressed frustration at the limited theatrical release of his new Benoit Blanc Netflix film, Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery.
Streamer Netflix will release Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery in theaters on November 26, in time for the Thanksgiving holiday, before releasing it on Netflix itself on December 12.
But it will only release in “select” theaters, as opposed to nationwide — something that has clearly left the Star Wars: The Last Jedi writer and director unimpressed.
Taking to social media, Johnson replied to one fan who expressed concern after failing to find a local screening. “I’m as frustrated as you that it’s not everywhere, but new theaters will be added so keep checking,” Johnson tweeted. “And also if you’re inclined it wouldn’t hurt to contact the manager of your local theater and (politely!) ask them if it’s coming.”
In another social media post, Johnson shared the official website of Wake Up Dead Man as “the best way to find if there’s a theater near you playing” the film, before adding: “For those asking, sadly AMC would not play the movie, it’s going to be Landmark, Alamo, and other chains. And it can absolutely stay in theaters after the 12/12 Netflix drop if there’s demand — it’s up to the theaters to decide.”
It’s rare for Netflix to release its movies in theaters. Guillermo del Toro’s latest, Frankenstein, had a short theatrical run nationwide in October ahead of its November 7 premiere on the streaming platform, and global phenomenon KPop Demon Hunters hit theaters after its explosive launch on Netflix. Even the final episode of Stranger Things Season 5 will drop in theaters simultaneously with its Netflix premiere.
Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery Photos
But Netflix has indicated it won’t change its long-standing view on theaters versus streaming. “There’s no change in the strategy,” CEO Ted Sarandos explained of the company’s policy on theatrical distribution during a recent earnings conference. “Our strategy is to give our members exclusive first-run movies on Netflix.” In fact, Sarandos went on to assert that KPop Demon Hunters only became a sensation “because it was released on Netflix first.”
IGN’s Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery review returned a 7/10. We said: “Wake Up Dead Man is a solid third entry for Benoit Blanc, finally delivering the classic-style mystery the series has sorely needed.”
Photo by Gonzalo Marroquin/Getty Images for Netflix.
Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
