Rian Johnson had originally considered Knives Out as a limited series instead of a film. Johnson's highly-anticipated whodunnit has become one of the most-talked-about films of the holiday season following its debut at the Toronto International Film Festival. Assembled in the style of a classic murder mystery, mainly an homage to Agatha Christie's masterful mystery novels, the film follows a private investigator named Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) who attempts to solve a murder centered on a popular crime novelist. The only suspects are his eccentric extended family who all gathered together on the same day to celebrate his birthday, and each one has their own interesting motive.
The film has so far been met with rave reviews and is currently Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes at 95%. Not only has the twisted story been praised, but the numerous performances have been as well. Knives Out is led with an all-star cast that includes Craig, Chris Evans, Toni Collette, Jamie Lee Curtis, along with a slew of other famous faces. With the film only having been screened a few times before its release, it's already tracking to be a massive success during its opening weekend for Johnson and the cast and crew. But, before the film became a fan-favorite of 2019, Johnson originally had other plans for his hotly-anticipated thriller.
During an interview with Forbes, Johnson exclaimed that there was a point in time when the movie was almost a limited series for TV. He explained that he first had the idea for it "about ten years ago," and there were plenty of occasions when he'd ask himself "if Knives Out would be better as a limited series." His reasoning behind this was because it would give him "a little more time with each of the characters, spread it out a little bit." But, ultimately, he went on to add that he loves "the form of the feature film" and that it is, "one object that you have one experience with, and that object has a beginning and an ending." He explained that he kept coming back to the form of a feature, "even though it’s a little bit more of a challenge to make it work; it’s worth it.”
Considering the wave of positive reviews that the film has already received, it wouldn't be surprising to see Knives Out surpass its box office projections for a successful opening weekend. Though a sequel isn't in the cards at the moment, Johnson hasn't completely brushed away the idea either. Depending on how well the movie does, he exclaimed that he'd love to return with more murder mysteries centered on Craig's Benoit Blanc.
Although the idea of a limited series sounds fun, Knives Out has provided a refreshing change of pace in theaters. The excitement surrounding Johnson's latest is not only a good sign for audiences who are looking for some variety at the movies, but it's also good news for the box office. Considering that this fall has been a rather slow period for films at the box office, Knives Out will certainly help boost numbers. The film is already projected to make between $22 and $25 million over the Thanksgiving period, and those numbers could certainly go up from there as well. Ultimately, this shows that the box office is headed on an upward climb as the end of the year approaches.
Source: Forbes
