Netflix isn’t going to be embracing movie theaters in the near future. While Greta Gerwig’s Narnia and The Adventures of Cliff Booth may play widely on the big screen for a time, the streaming service has no intention of changing the way they conduct business.
In a rare move for Netflix, Gerwig’s Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew will be released in United States theaters on February 12, 2027. It will then come to the Netflix streaming service on April 2, 2027.
The Adventures of Cliff Booth, meanwhile, is getting released on the big screen on November 25, 2026, before it then arrives on Netflix on December 23, 2026. That movie, which is being directed by David Fincher, serves as a sequel/spin-off to Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood and will see Brad Pitt reprise his role as the titular Cliff Booth.
What did Dan Lin say about Netflix and movie theaters?
One might assume that, when embracing theatrical releases for these two forthcoming blockbuster movies, Netflix may be shifting its viewpoint on the matter. That, however, is not the case.
Dan Lin, who is the chairman of Netflix’s film division, told the New York Times that “there is a group of filmmakers who still want theatrical. Those are filmmakers that we’ve accepted we just won’t work with.”
Variety noted that Lin’s mindset is “in contrast to Lin’s predecessor in the job, Scott Stuber, who sometimes clashed with [co-CEO Ted] Sarandos over his struggles to give Netflix movies from major auteurs like Guillermo del Toro (Frankenstein) and Alfonso Cuaron (Roma” more robust theatrical releases beyond just an awards qualifying run. And Stuber never gave up on trying to land cinema purists like Christopher Nolan.” It was announced in 2024 that Stuber was leaving Netflix; he’s since entered a first-look deal with Amazon MGM Studios.
