The 'Stranger Things' Season 5 finale is coming to movie theaters
The Stranger Things series finale will be getting a theatrical release, Netflix revealed today.
Season 5's feature-length final episode will play in over 350 theaters in the US and Canada on Dec. 31, 2025 and Jan. 1, 2026. Screenings start at 8 p.m. ET on Dec. 31, timed to the episode's global premiere on Netflix.
"We’re beyond excited that fans will have the chance to experience the final episode of Stranger Things in theaters — it’s something we’ve dreamed about for years, and we’re so grateful to [Netflix CEO] Ted [Sarandos], [Netflix Chief Content Officer] Bela [Bajaria], and everyone at Netflix for making it happen," Stranger Things creators Matt and Ross Duffer said in a statement. "Getting to see it on the big screen, with incredible sound, picture, and a room full of fans, feels like the perfect — dare we say bitchin’ — way to celebrate the end of this adventure."
These theatrical screenings are a reversal from Netflix's original plans to keep the finale solely on Netflix. In a Variety piece about Stranger Things Season 5, Bajaria rejected the idea of a theatrical release, saying, "A lot of people — a lot, a lot, a lot of people — have watched Stranger Things on Netflix. It has not suffered from lack of conversation or community or sharing or fandom. I think releasing it on Netflix is giving the fans what they want."
However, Netflix has recently seen success with theatrical releases of titles that already blew up on streaming. Case in point: KPop Demon Hunters, whose summertime singalong event was so popular, it's coming back to theaters in time for Halloween.
Netflix will release more information about how to attend these fan events and what theaters they will be playing in at a later date. Mashable will report with more news on this story as it develops.
Topics Netflix Stranger Things
Belen Edwards is an Entertainment Reporter at Mashable. She covers movies and TV with a focus on fantasy and science fiction, adaptations, animation, and more nerdy goodness. She is a member of the Critics Choice Association and the Television Critics Association, as well as a Tomatometer-approved critic.
