When IMAX announced its deal with Netflix to launch Greta Gerwig’s THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA movie with an exclusive two-week theatrical run at 1,000 global IMAX locations, most industry watchers viewed it as a positive development for the exhibition. Perhaps, Netflix was inching closer to the position of using exclusive theatrical runs to introduce its most important new titles.
Upon further review, some analysts see a more complicated picture, with reporting this week from Puck News that shows anger from both studios and exhibitors, with some vowing to do whatever it takes to sink NARNIA’s theatrical release altogether.
The root of the animus stems from comments made by Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos, who has consistently rejected the lure of playing his company’s new films in theatres. This has caused both competitive studios and virtually all exhibitors to see Netflix as a “common enemy.”
IMAX screens are valuable real estate for major studio releases, given the disproportionately large revenue per screen that they generate. Disney has scheduled to open a yet untitled animated release at the same time as NARNIA, on Thanksgiving 2026.
Puck reported that Disney executives were “furious” with IMAX for being passed over for the Netflix title, especially considering Disney’s longstanding partnership with IMAX. On the exhibitor side, Regal and Cinemark were said to be surprised by the deal and threatened not to show NARINA on their 108 IMAX screens.
Representatives for both Netflix and Gerwig are said to be “concerned” by these developments, and the negative impact it could have on NARINA’s IMAX release. Gelfond has tried to assure both Netflix and Gerwig that IMAX has a “nuclear option” that will get both studios and exhibitors to cooperate, pointing out that AMC has committed to show NARNIA on its 182 IMAX screens.
Ultimately, this could cause Regal and Cinemark to reconsider their stance and follow suit eventually. The stakes are high for Netflix, IMAX, and the entire industry, given the importance of this title and the precedents that its release could establish.
