Netflix’s upcoming movie “Narnia” will be released exclusively in Imax theaters for two weeks worldwide, the streamer confirmed Friday.
The movie, directed by Greta Gerwig, will be shown on 1,000 to 1,800 Imax screens, according to a person familiar with the deal who declined to be named. Its theatrical release will be Thanksgiving Day 2026 and premiere on Netflix on Christmas.
The deal marks a delicate balancing act for Netflix, because the company’s business model is centered on growing its streaming subscriptions. Although Netflix has released movies theatrically before to qualify for awards, the streamer typically aims to quickly distribute those movies on its streaming service to satisfy its millions of subscribers.
But some Hollywood talent would prefer to see their work appear on the big screen. A representative for Gerwig did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
News outlet Puck first reported on the Imax-Netflix deal.
This is Imax’s first deal for a theatrical window for a Netflix narrative feature film. A Netflix documentary, “Skywalkers: A Love Story,” also had a theatrical run on Imax last year.
The movie is based on “The Chronicles of Narnia” by C.S. Lewis. It’s an epic tale with Christian undertones about a magical world and the four siblings who discover and rule it as kings and queens. The seven Narnia books have sold more than 115 million copies worldwide.
Some analysts have said bringing the epic story to Imax screens makes sense given the breadth of the fantasy world and anticipated stunning visual nature of the film. There is also likely to be significant fandom surrounding the movie.
The last three Narnia movies, released theatrically in 2005, 2008 and 2010 by Disney and 20th Century Fox, generated $537.7 million in the U.S. and Canada, according to non-inflation-adjusted data from Comscore.
Most studios do a theatrical window of at least a few weeks before making movies available through digital viewing, with bigger movies often getting longer period of theatrical exclusivity. Netflix’s two-week window is considered short by comparison.
Netflix executives have defended its movie strategy. Co-Chief Executive Ted Sarandos said in an earnings presentation in October that the streamer’s top 10 films that launch on Netflix have more than 100 million views.
“It’s our desire to keep adding value to our consumers for their subscription dollar,” Sarandos said. “We believe that not making them wait for months to watch the movie that everyone’s talking about adds that value.”
It also can be hard for a movie to break through the streamer’s large library of content. Netflix’s top movies of all time are action flick “Red Notice,” dark comedy “Don’t Look Up” and sci-fi movie “The Adam Project,” all movies released in 2021 or 2022.
Times staff writer Samantha Masunaga contributed to this report.
