Knives Out, one of the biggest original hit movies of 2019, is set to stream on Amazon Prime Video exclusively starting next month. The announcement was made by the company today. It was first teased with some not-so-subtle references to director Rian Johnson’s murder mystery on social media before the movie’s impending arrival was confirmed. Taking to Twitter, the company said the following.
“Okay okay we’re just too excited to wait! Knives Out is streaming exclusively on Prime Video June 12.”
In an age when exclusive content is king, this is a big get for Prime Video. Knives Out was met with near-universal praise from critics when it was released last year and was nominated for Best Original Screenplay at the Oscars. The movie was also a massive commercial success, bringing in $309 million at the global box office against a $40 million budget. Original movies rarely see that kind of success anymore, which made this something of a breath of fresh air. Rian Johnson, who was coming off of Star Wars: The Last Jedi, served as writer and director. The whodunnit boasts an A-list cast led by Daniel Craig. The ensemble also includes Chris Evans, Ana de Armas, Jamie Lee Curtis, Michael Shannon, Don Johnson, Toni Collette, LaKeith Stanfield, Katherine Langford, Jaeden Martell and Christopher Plummer.
Lionsgate opted to cut an exclusive deal with Amazon for the streaming rights. The terms of the deal haven’t been disclosed. But the Blu-ray was initially released back in February so the studio has had time to make some money from physical media sales and rentals as well. To go along with the announcement, a new poster was revealed which puts the focus on Daniel Craig’s detective Benoit Blanc, as well as the Thrombey family at the center of the mystery.
Knives Out centers on the Thrombeys, a wealthy family that has recently experienced tragedy as the head of the family, Harlan Thrombey, is found dead at his estate following his 85th birthday. The renowned novelist left behind a vast fortune. The inquisitive detective Benoit Blanc is hired under mysterious circumstances to investigate the death. Blanc will need to deal with Harlan’s dysfunctional family and his devoted staff to uncover the truth.
Given the movie’s success, Knives Out 2 is already in the works. The sequel was officially announced in February, with Rian Johnson returning to direct and Daniel Craig reprising his role as Benoit Blanc. Johnson previously revealed that it will center on a new cast of characters, with Blanc being thrown into a new setting. Lionsgate has made the sequel a top priority. Originally, it seemed the studio had hoped to get production going sooner rather than later, though the ongoing shutdown in the movie business will undoubtedly affect those plans. In the meantime, Knives Out will be available to stream soon. Feel free to check out the announcement from the Prime Video Twitter for yourself.
Okay okay we’re just too excited to wait! Knives Out is streaming exclusively on Prime Video June 12. pic.twitter.com/rXp5QtykcN
— Prime Video (@PrimeVideo) May 21, 2020
