Earlier this year, it appeared that Netflix was warming up to the idea of theatrical exclusivity windows for its films. The streaming giant had previously fought the idea, but seemed to have listened to appeals from the theater industry when announcing that Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew would receive a 45-day theater run before appearing on the streaming platform.
It looks like that now may have been the exception, not the rule, as the company has announced that its next major motion picture, The Adventures of Cliff Booth (working title), will not receive a wide theatrical run. The upcoming film, which has Brad Pitt, Quentin Tarantino, and David Fincher attached, will have a brief IMAX appearance before going to streaming.
Netflix Films Chairman Dan Lin commented on the decision in his interview with The New York Times, and he did not mince his words.
“There is a group of filmmakers who still want theatrical,” said Lin. “Those are filmmakers that we’ve accepted we just won’t work with,” said Lin.
In addition to Narnia, Netflix has delayed The Adventures of Cliff Booth (working title), starring Brad Pitt, written by Quentin Tarantino and directed by David Fincher, to give the film an exclusive IMAX release – but not a wide theatrical run.
The decision to give the two high-profile films theatrical premieres, but make paying subscribers wait, has been welcomed in Hollywood, but reactions among Netflix users have been noticeably cooler.
Perhaps that is why Dan Lin felt the need to set the record straight in his interview with The New York Times.
“There is a group of filmmakers who still want theatrical. Those are filmmakers that we’ve accepted we just won’t work with,” said Lin.
The following was originally published May 6, 2026
During Netflix’s negotiations to acquire Warner Bros., a key point of discussion was theatrical exclusivity windows for new films. Historically, this has been a point of contention for Netflix, but the streaming giant disclosed that it was intending to work more closely with the theatrical industry in future releases.
While that acquisition ultimately didn’t happen, Netflix is going forward with granting greater privileges to theaters with a major upcoming release. In a first, the company will be granting a full 45-day theatrical exclusivity window for Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew. The film has been pushed for an early 2027 release after originally being slated to release the end of this year.
Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew will receive a “sneak preview” release exclusively in IMAX on February 10th, followed by a full theatrical release on February 12th. It will then premiere on Netflix April 2nd.
“The film’s delay until 2027 creates an opportunity to give Narnia an expanded, wide release with a full theatrical window; we support Greta and Netflix in pursuing that opportunity and are pleased IMAX could help facilitate,” reads a statement from IMAX.
