America Feasted on ‘Knives Out’ Thanksgiving Weekend
Director Rian Johnson assembled an A-list cast, including Chris Evans, Daniel Craig and Toni Collette, for a murder mystery thrill ride that’s garnered rave reviews and an impressive opening weekend gross.
The box office was stuffed Thanksgiving weekend – mainly with original films like Rian Johnson’s “Knives Out.” Lionsgate’s murder mystery thriller nearly doubled expectations over the weekend to earn more than $41 million and second place at the box office, right below Disney’s “Frozen II.” That figure is enough to put it amongst the top lists for original Thanksgiving titles. Featuring an all-star cast and a modern take on the classic whodunit genre, the film also received help from critics’ rave reviews – currently holding a 96 percent Certified Fresh Rotten Tomatoes score.
Johnson is receiving heaps of praise for the film. Not only did he direct it, he also wrote it. Rolling Stone writes, “What a kick to watch whip-smart director Rian Johnson shake the cobwebs off the whodunit genre and turn it into terrific, twisted, all-star fun that actually does keep you guessing until the deliciously slippery end.” The film’s edge-of-your-seat mystery is a large component of its spectacular success, with the New York Times writing, “A genre savant, Johnson understands that one of the pleasures of mystery stories is how they turn viewers into detectives, eager amateur sleuths who also sift through the clues, false and not.”
“It's one of the best movies of the year, and one of the most purely enjoyable, as well.” NPR
The film begins with the murder of a bestselling mystery novelist, Harlan Thrombey, the day after his 85th birthday party. Appearing to have passed from a self-inflicted wound, authorities – including a southern detective played by Daniel Craig – think otherwise. What follows is a series of investigations into Harlan’s moneyed relatives, each with their own motive for committing the fatal deed. Amongst the clever twists and refreshing comedy sits an important exploration into the class war and social injustices.
Joining Daniel Craig in the star-studded cast lineup is Chris Evans, Toni Collette, LaKeith Stanfield, Michael Shannon, Jamie Lee Curtis, Ana de Armas, Katherine Langford and Christopher Plummer.
You can catch “Knives Out” in theaters now and available from Swank this spring.