Greta Gerwig’s adaptation of The Chronicles of Narnia for Netflix will have an exclusive run on IMAX screens before it debuts on streaming.
Netflix has toyed with theatrical releases over the years, either so films could qualify for Oscars (such as it did successfully with Roma) or to eventize some very big investments (like Knives Out: Glass Onion). But the Narnia deal is the biggest bet yet and the first to include premium-format screens worldwide, potentially marking a new era for the company.
Netflix acquired the rights to develop movies and series based on C.S. Lewis' The Chronicles of Narnia in 2018 for $250 million, reports The Direct.
After the phenomenal success of Barbie - the film grossed $1.5 billion and achieved several milestones, including the highest-grossing film of 2023 - Gerwig has used her clout to make a (so far) one-of-a-kind deal.
Narnia will be released in IMAX on 26 November 2026 - Thanksgiving week, one of the biggest weeks for moviegoing - before debuting on Netflix on Christmas Day.
It’ll have an exclusive two-week run playing in 90 countries across 1,000 screens, with a third week possible if the movie rakes in revenue. It may also expand to some non-IMAX screens, says TheFutureParty.
Interestingly, the movie will be branded as a Netflix/IMAX film from the get-go - seemingly the first time the streamer has shared branding with another distributor.
What Hollywood wants to know is if the IMAX release is just a stunt or foreshadowing similar deals with top filmmakers, so they could have a theatrical debut. Only time will tell. But Netflix is riding on Narnia becoming a major franchise, which the streamer doesn’t have a lot of in comparison to other studios.
But if Netflix is open to making more deals like this with the top filmmakers, it may be hard for theatrically-minded directors to ignore the draw of getting both the biggest screens and the biggest streamer.