Greta Gerwig’s ‘Narnia’ Universe: Netflix Plans an Epic 8-Film Franchise Says IMAX CEO

Greta Gerwig’s upcoming The Chronicles of Narnia film series for Netflix will have a special IMAX release before it hits the streaming platform. According to IMAX CEO Richard Gelfond, the first movie in the series will have a two-week exclusive run in IMAX theaters worldwide, starting on Thanksgiving Day 2026.

IMAX has teamed up with Netflix to bring Narnia to the big screen in a major way. Gelfond explained that while Netflix is excited about the partnership, fans shouldn’t expect this to become a regular occurrence.

“I’ve talked to Netflix about this, and I think in general they are as excited as we are to do it. But we are not in a rush to do another one tomorrow. I think the factors have to come into place that work for everyone.”

The deal took a long time to put together, as multiple parties had to be considered, including Netflix, Greta Gerwig, and theater exhibitors. “So we really had to construct something that would work for the exhibitors, that would work for Greta, that would work for Netflix, that would work for a lot of people,” Gelfond noted. “The right amount of windows. The right amount of playtime. … It’s a fairly complex deal to have met all the various constituencies.”

Narnia project is shaping up to be a major cinematic event, with Gelfond revealing that Netflix is planning an entire eight-film franchise. “I think there are like eight movies planned … and what IMAX does best is launch franchises and launch events, [and] this is the kind of movie that is very conducive to an IMAX release.”

This move shows Netflix’s willingness to experiment with theatrical releases for its biggest projects. Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos clarified that the IMAX release is a unique strategy, rather than a shift in the company’s overall approach to theaters.

“There is no change at all to our theatrical strategy,” Sarandos said, describing the IMAX run as “a release tactic.” He explained, “We routinely release movies in theaters a couple of weeks before to qualify for awards, 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.”

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