Strange Things Are Happening Between Netflix and Movie Theaters

"While the two-hour Stranger Things finale will land on Netflix as expected, the streamer announced that it will also work with 350 theaters across the United States and Canada to release the finale as a fan event December 31 and January 1. The theatrical releases begin at 8 p.m. ET on New Year's Eve, in sync with the episode's Netflix debut."

"This news comes a week after series showrunners Matt and Ross Duffer expressed interest in the possibility in their profile: "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," they said of the Netflix experience, also noting that they wanted fans to watch the finale together."

"In that same profile, Netflix's chief creative officer, Bela Bajaria, dismissed the idea, saying that Stranger Things's strictly-on-streaming existence hasn't seen it suffer from a "lack of conversation or community." But interviews for that profile were conducted weeks ago, and Puck first reported earlier this week that since then, Netflix struck a deal with AMC to show KPop Demon Hunters in its theaters - a sign of thawing relations between two companies that had been engaged in a cold war since around 2019."

Netflix will release the two-hour Stranger Things finale on its streaming platform and as fan-event screenings at 350 theaters across the United States and Canada on December 31 and January 1, with theatrical showings beginning at 8 p.m. ET on New Year's Eve in sync with the episode's Netflix debut. Showrunners Matt and Ross Duffer said audiences miss the full sound and picture quality on streaming and expressed a desire for fans to watch the finale together. Netflix's chief creative officer Bela Bajaria said the show's streaming-only presence has not caused a lack of conversation or community. Relations between Netflix and AMC have warmed recently after Netflix struck a deal to show KPop Demon Hunters in AMC theaters following years of limited cooperation stemming from disputes since around 2019. The Duffers recently signed with Paramount after declining to remain with Netflix because of Netflix's longtime aversion to theatrical releases, and Netflix offered theatrical screenings as a farewell gesture.

Read at Vulture