Greta Gerwig’s Barbie sequel, an adaptation of C.S. Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia book, will be available exclusively in theaters for four weeks before arriving on Netflix at Christmas, according to a new report from Puck It is said that it will become like this. Netflix has historically been anti-theatrical, but it seems like the right filmmakers can put that aside.
The film will have a limited run of four weeks in theaters around the world, which is longer than The Glass Onion: Knives Out Mystery’s one week, but will initially be available only on IMAX screens. Pack said IMAX guarantees that the film will run in this format for two weeks and is willing to add an additional week if there is demand. The film may then be released in theaters other than IMAX.
Netflix owns some theaters itself, but is philosophically opposed to monopolizing them. This would allow Netflix movies to be released in theaters for only as long as necessary to qualify for awards season, but otherwise avoid them like the plague. While this may be good for subscribers who are used to watching everything at home, most filmmakers want their movies to be seen on the big screen. For example, the New York Times reports that Netflix lost a distribution opportunity for Saltburn director Emerald Fennell’s next film, an adaptation of Wuthering Heights, after refusing to release it in theaters.
There were rumors that IMAX, Gerwig, and Netflix were negotiating a deal starting in October 2024, but it looks like things have gone the director’s way. It’s strange that what could be a blockbuster movie has to fight so hard to get paying audiences to see it. There’s plenty of evidence that showing movies in theaters makes money, a lesson even companies like Disney had to relearn after the streaming boom. Moana 2 started as filler for Disney+, was tweaked and released theatrically, and grossed more than $200 million in December 2024.
It’s impossible to say whether this decision signals long-term changes for Netflix, but future filmmakers working with the company now have an interesting precedent to inform their own theatrical deals. .
