For the first time, Netflix is giving one of its films a full theatrical release, as Narnia: The Magician's Nephew will adhere cinemas' standardized 45-day exclusivity window.
The highly anticipated, big-budget Narnia film was originally scheduled for release in late 2026. That will no longer happen.
Instead, the film has been pushed to February 2027. The shift follows Netflix' failed attempt to acquire the Warner Bros film studio, during which the company was in discussions with cinema operators. Netflix recently said those talks were likely to lead to closer collaboration.
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45-day exclusivity window
Netflix has announced that Narnia: The Magician's Nephew will get a sneak preview release on February 10, 2027 in IMAX, followed by a wide theatrical on February 12 in cinemas worldwide, and will not arrive on streaming until April 2.
- "A rare phenomenon that spans generations and geographies, Narnia's release will match the scale and fandom of C. S. Lewis's beloved books. Audiences will experience a true cinematic event, in IMAX, in theaters, and on Netflix," the company said.
This breaks the original IMAX exclusivity agreement, which other cinema operators had sharply criticized as "undermining" the ecosystem. Vue (CinemaxX) even went as far as to terminate its IMAX contract to instead launch its own 'Epic' premium large format.
- "The film's delay until 2027 creates an opportunity to give Narnia an expanded, wide release with a full theatrical window; we support Greta and Netflix in pursuing that opportunity and are pleased Imax could help facilitate," IMAX said in a statement.
Greta Gerwig takes the credit
Ultimately, it was Greta Gerwig – who directed and produced Narnia: The Magician's Nephew – who gets the credit for Netflix's unexpected decision to accept theatrical exclusivity terms.
Filmmakers such as Martin Scorsese, Guillermo del Toro and David Fincher have previously tried without success.
Netflix has previously released films in theatrically, but typically only for short 7-14 day runs in a limited number of theaters, to qualify for Oscar eligibility requirements.
The decision also means that the millions of Netflix subscribers who fund the service will have to accept a planned delay of over 3 months, and wait for up to 51 days after the theatrical premiere before the film becomes available to stream at home.
