Knives Out 3 baffles fans with Netflix’s ‘biggest budget’ ever

Netflix’s budget for Knives Out 3 is reportedly several times higher than the cost of the original movie.

The first Knives Out film hit theaters on the back of a $40 million production budget, then earned more than $310 million at the worldwide box office.

Now the eagerly-anticipated third installment, which will premiere on Netflix, is reportedly being made with a budget that eclipses the 2019 movie many times over. According to The InSneider, Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery will cost Netflix $210 million. To date, Netflix’s most expensive film is The Gray Man at $200 million.

UK publication Film Stories notes that since Knives Out 3 was shot in the UK and applies for tax credits, a more precise figure for its budget should be made public at some point in the future.

Fans were baffled when the news began circulating, with one person responding to a DiscussingFilm post by stating, “These kind of films have no reason to cost $200m, the original’s budget shows this.”

“What is this, a Marvel movie?” someone joked in another Twitter/X thread.

Another user said such high costs will likely result in yet another Netflix price hike before long. “Don’t worry people, this expense will be passed down to you in the form of a subscription price increase.”

Netflix and director Rian Johnson joined forces in March 2020 upon inking a staggering $469 million deal for two Knives Out sequels following the original movie’s success.

The agreement reportedly gave Johnson a great deal of creative control and ensured Daniel Craig would return for each follow-up. Additionally, the contract guaranteed both sequels would have a budget that at least matched the 2019 film’s $40 million cost.

Sources who spoke to The Hollywood Reporter claimed Johnson, his producing partner Ram Bergman, and Craig all stand to gain upwards of $100 million apiece from the Netflix deal. This could help explain the massive budget behind Knives Out 2.

Rian Johnson announced that filming had wrapped in mid-August 2024, but release date details remain a mystery as of writing.