Emily Blunt, John Krasinski Ask Paramount for Money After ‘Quiet Place 2’ Window Shortened — Report
Zack Sharf
Emily Blunt and John Krasinski are reportedly seeking financial compensation from Paramount Pictures after the studio decided to shorten the theatrical release window for their upcoming horror sequel “A Quiet Place Part II.” A new report from Bloomberg states that both actors (Krasinki also wrote and directed the film) have “a contract that compensates them based on the film’s box-office performance.” That performance has now been minimized by Paramount’s decision to move “A Quiet Place Part II” to streaming via Paramount+ 45 days after the film’s May 28 theatrical opening. Some exhibitors will still be operating at limited capacity when the film has its theatrical release.
Per Bloomberg: “The stars are worried that many potential theater fans might wait for the film to be available for home viewing, reducing the box-office receipts, said the person, who asked not to be identified discussing a private matter. The original ‘A Quiet Place’ collected $341 million in ticket sales worldwide in 2018…Representatives for the couple, along with other producers who have a stake in the movie’s box-office performance, including filmmaker Michael Bay, have asked Paramount for compensation, according to the person, and the discussions are ongoing. But the studio has rebuffed them thus far.”
IndieWire has reached out to Paramount and representatives for Blunt and Krasinki for further comment.
Filmmakers and actors seeking compensation for a changed theatrical release is nothing new in the age of the pandemic. When Warner Bros. announced its decision last year to move its entire slate of 2021 movies to a hybrid theatrical release model (films open in theaters on the same day they become available to stream on HBO Max for 31 days), the bulk of directors and actors involved with these movies sought to renegotiate their compensation packages. Patty Jenkins and Gal Gadot reportedly made $10 million each due to Warner Bros.’ decision to move “Wonder Woman 1984” to theaters and to streaming simultaneously. The Hollywood Reporter broke the news in January that Denzel Washington was expected to receive $20 million from switching “The Little Things” release.
“A Quiet Place Part II” was originally set for a theatrical release on March 20, 2020. The pandemic caused Paramount to delay the film to September 4, 2020 and then to April 23, 2021. A third postponement pushed the film to September 17, 2021, but then Paramount made the decision to bump up the release to its current May 28 date.
