Greta Gerwig’s ‘Narnia’ Will Break Grounds with Thanksgiving IMAX Release

In October 2018, the C.S. Lewis Company revealed that Netflix had obtained the rights to create new films and series based on the entire ‘Chronicles of Narnia’ book series—the first time one company had exclusive rights to all the books. Entertainment One, which had rights to a planned fourth Narnia movie, also joined the project. Mark Gordon, Douglas Gresham, and Vincent Sieber were named as executive producers.

By June 2019, Netflix brought on Matthew Aldrich, co-writer of ‘Coco,’ to oversee the creative direction of the adaptations. Then, in July 2023, Greta Gerwig was announced as the writer and director for at least two ‘Narnia’ movies.

Now Puck news reports Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos has approved a groundbreaking deal to release Greta Gerwig’s ‘Narnia’ movie in IMAX theaters before it streams on Netflix. It will debut on 1,000 IMAX screens globally on Thanksgiving Day 2026.

It will remain exclusive to theaters for four weeks before becoming available on Netflix at Christmas. IMAX has committed to showing the film for at least two weeks, with the possibility of extending it to a third week based on demand. Netflix also agreed to market the movie like a major theatrical release and label it as a “Netflix/IMAX” film.

Gerwig will film with both IMAX and standard cameras to prepare for the dual release. The deal, negotiated over months by Netflix’s Bela Bajaria, IMAX CEO Rich Gelfond, and Gerwig’s team, required collaboration from various stakeholders.

Initially, theater owners resisted the exclusive IMAX run, but they agreed once they realized the alternative was no theatrical release at all. Ultimately, Sarandos prioritized supporting a top filmmaker over Netflix’s usual preference for avoiding traditional theatrical releases.

According to analysis, Netflix aims to turn ‘Narnia’ into a major franchise for its platform, while Greta Gerwig secures a wide theatrical release for her follow-up to ‘Barbie.’ The movie will be shown in 90 countries (pending approval in China and adjustments for France’s release rules), with strong marketing support—something Netflix films don’t always get.

This approach gives Gerwig the chance to make her movie a big cultural event beyond Netflix’s usual audience.

Have something to add? Let us know in the comments below!