Netflix said Thursday that the final episode of its hit series “Stranger Things” will be shown in select movie theaters and released on Netflix at the same time on New Year’s Eve.
The move marks the latest effort by the streaming giant to experiment with theatrical releases of its popular titles.
The two-hour episode will cap the end to the long-running sci-fi horror series that first streamed on Netflix in 2016 and launched the career of stars including Millie Bobby Brown. The push to bring the series to cinemas was celebrated by the show’s creators, Matt and Ross Duffer.
“Getting to see it on the big screen, with incredible sound, picture, and a room full of fans, feels like the perfect — dare we say bitchin’ — way to celebrate the end of this adventure,” the Duffer brothers said in a statement.
The fifth and final season of “Stranger Things” will begin streaming Nov. 26 with the first four episodes on Netflix. The next two episodes will be released Dec. 25 on the streaming service, followed by the finale Dec. 31 on Netflix and in theaters.
Netflix said the fourth season generated more than 140.7 million views.
The screenings will be in more than 350 theaters in U.S. and Canada on Dec. 31 and Jan. 1.
Netflix recently enjoyed success with the theatrical release of another popular title, “KPop Demon Hunters.” The film was released on Netflix’s streaming service first in June before appearing in movie theaters.
Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos said in an earnings presentation Tuesday that the film benefited from Netflix’s platform, allowing superfans to repeat view it and make it appealing for audiences to watch in theaters as well.
“We believe this film, ‘KPop Demon Hunters,’ actually worked because it was released on Netflix first,” Sarandos said.
In August, the Duffer brothers signed a deal with Paramount for a exclusive four-year TV, streaming and film deal, which will start after their current deal with Netflix ends in April 2026. The Duffer brothers told Variety that they were not looking to leave Netflix but realized they wanted to make their first theatrically released film.
“It’s just something that we’ve always wanted to do,” Matt Duffer told Variety. “We’ve never had that experience.”
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