Netflix Launches Star-Packed ‘Thursday Murder Club’ After $10 Million-Seller

Netflix has released a star-studded film adaptation of Richard Osman’s bestseller “The Thursday Murder Club,” opening in select UK and US cinemas on 22 August before streaming globally on the platform from 28 August. The cosy-crime caper is directed by Chris Columbus and features Dame Helen Mirren, Pierce Brosnan, Sir Ben Kingsley and Celia Imrie as four retirees who turn amateur sleuths when a local property developer is found dead. Osman’s debut novel, published in 2020, ignited a bidding war and has sold more than 10 million copies worldwide, spawning three sequels and cementing the commercial appeal of ‘cosy crime’. Netflix’s reported investment in the project reflects confidence that the genre’s broad, multigenerational audience will translate to strong streaming numbers. Early reviews are mixed. The Independent finds the 118-minute film “so digestible it barely exists,” faulting a lack of mystery despite the heavyweight cast. By contrast, the Daily Mail calls it an “amiable, undemanding caper” that preserves the novel’s quintessentially English charm. Industry observers note the reception could influence whether Netflix presses ahead with sequels already written by Osman, including “The Impossible Murder,” due in print next month.