Rian Johnson’s Knives Out is the definition of a modern classic. Even though it was only released a few short years ago, the film has already gained a reputation as one of the all-time greats in the genre of murder mysteries. It was a breakout hit at the box office in 2019, and work almost immediately began on a sequel. Following a bidding war between several major studios, Netflix ended up purchasing the rights for two more films in the series, which would continue to follow the central detective Benoit Blanc, played by Daniel Craig. This news made waves, as Netflix paid a whopping $470 million for the rights to produce the two films (the first film made $319 million at the worldwide box office), with Johnson, Craig and producer Ram Bergman all potentially getting $100 million paychecks out of the deal.
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The first Knives Out sequel, Glass Onion, was released in late 2022. Following a brief week-long run in theaters, the film was released on Netflix and quickly became one of the streamer’s most-watched films. Glass Onion was widely received just as well as the first mystery, with some even believing it to be an improvement upon its predecessor. With a third Knives Out film already guaranteed and Johnson already in the writing process for it, both he and Craig have joked about wanting to make Knives Out movies for the rest of their careers. Though those comments weren’t meant to be taken seriously, the Knives Out series is already showing the kind of longevity that makes it a prime candidate for many more sequels down the road.
Not Just Big-Budget Action Flicks
Lionsgate
A majority of the blockbuster films released today are some sort of variation on a typical action movie. Whether it be superhero movies like Spider-Man or Doctor Strange, a legacy sequel like Top Gun: Maverick or even a visual effects wonder like Avatar: The Way of Water, nearly every major studio film released these days, heavily relies on action to sell tickets. Very few films outside that lane manage to make a genuine impact. Looking at the top ten films at the domestic box office in 2022, only one of them isn’t overtly an action movie, and that’s Minions: The Rise of Gru, which still features a fair amount of action sequences itself.
This isn’t anything new. The proliferation of action movies at the box office is something that has been apparent for decades now. However, that’s one of the key reasons that the Knives Out films are able to stand out as much as they do. They are already so heavily geared to the murder mystery genre that there is essentially no room to squeeze a major action sequence into either of the films. The only bit in either of them that could potentially be considered an action sequence is the car chase in the first film, but even that’s a stretch. This is all to say that Knives Out stands out from the pack of popular films these days simply because it doesn’t try to adhere to modern action trends. Johnson and the rest of the creative team are just wanting to make a solid mystery movie.
Now, obviously, the Knives Out films are not the only non-action movies out there right now. There is still space for other genres at the box office and especially on streaming services. There are plenty of dramas, romances, horror flicks and more out there to be seen in theaters and streamed at home. However, with the exception of horror, none of them perform particularly well unless there is an action element interwoven into the film. That’s not the case for Knives Out and Glass Onion. Johnson’s embracing of classical mystery vibes while also intermixing a modern sense of humor and wit has established the series as the kind of old-fashioned entertainment that anyone can enjoy. The films are able to stand tall without relying on visual effects-heavy action sequences to keep people’s attention. That approach makes the series much more likely to withstand the test of time. The Knives Out films are evergreen, and, as such, any future sequels are likely to continue appealing to viewers on a mass scale.
Approach to Sequels
Netflix
Beyond its genre and overall approach to storytelling, another key factor that differentiates the Knives Out series from many other franchises out there is its own seeming indifference toward building a wider world. When writing both Knives Out films, it’s apparent that Johnson wasn’t worried about setting up any sort of sequels or spin-offs. He wasn’t trying to build a bigger franchise. Instead, he’s genuinely just trying to tell a good story. Both Knives Out and Glass Onion are self-contained stories. There are no plot lines that carry from one film into the other. There’s no specific set-up for any other stories, nor are there any continuations of the stories of previous films. Both movies are solely focused on themselves. The only through line between the two is the detective; the entire cast and situation surrounding Blanc are vastly different in both films. Looking at their stories, the two films are entirely separated from one another, with the addition of “A Knives Out Mystery” to the title of Glass Onion, a decision that Johnson wasn’t the biggest fan of, being one of the few obvious indications that they are connected.
This standalone approach to each new Knives Out mystery is immensely beneficial for the series’ long-term accessibility. That’s because audiences don’t need to do any homework before watching the newest film. They are independent stories that just so happen to feature the same detective. If you really wanted to, you could watch Glass Onion first and then treat Knives Out as its sequel. It would make essentially no difference. You don’t need to watch the twenty preceding films in the series to get caught up before watching Rhinestone Eyes: The 21st Knives Out Mystery. The precedent set by Knives Out and Glass Onion is that any of these mysteries can be watched at any point. The benefit of that is that the series is endlessly approachable. New fans can hop on board at any point, and if you miss one of the films, you can easily jump back in with the next one without skipping a beat.
This kind of approach to writing a sequel has become basically nonexistent in the current Hollywood movie-making landscape. For every other franchise, there’s an endless desire to set up other storylines that can be built upon over the next seven movies. Johnson’s decision not to do that is an ode to the murder mysteries of old, written by the likes of Agatha Christie. Those stories took this same approach, with each new mystery just being another new adventure for the central detective. It’s refreshing to see a series take that perspective in the 21st century and be successful with that approach. Of course, Johnson could throw this out the window at any point he chooses, but with how much he’s talked about loving that aspect of the films, that seems unlikely at this point. Maybe Johnson will show restraint and end the Knives Out series will end after its third entry, but if he really wanted to, this series is one that could easily continue for decades to come.
