Netflix said in Friday that the film Narnia: The Magician’s Nephewby filmmaker Greta Gerwigwill be released in cinemas around the world next year, where it will run exclusively for more than 45 days before debuting on the platform — a novelty for the streaming.
Written and directed by Gerwig, the film is the first adaptation of CS Lewis’s 1955 book, which explores the origins of Narnia. It will be released in cinemas on February 12th and available on the streaming service. streaming on April 2nd. This marks a change for Netflix, which typically releases films exclusively on its streaming service. streaming.
There were some exceptions, namely for films with the potential to win an Oscar. Films must premiere in theaters to be considered for an Oscar. But the periods spent in the room have been shorter than these 45 days. Netflix said it opted for a wide theatrical release for Narnia due to the saga’s broad appeal across generations and geographic regions.
Theater owners applauded Netflix’s decision. “This is welcome news,” Cinema United president Michael O’Leary said in a statement, adding: “Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew by Greta Gerwig is a film that audiences will want to see on the big screen. Now they’re going to have that opportunity.” Netflix has shown a growing willingness to embrace the theatrical experience, last year releasing a version of its popular animated film, KPop Demon Huntersin movie theaters.
During the attempted acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery (which fell apart in the face of Paramount Skydance’s hostile offer accepted by Warner), the CEO of NetflixTed Sarandos, had said that the company would continue to release Warner Bros. films. in cinemas and honoring the traditional 45-day exclusivity window for the theater experience.
Gerwig praised Netflix for choosing to make the film, which stars David McKenna, Beatrice Campbell, Emma Mackey, Carey Mulligan, Kobna Holdbrook-Smith and Daniel Craig and Meryl Streep, available more widely.
“I can’t wait for people to see the film in theaters on February 12th and on Netflix on April 2nd,” said Gerwig. Adam Aron, president and CEO of AMC Entertainment, the largest movie theater chain in the US, said his theaters will “do everything in their power” to support Netflix. “We are completely on their side,” wrote Aron on the social network X. “We are and will be betting everything.”
The debut of Narnia was initially scheduled to run for two weeks in theaters IMAXstarting on Thanksgiving in the USA, and then heading straight to Netflix.
