When it was announced that WarnerMedia was going to send all of Warner Bros’ 2021 film slate to theaters and on HBO Max on the same day, there was quite a bit of pushback behind the scenes from filmmakers. Reports surfaced that WarnerMedia had to quickly renegotiate deals with Patty Jenkins and Gal Gadot for “Wonder Woman 1984,” for example, after the release strategy would clearly cause issues with their current profit-sharing deals. Well, apparently, the same thing is happening with John Krasinski and Emily Blunt with their new film, “A Quiet Place Part II.” Except, according to Bloomberg, Paramount isn’t so keen to renegotiate.
The report claims that Krasinski, who not only starred and directed the first film but also wrote and directed the sequel, and the film’s star, Blunt, are seeking a new financial agreement with Paramount after the news that the studio is going to release “A Quiet Place Part II” on streaming just 45 days after it hits theaters. They’re joined by other producers on the feature that also have a financial stake in the film’s performance. In a typical release, the film would play in theaters for up to 90 days, then have at least 6 months on VOD before hitting a streaming platform. And since Krasinski and Blunt’s deal reportedly includes back-end payments based on the film’s box office and profits, bypassing half of its theatrical run and sending it straight to Paramount+ would seemingly affect their payment. However, even with that knowledge, it’s being reported that Paramount has “rebuffed them” so far.
Again, we saw a similar circumstance hit WarnerMedia, but in a much more dramatic fashion, when it announced more than a dozen films would hit streaming early in 2021. While specific deals were not revealed, it’s reported that folks like Gadot and Jenkins got millions more in guaranteed money due to the streaming nature of the release. And considering the original “A Quiet Place” earned almost $350 million worldwide, off of a $20 million budget, the sequel was expected to have a massive box office haul when it was scheduled to be released before the pandemic last year.
Obviously, not only is the box office expected to suffer because of the general public’s hesitation about going back to the theaters, but when you compound that with the fact that there are people that will likely wait for streaming, it’s understandable why Krasinski and Blunt would want to renegotiate. We’ll just have to see if Paramount is willing to do the same.
“A Quiet Place Part II” is expected to arrive in theaters on May 28. The film will then hit Paramount+ 45 days later.