In the end, Greta Gerwig will get her theatrical release. After months of speculation, Narnia will be released on IMAX screens before it streams on Netflix.
Per Matt Belloni of Puck, Narnia will air on nearly 1,000 screens worldwide on Thanksgiving Day 2026. IMAX has guaranteed Narnia will play for at least two weeks. However, that could increase to three if demand is high. After its IMAX run, Narnia will stream globally on Netflix around Christmas Day.
Belloni’s report states Narnia could screen in non-IMAX formats, though that is unconfirmed. More importantly, Netflix will market Narnia like a typical IMAX release and brand it as a Netflix and IMAX movie from the outset.
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Gerwig’s deal could be a tipping point for Netflix, which has consistently prioritized streaming over the theatrical experience. Netflix gives its prestige plays limited theatrical releases to qualify for the Oscars and other awards shows. The only other example that resembles Gerwig’s deal is Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery. Rian Johnson’s sequel received a one-week limited theatrical release during the 2022 Thanksgiving holiday before its December debut on Netflix.
Gerwig is coming off the overwhelming success of Barbie, which likely factored into Netflix’s decision to allow an IMAX release. Barbie became the highest-grossing film of 2023 with over $1.44 billion worldwide.
In 2018, Netflix acquired the rights to C.S. Lewis’ Narnia books, intending to develop movies and TV shows. Netflix enlisted Gerwig to develop Narnia in 2020. In 2023, The New Yorker reported that Gerwig had been hired to write and direct two Narnia movies for Netflix.