Greta Gerwig has successfully utilized her “Barbie” fame to secure a significant theatrical release from Netflix for her adaptation of C.S. Lewis’ beloved fantasy series, “Narnia.”
Following extended negotiations, Imax revealed that “Narnia” will premiere exclusively on its screens globally for a two-week period ahead of its streaming debut on Netflix. The film is set to open in Imax on Thanksgiving Day 2026, with its Netflix premiere scheduled for Christmas of the same year.
This Imax release marks a notable departure for Netflix, which typically reserves limited, Oscar-qualifying theatrical runs for its awards contenders like “Emilia Perez” and “Maria.” The platform generally prioritizes direct streaming launches for its more commercially oriented projects.
However, there have been exceptions. In 2022, Netflix allowed “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery” a one-week exclusive run in over 600 theaters, marking its widest-ever theatrical rollout.
Competitors such as Amazon and Apple have taken a more flexible approach, offering extended theatrical runs for their films before bringing them to their streaming platforms. This strategy has left Netflix struggling to secure high-profile projects that demand a traditional cinema-first release.
Netflix initially announced plans to develop new series and film adaptations of Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia in 2018. By 2020, the streamer had enlisted Gerwig, an Academy Award-nominated director known for her work on “Lady Bird” and the highly praised adaptation of “Little Women.”
Gerwig’s reputation soared further in 2023 with the release of “Barbie,” which grossed nearly $1.5 billion worldwide and became a cultural phenomenon.
The Narnia books, a series of seven titles, have collectively sold over 115 million copies and been translated into 57 languages. Netflix aims to turn this treasured literary series into its next major franchise success.