Netflix has officially confirmed that Greta Gerwig’s highly anticipated adaptation of The Chronicles of Narnia will receive an exclusive IMAX theatrical release before arriving on the streaming platform. During Netflix’s Q4 2024 Earnings Interview on January 21, 2025, CEO Ted Sarandos provided significant details about the release strategy for the upcoming fantasy epic, emphasizing that the theatrical run will be limited to a two-week window. This update comes just days after reports emerged about the film’s Thanksgiving 2026 IMAX debut, clarifying Netflix’s theatrical strategy for what promises to be one of the streaming platform’s most ambitious projects to date.
Videos by ComicBook.com
“Our core strategy is to give our members exclusive first-round movies on Netflix,” Sarandos explained during the earnings call. “The Narnia IMAX release is a release tactic. We routinely release movies in theaters a couple of weeks before [they come to Netflix] to qualify for awards, to meet festival requirements, and to pump publicity a bit.” The CEO emphasized that while these theatrical releases are common practice, the Narnia release is specifically designed as “a two-week special event.” In addition, this approach appears to be focused exclusively on IMAX screens, with Sarandos noting that “it’s very differentiated from other runs because I doubt anyone has a screen as big as an IMAX screen. Doing it with IMAX greatly simplifies our release process.”
The streaming giant’s strategy for Narnia follows its established pattern of theatrical releases, though generally on a more limited scale. Recently, Netflix announced plans for Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein to receive a theatrical run, while past releases like Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, The Gray Man, and Red Notice all received brief theatrical windows before streaming. However, the scale of the IMAX release for Narnia, planned for approximately 1,000 global locations, represents one of Netflix’s most extensive theatrical commitments to date.
[RELATED: Greta Gerwig Breaks Silence on Barbie’s Oscar Snubs]
While producer Amy Pascal previously announced a July 2025 production start date, Sarandos’s recent comments suggest the timeline might not be firmly set. “I’m incredibly excited to be working with Greta in this movie,” the CEO stated. “We are super excited to get it into production so we can talk about how great this movie is, more so than which screen it’s on.” His emphasis on still needing to “get it into production” raises questions about whether the July 2025 production start remains on track. Nevertheless, Sarandos maintains enthusiasm for the project and its director, adding, “She’s an incredible director, and this is a really exciting project.”
What We Know About Netflix’s The Chronicles of Narnia Reboot
The path to bringing C.S. Lewis’s beloved fantasy series back to screens has been long and winding since Netflix acquired the rights to the books in 2018. The project gained significant momentum in July 2023 when Greta Gerwig, fresh off the phenomenal success of Barbie, was announced as writer and director. Pascal describes the adaptation as “a very new take on Narnia” that’s “all about rock and roll,” suggesting a potentially bold reimagining of the classic material.
Gerwig’s involvement represents a significant step forward for Netflix’s ambitious plans to adapt all seven books in Lewis’s series through a combination of films and television shows. The director is currently committed to helming at least two installments. This marks a departure from previous adaptations, including Disney and Walden Media’s trilogy released between 2005 and 2010, which only managed to bring three of the seven books to the screen before the series was discontinued.
The project also represents a significant evolution in Gerwig’s career, moving from intimate character studies like Lady Bird and Little Women to the blockbuster success of Barbie, and now to epic fantasy. She has spoken about approaching the material with “extra care,” citing her personal “reverence” for Lewis’s work. While casting details remain under wraps, the production has already received an encouraging endorsement from William Moseley, who portrayed Peter Pevensie in the Disney adaptations.
Until further notice, Greta Gerwig’s The Chronicles of Narnia comes to IMAX on December 2026.
Related Posts
-
Image Credit: Netflix
