We’re just over two months away from finally learning the ultimate fate of Hawkins, Indiana and its monster-fighting residents, as Stranger Things Season 5 is at last set to make its debut via Netflix subscription for fans who’ve been waiting literal years for new episodes. The holiday-based drops already seemed targeted to lure in viewers on vacation from work and school, and now it’s being reported Netflix aims to truly go for the gold by bringing the sci-fi horror series back to theaters!
Specifically, the streaming giant is allegedly looking to give Stranger Things’ presumably epic series finale its time to shine on the big screen, at least according to Puck (via ComicBook.com). Nothing official has been locked down or announced just yet, but the Hollywood scooper claims that it’s only a matter of time before ongoing conversations are made official, and that the goal is for it to be a multi-chain approach, saying:
[The Season 5 finale will] debut in AMC and other theater chains on New Year’s Eve. . . . It's what's happening.
Okay, a New Year’s Eve theatrical premiere for Stranger Things’ final episode would almost definitely amount to the biggest event of the 2025 TV schedule and beyond, even if it’s just a one-night affair. It might seem like a ballsy move to plan finale screenings before audiences have seen and judged the preceding seven episodes, especially given many fans’ lack of excitement for new episodes due to the extended hiatus between seasons.
On the other hand, this is one of the biggest TV shows of all time, so it’d be naive to think that fans wouldn’t show up, especially for such a momentous installment. This plan would sound way more suspect if the goal was only to have the fourth episode screened. But everyone and their mother’s BFF will be dying to know how things end after Eps. 5-7 go live on Christmas, so the finale is indeed the ideal choice, and I can only imagine how much money will come rolling in.
Assuming this all does go down as expected, the real question will be how heavily Stranger Things screenings will affect the usual New Year's Eve festivities across the rest of the country. Depending on the timing, theaters could very well be more packed than bars and Times Square in the hours before 2026 arrives in earnest.
That ep is reportedly one of the two longest of the season, though reportedly still less than 90 minutes, at least going by Matt Duffer's recent debunking of the runtime rumors. Still feature-length, technically, but not so long that fans will be as old as the cast when they exit the theater.
Didn't Netflix Already Turn The Duffers' Theatrical Plans For Stranger Things Down?
This is hardly the first time that Matt and Ross Duffer have attempted to bring their work to the big screen, and it's something fans have been wanting for ages. A recent report from Variety indicated that Netflix still had no desire to go bigger than usual with Stranger Things' final episodes, but those interviews took place during a set visit back in July 2024, long before KPop Demon Hunters proved itself a chart-topper both in streaming and in the box office.
Those comments were also made before the Duffer brothers revealed they signed a massive overall deal with Paramount, as the company supports their goal of making movies for theaters, which Netflix did not. So it's possible that Netflix wants to take advantage of this experiment while it still can, so that perhaps the same process can happen with the upcoming spinoff(s).
Not all updates are positive, such as Matt Duffer no doubt shattering lots of hearts with the reveal that Joseph Quinn will not be back for Season 5. But maybe Netflix can hire him to be a ticket-taker for the night....
Stay tuned for more updates on Stranger Things' potential theatrical future, and be sure to catch the first four episodes when they arrive on Thursday, November 27.
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