After A Quiet Place Part II was delayed numerous times it missed its original March 2020 release date amidst the COVID-19 lockdown, John Krasinski’s followup to his 2018 horror hit is coming to the summer box office. It’s great news that the Quiet Place sequel will get a chance to play exclusively in theaters, but Paramount’s streaming plan is reportedly creating a pay dispute between the studio and real-life couple Krasinski and Emily Blunt.
Some major stars sign contracts with studios to receive backend paychecks on their movies depending on how the movie does in theaters, and A Quiet Place Part II’s writer, director, producer and star John Krasinski reportedly has one with Paramount alongside the film’s lead, Emily Blunt. However, since the studio decided it will move the movie to its new streaming service Paramount+ just 45 days after opening day, the husband and wife are allegedly asking for compensation, per Bloomberg.
Traditionally, A Quiet Place Part II would play in theaters for 90 days before becoming available for digital viewing, but the COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way studios are marketing movies. Warner Bros, for example, has made all its movies available on HBO Max on the same day as its theatrical releases, and Disney is allowing its streaming customers to buy new releases for home viewing in addition to catching the theatrical run.
But it’s unclear if Paramount will be able to profit solely off of A Quiet Place Part II’s box office earnings in the age of coronavirus, hence the additional incentive for fans to wait a month and a half and pay for a Paramount+ subscription to see the movie. John Krasinski and Emily Blunt are reportedly “worried” that this decision will mean less money in their backend paychecks for the movie. The couple, along with one of the movie’s other producers, Michael Bay, have been seeking compensation for this decision, but Paramount declined it.
The first Quiet Place movie came out in 2018 to $340 million in worldwide earnings against a $17 million budget, making it one of the most profitable movies of that year. With Part II’s theatrical window cut in half, it doesn’t have as huge of an opportunity to make box office dollars. The movie will also go up against Disney’s Cruella the same opening weekend, and fellow horror sequel The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It comes out a week later.
The movie does have the benefit of being the first movie since Tenet to open so widely and exclusively in theaters. Box office analyst Shawn Robbins recently said he believes the movie could benefit from “pent-up demand” from cinephiles to go out and see movies in theaters. It’s also been projected that the movie could make up to $125 million domestically, which is just under $30 million less than the original movie. That's not bad given the circumstances.
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