Early 2025 saw a highly anticipated showdown on Netflix as the streaming service released the latest installment in the popular Knives Out series, Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery. The third film, created by Rian Johnson and starring Daniel Craig, featured a fantastic cast and lived up to the high expectations set by its predecessors.
Also vying for attention is The Thursday Murder Club, a film based on the popular Richard Osman novel. With director Chris Columbus and Steven Spielberg as a producer, it seemed to have all the right ingredients for success. As a 2025 murder mystery featuring a strong cast and potential for future installments, it naturally drew comparisons to Knives Out. However, as 2025 nears its end, Knives Out appears to be the frontrunner.
The Thursday Murder Club Failed To Make The Same First Impression As Knives Out
When Knives Out came out in 2019, it quickly became popular, appearing on many ‘best of the year’ lists and generating awards buzz. However, the response to The Thursday Murder Club was more muted.
The film received a 77% rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes, indicating it was generally well-received, though not outstanding – a significant drop from the 97% achieved by Knives Out. Audience reaction was even weaker, with a score of just 53%. Critics felt the movie didn’t fully capture the charm and complexity of Richard Osman’s novel, simplifying a clever story into a less impressive adaptation.
While there are other books in the The Thursday Murder Club series that could be made into movies, and Columbus has considered a sequel, the public isn’t asking for them as much as they did for another Benoit Blanc mystery after Knives Out came out.
Wake Up Dead Man Has All But Won 2025’s Big Murder Mystery Battle
The only chance the Thursday Murder Club had to defeat Wake Up Dead Man rested on audiences tiring of the Knives Out-style mystery formula after the third film.
A third Knives Out movie seemed unlikely after Glass Onion received a very positive score on Rotten Tomatoes (91%), but recent reviews make it appear even less probable. Wake Up Dead Man premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in September and currently has a 94% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. While some critics feel the series might be losing its appeal, most agree that Rian Johnson has kept the same high quality as the first two films.
It would take a major failure for anything to change the outcome of Netflix’s 2025 murder mystery competition, though a surprise isn’t completely out of the question. There’s a growing disconnect between what critics and viewers like, and Wake Up Dead Man could potentially alienate regular Netflix users. This might cause a negative reaction for Johnson similar to the one seen with Star Wars: The Last Jedi – a film that, interestingly, many critics actually enjoyed.
If audiences strongly dislike the next film, it’s possible The Thursday Murder Club would be seen as the victor. However, that’s unlikely. Everything points to Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery being just as captivating as previous installments, solidifying the series’ place as the leading modern murder mystery franchise.
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2025-10-30 23:09