Netflix Boss Ted Sarandos Says ‘Narnia’ Imax Release Is ‘Not a Change in Our Core Strategy’
The exclusive Imax engagement of Greta Gerwig’s upcoming Netflix fantasy epic “Narnia” does not represent a “change in our core strategy,” according to co-CEO Ted Sarandos.
On the Tuesday earnings call, Sarandos said, “Our core strategy is to give our members exclusive first round movies on Netflix. The ‘Narnia’ Imax release is a release tactic. We routinely release movies at theaters a couple weeks before to qualify for awards or to meet festival requirements and to prime the publicity pump a bit.”
“In the case of ‘Narnia,’ it’s a two-week special event. I think it’s very differentiated from other runs, because I doubt anyone has a screen as big as an Imax screen at home. It is a differentiated consumer experience,” he continued. “But we’ve done variants of these releases many times, and doing it with Imax greatly simplifies our release process as well.”
“But mostly, I want to say I’m incredibly excited to be working with Greta on this movie,” Sarandos concluded. “We’re super excited to get it into production so we can talk about how great this movie is, more so than which screens it’s at. She’s an incredible director. This is a really exciting project.”
Netflix remains dogged in its commitment to put first-run movies on Netflix exclusively. To date, the most extensive theatrical release by the streaming giant was for “Glass Onion” back in 2022, which appeared in 600 theaters for an exclusive “sneak peek” run. Many screenings were sold out.
Gerwig’s “Narnia,” an adaptation of C.S. Lewis’ beloved fantasy series, is set to be released in Imax theaters on Thanksgiving Day 2026, with the movie then hitting Netflix before Christmas.
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