The two-hour series finale of “Stranger Things” will get a theatrical release after all. The climactic episode, titled “The Rightside Up,” will premiere on Netflix and in more than 350 movie theaters on Dec. 31, starting at 5 p.m. PT / 8 p.m. ET, playing through Jan. 1, 2026. This appears to mark the first time an episode of a Netflix series will also be exhibited theatrically.
Details on the precise theaters will be announced at a later date, according to an announcement from Netflix.
In a recent Variety cover story about the making of the show’s final season, “Stranger Things” creators Matt and Ross Duffer expressed interest in having the feature-length finale simultaneously premiere in theaters when it drops on the streamer on New Year’s Eve.
“People don’t get to experience how much time and effort is spent on sound and picture, and they’re seeing it at reduced quality,” Matt said. “More than that, it’s about experiencing it at the same time with fans.”
“That would be amazing,” Ross said. “Because the fans could be there with other fans, and experience it as a communal thing — it would be incredible.”
While one of Netflix’s bedrock tenets has been putting its original content onto its streaming platform rather than into theaters, the company has exhibited its feature films theatrically on a case by case basis. Greta Gerwig negotiated an Imax release with the company for her “Narnia” movie next year. Netflix’s awards contenders — this year, that includes “Frankenstein,” “Jay Kelly” and “A House of Dynamite” — debut first in a small number of theaters for an Oscar-qualifying run, often a few weeks before premiering on Netflix. After its blockbuster summer on the platform, “KPop Demon Hunters” led the box office for a special sing-along theatrical release; the company announced on Oct. 15 the film will return to theaters — including in the three major chains, AMC, Regal and Cinemark — over Halloween weekend.
When interviewed in September for the cover, however, Netflix’s chief content officer Bela Bajaria initially waved off the idea of placing the “Stranger Things” finale into theaters. “A lot of people — a lot, a lot, a lot of people — have watched ‘Stranger Things’ on Netflix,” she said. “It has not suffered from lack of conversation or community or sharing or fandom. I think releasing it on Netflix is giving the fans what they want.”
After Variety‘s cover story published, the show’s fans expressed great interest on social media about the idea of a theatrical release for the finale. In a Variety Instagram post with 40,000 likes and counting, fans made comments such as, “Damn, missed opportunity for Netflix to make some more money…it being in theaters would have been massive event where people dress up like Barbie,” and “Netflix is wrong. Our industry needs more excitement in-theater culture.”
In this case, it appears that the people of the Upside Down have gotten their wish.
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