Credit: Netflix
One of Netflix’s most popular shows is heading to theaters. A new report suggests that the Stranger Things Season 5 finale will be shown in theaters.
How is the Stranger Things Season 5 finale going to theaters?
According to Puck’s Matthew Belloni, Stranger Things’ two-hour Season 5 finale will “debut in AMC and other theater chains on New Year’s Eve.” December 31 is the same day the finale streams on Netflix.
The news comes a week after the Duffer Brothers mentioned they wanted the show’s series finale to be in movie theaters.
“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 Duffer said in a Variety profile. “More than that, it’s about experiencing it at the same time with fans.”
Despite the Duffers’ wish for theaters, Netflix’s chief creative officer, Bela Bajari, shot the idea down.
“A lot of people — a lot, a lot, a lot of people — have watched Stranger Things on Netflix,” Bejari said in the same Variety piece. “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.”
According to Belloni’s report, the Variety interview was conducted “weeks ago,” before the deal was in place. The deals aren’t signed, but Belloni writes that the finale heading to theaters is “happening.”
Netflix’s shift to theaters is slowly happening. The majority of the streamer’s content will remain on the service. However, special one-off events have been successful for Netflix, most notably a KPop Demon Hunters sing-along over the summer.
The sing-along worked so well that KPop Demon Hunters will be shown in theaters again from Friday, October 31, through Sunday, November 2. AMC, which refused to air the sing-along in August, will release the Netflix movie in its theaters over Halloween weekend.
Regal, Cinemark, and other select theaters will also put the KPop Demon Hunters sing-along in theaters.
Stranger Things Season 5 will release in three parts: Volume I on November 26, Volume II on December 25, and the finale on December 31.
