Streaming is shaking things up for a major murder mystery franchise.
The mystery thriller genre, known for its surprising twists, began with dark, atmospheric stories in the 1940s. It really gained popularity in the 1960s as many ‘whodunnit’ novels—especially those by Agatha Christie featuring Hercule Poirot—were adapted for film and television. This led to a revival of the genre on TV, with iconic shows like Murder, She Wrote starring Angela Lansbury (which is getting a new movie reboot with Jamie Lee Curtis) and Columbo with Peter Falk.
Murder mysteries have become popular again recently, especially in movies. This comeback started around ten years ago, and was boosted by the success of Kenneth Branagh’s films featuring Hercule Poirot, beginning with Murder on the Orient Express, which led to several sequels. Other popular examples include the Murder Mystery series starring Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston on Netflix, The Sheep Detectives with Hugh Jackman, and many new versions of the classic Sherlock Holmes stories.
A standout example of this recent interest in whodunnit mysteries is Rian Johnson’s Knives Out, which will soon be unavailable on streaming services. Released in 2019 and influenced by Agatha Christie, the film stars Daniel Craig as the quirky detective Benoit Blanc. He’s called upon to solve the death of a popular mystery author, quickly finding himself entangled with the author’s complicated family.
Johnson wrote, directed, and produced Knives Out, which became a huge success when it came out, earning over $313 million globally and receiving excellent reviews. It was nominated for three Golden Globes and one Oscar, and its popularity led to a series of sequels. These sequels, focusing on the character Blanc, were made with Netflix after the streaming service bought the rights from Johnson and his partner, Ram Bergman.
It’s been seven years since Knives Out revitalized the murder mystery genre, and now the film will no longer be available for streaming. After being streamed on Peacock (owned by NBCUniversal) for a while, it’s leaving the platform on August 1st. Currently, there are no plans to move it to another streaming service, meaning you’ll only be able to watch it through digital rental or purchase.
The Knives Out movies are leaving Peacock, marking a shift for the popular mystery series. Now, Netflix will be the only streaming service where you can watch them. This is because Netflix funded the sequels, Glass Onion (2022) and Wake Up Dead Man (2025), in addition to their brief runs in movie theaters.
Notably, the original Knives Out is the only film in the series that’s been released on physical media like Blu-ray or DVD. While there were discussions around the time Glass Onion came out about potentially releasing it physically as well, those plans never materialized. Now, fans who want to rewatch the movies will only be able to do so on Netflix, as it’s the sole platform currently offering them, including the very first film.
Now, everyone’s wondering if Netflix will buy the rights to stream the first Knives Out movie. This could increase viewership for the second and third films, which might encourage Netflix to make a fourth one. If the movies become popular again, Netflix might also release Glass Onion and Wake Up Dead Man on DVD and Blu-ray, similar to how they’ve partnered with companies like Criterion for other popular titles.
2026-07-29 00:57