A Haunting in Venice

Did You Know?

• Rowan Robinson plays Alicia Drake, Rowena's deceased daughter.
• Amir El-Masry portrays Alessandro Longo, a young man seeking Poirot's help.
• Vanessa Ifediora plays Sister Maria Felicitas, a nun.

Plot

In 1947, retired detective Hercule Poirot lives in Venice with bodyguard Vitale. Guests include Alicia's former fiancé Maxime, housekeeper Olga, doctor Leslie and his son Leopold, and Joyce's Romani assistant Desdemona Holland. During the séance, Poirot exposes hidden assistant Nicholas, but Joyce then speaks in Alicia's voice, claiming she was murdered. After an attempt on Poirot's life, Joyce is found impaled on a statue.

A storm traps everyone inside. Poirot interviews the guests, witnessing ghostly manifestations. Leslie, a traumatized war veteran, loves Rowena; Maxime broke his engagement due to Rowena's disapproval; Leopold hears spirits of plague children; Joyce was a WWI nurse; Nicholas and Desdemona stole from Joyce. An underground chamber reveals children's skeletons, triggering Leslie's panic attack.

Poirot deduces Oliver and Vitale conspired: Vitale gave Joyce private details, and Oliver wanted Poirot's failure for her book. Leslie is then found stabbed to death.

Production

In March 2022, 20th Century Studios president Steve Asbell confirmed a third Poirot film was in development, with Michael Green writing the script and Kenneth Branagh directing and starring. The plot loosely adapts Hallowe'en Party. The cast was announced in October 2022, including Jamie Dornan, Tina Fey, Jude Hill, Kelly Reilly, and Michelle Yeoh. Branagh described the film as a supernatural thriller.

Filming began on 31 October 2022, on location in Venice and on stages at Pinewood Studios. The haunted palazzo set was built at Pinewood, inspired by real palaces such as the Doge's Palace, Ca' Sagredo Hotel, and Palazzo Pisani Gritti. The piano nobile featured a fresco based on Edward Burne-Jones's The Wedding of Psyche. The exterior set was based on Campo San Boldo, with some night scenes shot there.

A one-third scale model of the palazzo was built in Reading, England, for water-splash scenes. Poirot's home combined the Venice Conservatory roof terrace, the garden of Palazzo Malipiero, and other locations. San Giorgio Maggiore Island was used for a market scene; Campiello dei Miracoli and Campo Santa Maria Nova for the séance invitation scene; and Piazza San Marco appears early in the film.

Release

The red carpet premiere for A Haunting in Venice took place at the Odeon Luxe Leicester Square in London on 11 September 2023, but the cast was absent because of the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike. 20th Century Studios released the film in the United States on 15 September. It arrived on digital platforms on 31 October, with Blu-ray and DVD copies following on 28 November 2023. For the week ending 8 November, the movie landed at No. 6 on iTunes and No. 3 on Vudu. In the UK, it debuted at No. 2 on the Official Film Chart for that same week. It later hit No. 2 on the UK home entertainment sales chart for the week ending 22 November. For the week ending 2 December, it debuted at No. 8 on overall disc sales and No. 11 on the Blu-ray chart. Notably, 49% of its first-week unit sales came from HD Blu-ray, as there was no 4K UHD disc release.

Reception

A Haunting in Venice grossed $122.3 million worldwide, including $42.5 million in the US and Canada and approximately $12.5 million in the UK, where it became the second highest-grossing horror film of 2023. It opened to $14.3 million from 3,305 theaters, finishing second behind The Nun II. CinemaScore audiences gave it a B grade, and PostTrak reported 73% positive score with 48% definitely recommending it. Critics offered mixed to positive reviews.

Jason Zinoman of The New York Times called it a whodunit with horror elements, praising the elegant visuals. Justin Chang of the Los Angeles Times noted a free-floating air of grief rooted in war memories. Ann Hornaday of The Washington Post described it as moody, and both praised the cast. Matt Zoller Seitz acclaimed the screenplay, direction, and production values, calling it an empathetic portrayal of a death-haunted mentality.

He and Michael Phillips of the Chicago Tribune named it the best of Branagh's Poirot films. Kristen Lopez of TheWrap felt character development suffered due to focus on production values, but singled out performances by Reilly, Dornan, and Yeoh.