Daniel Craig Explicitly Blasted Netflix Exec Over ‘Knives Out’ Dispute, Report Claims

A third Knives Out movie is on the way, but it’s unclear what sort of theatrical release it will get. After Knives Out was a big hit theatrically (earning $312.9 million on a $40 million budget), Netflix swiped up the sequel rights. Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery only got a one-week run in theaters, which ended up being worthwhile financially by earning $15 million (in only 696 theaters with minimal promotion). However, lead actor Daniel Craig was not happy about the low-key release, according to a new report from Puck News.

The actor, who plays detective Benoit Blanc in the films, allegedly had a heated exchange with Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos over the company’s insistence that the movie not get a bigger theatrical release. The “testy” moment is said to have gone down at the Glass Onion premiere, where the Rian Johnson-directed murder mystery received an enthusiastic reception.

Per Puck’s Matthew Belloni: “Ted repeated the usual ‘not our model’ mantra, which prompted Craig to reply with an expletive unfit for a family newsletter. (It was a variation on ‘Your model is f—ed.’)”

The business practicality of each side’s viewpoint can be debated. However, it must be noted that Netflix’s system is what Craig agreed to when signing on to the deal — a deal that he has handsomely profited from.

Variety reported in 2021 that the former James Bond actor is now “walking off with north of $100 million thanks to the eye-popping sale.” On the lower end of estimates, Closer Weekly claims the Netflix deal “made Daniel $80 million dollars richer.”

The second Knives Out movie, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, is streaming now on Netflix. The third, Wake Up Dead Man, is slated to release on Netflix in 2025.