America, principal production took place from June 17 to July 2, shooting entirely at the Caterpillar House, a private home at The Santa Lucia Preserve in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. The film followed local COVID-19 safety protocols, including the entire cast and crew being quarantined during shooting, as well as two weeks before and after shooting, daily temperature checks, and increased sanitation measures. The crew included many members of the Euphoria crew, including cinematographer Marcell Rév and production designer Michael Grasley. Both Washington and Zendaya were responsible for doing their own makeup and picking out their own costumes, as there were no makeup artists or costume designer on set. No more than 12 people were allowed on set at a time. The production also had to be kept very confined so that the cast and crew could remain undisturbed during shooting. The film was shot on black-and-white 35 mm film. Release In September 2020, Netflix acquired distribution rights to the film for $30 million, outbidding companies such as HBO, A24 and Searchlight Pictures. It was released theatrically in select theaters on January 29, 2021, and then was streamed on Netflix beginning February 5, 2021. Deadline Hollywood reported the film "made hardly any money" during its theatrical run (due to the COVID-19 pandemic). The film was the most-watched title on the platform in its debut weekend, but dropped out of the top 10 by its second. Reception Critical response According to review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, 57% of 248 critic reviews were positive, with an average rating of 6.30/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "Malcolm & Marie ambitions aren't always satisfactorily fulfilled, but its flaws are often offset by the strong chemistry between the film's stars." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 53 out of 100, based on 44 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Writing for Variety, Peter Debruge said "Levinson gives his stars roughly equal time, carefully modulating the sense of balance throughout. His direction seldom seems showy, and yet, we sense the intention behind each cut as power and control shifts throughout the movie." David Ehrlich of IndieWire gave the film a grade of C+ and wrote, "Sam Levinson's exasperatingly gorgeous Malcolm & Marie is a lot like the two people who lend its title their names: confident and insecure in equal measure, stuffed to the gills with big ideas but convinced of nothing beyond its own