Friday morning, news broke that Netflix had agreed to begin its release of Greta Gerwig’s upcoming remake of THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA with an exclusive two-week run at over 1,000 IMAX screens globally. After its first two weeks in theatres beginning on Thanksgiving Day in 2026, the movie would be put on ice until it becomes available to stream on Netflix on Christmas Day.
While this arrangement had been long-rumored, it was only finalized after months of negotiation between Netflix, Gerwig, and IMAX. An approval by Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos was a key ingredient in the deal, especially after making many public statements in the past that he did not see the point in playing Netflix movies in theatres. However, his desire to sign up a big-name talent such as Gerwig to the project outweighed his resistance to theatrical release.
In this case, Netflix may have been influenced by the outcome of the recent film rights negotiations for WUTHERING HEIGHTS, the movie adaptation of Emily Brontë’s classic novel directed by Emerald Fennell and starring Margot Robbie.
Despite Netflix offering twice the amount that Warner Bros. put on the table, the film’s production company Luckychap, owned by Robbie, opted to go with Warner Bros. because of its commitment to open with an exclusive theatrical window. Netflix insisted on reserving the movie for Netflix streaming only.
Netflix appears to have re-committed itself to raising the profile and reputation of its film division, including the offer of a theatrical release when that is required to reel in big talent.