Finale of Hit Netflix Series Will Play in Movie Theaters

Netflix is going all out for the finale of one of its biggest shows.

Variety reports that Stranger Things’ two-hour series finale will be shown in theaters on New Year’s Eve.

Stranger Things 5 will premiere on Nov. 26 with the first four episodes, followed by three episodes on Christmas Day, with the finale dropping on New Year’s Eve. That finale, “The Rightside Up,” will premiere on Netflix and in over 350 movie theaters on Dec. 31 starting at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. Showings will run through Jan. 1, 2026. Details about the precise theaters playing the episode have not been released.

News of the finale’s theatrical run come after creators Matt and Ross Duffer expressed interest in portentially playing the episode in theaters in a Variety cover story. “People don’t get to experience how much time and effort is spent on sound and picture, and they’re seeing it at reduced quality,” Matt said. “More than that, it’s about experiencing it at the same time with fans.”

“That would be amazing,” Ross added. “Because the fans could be there with other fans, and experience it as a communal thing — it would be incredible.”

It’s not surprising that Netflix would want Stranger Things to go out with a bang. Since its premiere in 2016, the series has remained one of the biggest shows on the streamer. And considering it’s taken over three years for Season 5 to release, fans are as anxious as ever to see how this story will come to an end, and who may not make it out alive.

Per Netflix, Season 5 will take place in 1987, following the events of the Season 4 finale. “Hawkins is scarred by the opening of the Rifts, and our heroes are united by a single goal: find and kill Vecna. But he has vanished — his whereabouts and plans unknown. Complicating their mission, the government has placed the town under military quarantine and intensified its hunt for Eleven, forcing her back into hiding. As the anniversary of Will’s disappearance approaches, so does a heavy, familiar dread. The final battle is looming — and with it, a darkness more powerful and more deadly than anything they’ve faced before. To end this nightmare, they’ll need everyone — the full party — standing together, one last time.”

Stranger Things’ ensemble cast includes Winona Ryder, David Harbour, Millie Bobby Brown, Finn Wolfhard, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin, Noah Schnapp, Sadie Sink, Natalia Dyer, Charlie Heaton, Joe Keery, Maya Hawke, Priah Ferguson, Brett Gelman, Jamie Campbell Bower, Cara Buono, Amybeth McNulty, Nell Fisher, Jake Connelly, Alex Breaux, and Linda Hamilton.

More information on the Stranger Things finale theatrical release will be announced soon. The first four episodes of the fifth and final season premiere on Wednesday, Nov. 26 at 8 p.m. ET on Netflix. The first four seasons are streaming now.