James Bond actor Daniel Craig was reportedly not happy with Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos during a Knives Out 2 premiere in 2022, cursing at him during the event over the streaming giant’s continued refusal to embrace theatrical releases for its biggest movies.
On October 18, as spotted by World of Reel, Puck journalist Matt Belloni reported on the ongoing conflict between Netflix and some parts of Hollywood who aren’t happy that the streamer won’t release more movies in theaters for longer theatrical runs, which can make those involved a lot more money and can help films become more popular, earning them more word-of-mouth buzz. As part of this reporting, Belloni shared a story from 2022 involving an interaction between Craig and Sarandos during the TIFF 2022 premiere of Glass Onion, the sequel to Knives Out.
Apparently, after the audience at the event gave the movie a standing ovation, Craig used it as evidence that Glass Onion should get a larger and longer theatrical release. The Netflix CEO disagreed and replied that’s “not our model” and that led to a heated reply from the Benoit Blanc actor, who reportedly said some variation of “Your model is fucked.” And according to Puck, Craig isn’t the only person in Hollywood unhappy with Netflix’s streaming-focused business model.
Last week, Belloni reported that Margot Robbie and filmmaker Emerald Fennell had passed on a $150 million Netflix deal for their upcoming Wuthering Heights movie. Reportedly, Fennell and Robbie want the cultural impact that theaters can provide.
In September, Deadline reported that Glass Onion could have made over $600 million worldwide at the box office if it had received a full-length theatrical run and marketing push by Netflix. It was also reported that Craig and writer/director Rian Johnson weren’t happy about the situation. The duo’s next Knives Out sequel, Wake Up Dead Man, is set to arrive on Netflix in 2025.
But recent comments from Sarandos during an investor meeting indicate that this approach and business model won’t be changing anytime soon, regardless of how upset some creators in Hollywood seem to be.
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