While some of us were at home watching Eleven and crew fight to the death in a scene that was somewhere between Hellraiser and Wild Wild West, dedicated fans flocked to theaters to see the Stranger Things finale, instead. The last instalment of Netflix’s flagship show had a limited theatrical release on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day, during which audiences gasped at Steve (Joe Keery) taking a tumble and cheered when Joyce Byers took a final swing at Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower). While it didn’t actually have any tickets to sell, theaters applied a workaround that still brought in a commendable bit of cash for the television show, which made its rare appearance in cinemas.
Deadline revealed that “Chapter Eight: The Rightside Up” brought in over $25 million from concession sales, with 620 listed locations providing concession vouchers to reserve fans' seats. AMC Cinemas, for example, charged $20 for concession vouchers that gave buyers a spot in theaters for the big event. The offer was planned because Netflix did not have deals in place with the show's cast for box-office residuals. As a result, no tickets could be sold; however, popcorn by the truckload could be dished out, along with enough soda to see even a Mind Flayer take a bathroom break.
What’s impressive was how it held its own against one film that had been dominating screens for the past few weeks. It’s worth noting that Avatar: Fire and Ash trailed behind the Netflix one-off with $23.7 million in ticket sales in the same period. Regardless of these numbers, though, it doesn’t seem like this special occasion will change the strategy of the streaming giant in the future.
Following this recent success of the show on the big screen, along with its other monster hit, Kpop Demon Hunters, the streaming service is still very set in its ways when it comes to its own projects and how it releases them. Nevertheless, there is still concern about how it will handle Warner Bros. projects following the recent deal that saw the big red N snatch up the studio for the costly sum of $82.7 billion. Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos assured that Warner Bros. theatrical releases would stay just that and that "We didn't buy this company to destroy that value.”
To see what movies are heading to theaters in 2026, check out our list of release dates here.
