Glass Onion starts slowly (but surely) on Netflix

Glass Onion, the new film directed by Rian Johnson, has had a strong start on Netflix.

Three years after Knife Fight, Glass Onion, the Netflix produced Christmas puzzle, has just arrived on the platform. This is more than good news because after a rather sympathetic first installment, director and screenwriter Rian Johnson doubled down on intelligence and know-how to deliver a playful, funny, and generous film, but also deeply political.

The adoption of Rian Johnson’s big baby by Netflix has apparently not stifled the creative freedom of the man, even though it is a hefty investment for the platform. To remind you, the red N spent $450 million to buy the rights to the license, plus $40 million for the production budget for Glass Onion.

If this start may seem a little tepid, especially in view of Netflix’s huge investment in the Knife Fight franchise, let’s note that the film directed by Rian Johnson can still greatly increase its numbers over time. This is one of the joys of SVoD: the possibility of seeing the success of some films soar after a timid start.

For example, The Gray Man had only accumulated “only” 88.6 million hours of viewing upon its release, or 2.7 million more than Unforgivable. Afterwards, the film directed by the Russo brothers accumulated more than 253.9 million hours of viewing in 28 days of release, or almost 40 million more than the 214.7 million of Unforgivable. The Gray Man is, to date, Netflix’s fourth-biggest success.

Furthermore, as is usual with streaming platforms, the number of hours of viewing ultimately says little about the actual number of viewers behind their screens. According to Variety, this is particularly the case during the Christmas period when households tend to gather for collective sessions, resulting in a decrease in individual viewings. Finally, let’s remember that Knife Fight 2 benefited from a limited one-week pre-release in American theaters, in order to eventize the film’s release and boost its revenues at the same time.

If Netflix refused to share the figures for this limited release, the red N platform would have reportedly accumulated around $15 million in revenues in the week of November 23, according to sources from Variety. So there is still hope for Rian Johnson, who will also return in 2023 with a whodunit series called Poker Face.