In a major deal for a Netflix release, Greta Gerwig
‘s planned The Chronicles of Narnia
movie will release in IMAX theaters before streaming. Netflix has been stingy with theatrical releases for their films, typically only allowing a limited release that satisfies the requirements for awards qualification. However, the acclaimed director’s new project comes off the heels of 2023’s Barbie, which was a smash theatrical success, and she had reportedly been pushing for a greater theatrical presence for her Narnia films than is customary for the streamer.

Now, Puck reports that Netflix, IMAX, and Gerwig’s team have officially come to an agreement. Her next movie will open on approximately 1000 IMAX screens worldwide on Thanksgiving Day, 2026, in addition to being branded as a Netflix/IMAX release from the outset and filmed partially with IMAX cameras. The deal includes locations in 90 countries, with China still subject to approval from its censors and France unclear due to its own rules for theatrical windowing.

Netflix has also agreed to hold the streaming release of the film until Christmas, granting four weeks of theatrical exclusivity, and will market the film like a traditional theatrical tentpole. For now, though, IMAX has currently only guaranteed its screens for the first two weeks; a third week could be added depending on demand. There’s also a chance some non-IMAX theaters will screen the film before its Netflix debut. This deal was reportedly hard-won, with theater owners only coming around once it was made clear that, for Narnia, it was this or nothing.

What This IMAX Release For Narnia Means For Netflix

Did Greta Gerwig Just Change The Streamer’s Playbook For Good?

Netflix built its business in part on the exclusivity of its library of originals, and beyond awards-qualifying runs, has shared its movies with theaters only on rare occasions. In 2022, after reports that the streamer was considering a longer window, Rian Johnson’s Glᴀss Onion: A Knives Out Mystery played in about 600 US theaters for just one week, considered a big concession at the time. It did not, however, lead to a more theater-friendly approach, and Netflix has instead doubled-down.

Recently, as other studios have seen theatrical presence buoy subsequent streaming performance, the pressure from the creative community has increased; Emerald Fennell & Co. notably rejected a much-higher offer from Netflix to secure a theatrical release for her upcoming Wuthering Heights adaptation. So, when reports surfaced that Gerwig wanted theaters for Narnia, it seemed possible that she could turn her post-Barbie cachet into a unique arrangement.

This deal is clearly a big win for her, and for fans of her work. Not only will her movie play on the big screen (and, importantly, be filmed for the big screen), but a full-scale marketing push and theatrical presence gives her the chance to continue building momentum as one of Hollywood’s only young filmmakers to become a household name. It’s also a big win for IMAX— Gerwig’s follow-up to Barbie is a surefire hit, financially, and this potential inroad with Netflix could have mᴀssive implications for future tentpole-style films of theirs.

Whether Netflix considers it a win remains to be seen. As long as Gerwig can make the release date, it’s hard to see this plan failing, and Narnia‘s streaming performance will undoubtedly benefit from the awareness (as Glᴀss Onion‘s did). But, as Matt Belloni notes in his Puck report, this sets a precedent for future deals with marquee filmmakers, and others will surely inquire about getting their own Gerwig deal. On the one hand, that’s a recipe for future insults to not-as-big-as-they-think filmmakers; on the other, this could be the bargaining chip that keeps star creatives from turning to compeтιтors.

Our Take On Netflix & IMAX’s Deal For Greta Gerwig’s Narnia

Barbenheimer’s Tail Keeps Getting Longer

While it’s entirely possible that, like Glᴀss Onion, this proves a one-off aberration in Netflix’s strategy, I find this deal heartening. In this shifting climate, I believe Ted Sarandos recognizes his film division needs to be able to offer something to attract the highest echelon of creatives to their service, and establishing a collaboration with IMAX seems like the ideal version of that for everyone involved. Limited and premium, the way Netflix would prefer, while still plugged into one of the H๏τtest trends in theatrical moviegoing right now.

I also can’t help but think of this as the deal that Barbenheimer wrought. After Gerwig benefitted directly from her own movie’s part in the phenomenon, Narnia‘s now drawing on one of the the primary lessons from Oppenheimer‘s part of the equation: the growing value of Premium Large Format screens.

Source: Puck