Sightlines · reception
How A Quiet Place Part II was received
2021 · John Krasinski · A Quiet Place Part II on Sightlines
The arc
Landed in May 2021 as the movie that reopened cinemas — its premiere had happened in March 2020 literally days before lockdown, and after a 14-month wait it became the first film of the pandemic era to cross $100M domestic. It's now remembered as much as a 'movies are back' milestone as a horror sequel.
What’s debated
The perennial fan debate: does it top the original — with many arguing the opening flashback sequence is the best thing in the whole franchise — or does the abrupt ending leave it feeling like half a movie?
Its footprint
It became the emblem of the theatrical comeback, with Krasinski loudly insisting on an exclusively-in-theaters release when rivals were fleeing to streaming; the franchise's whole 'don't make a sound' premise remains a byword for tense, popcorn-crunch-shaming cinema.
Where it stands
Filed among the rare horror sequels that fans agree actually justified itself — well-liked on Letterboxd, if usually ranked a notch below the original.
Did you know? Cillian Murphy got the role by fan mail: he loved the first film so much he emailed John Krasinski to say so, and Krasinski wrote the Part II character with him in mind.