Rian Johnson‘s Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery is tearing up the Netflix charts after a pre-game Christmas release. However, the film’s director is less than enthusiastic about the branding for his clever whodunit film series. Speaking with The Atlantic, Johnson said he doesn’t like having “A Knives Out Mystery” in the title of his new movie. He wants the anthology-style sequel featuring Daniel Craig’s Benoit Blanc to stand alone rather than sound like it’s part of an episodic venture.
“I’ve tried hard to make them self-contained. Honestly, I’m pissed off that we have A Knives Out Mystery in the title,” Johnson explained to The Atlantic. “I want it to just be called Glass Onion.” Johnson added, “I get it, and I want everyone who liked the first movie to know this is next in the series, but also, the whole appeal to me is it’s a new novel off the shelf every time. But there’s a gravity of a thousand suns toward serialized storytelling.”
With so many films and television series hitting theaters and streaming services throughout the year, brand recognition is a top priority for marketing ghouls. As a dedicated fan of film and television, I keep my finger on the pulse of the entertainment industry. However, many people don’t have the time or mental bandwidth to keep up with the latest releases, trends, scheduling delays, or director change-ups. Hence, marketing teams strive for brand recognition to help the masses recognize their favorite properties and characters. While having “A Knives Out Mystery” in the title for Glass Onion is a mouthful, the name sends a signal flare to casual fans of the original film that Benoit Blanc is back, baby!
Given the film’s popularity over Christmas weekend, there’s a chance the “Knives Out” branding helped Netflix subscribers find the movie among a glut of holiday-themed classics and other titles in Netflix’s New Release section. Unfortunately for Johnson, I would not be surprised if Netflix draws a hard line in the sand about keeping “A Knives Out Mystery” for the third film in the series as well.
Do you think the title for Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery is a necessary evil? Feel free to let us know what you think in the comments below.