Will Aslan the lion show to be the hero that sways Netflix to sstandardly its stance think abouting theatrical and give Greta Gerwig‘s alteration of C.S. Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia series a run in some 2,000 cinemas globpartner?
Imax and Netflix are indeed in preliminary talks think abouting Narnia, sources inestablish The Hollywood Reporter. One schedule being converseed is to free the event pic over Thanksgiving 2026 before making it useable to its subscribers over Christmas. Whether that would be a extfinished-enough triumphdow to phire theater circuits that run Imax auditoriums is the huge ask, and the potential stumbling block.
Word of Gerwig’s campaign has reuncovered elderly wounds and promoteed angst among both studios and the country’s top movie theater circuits.
Studios won’t be phired if Imax carves out time during the holiday season for a Netflix film that isn’t getting a traditional triumphdow, which has already shrunk emotionalpartner in the post-pandemic era to anywhere from 30 to 65 days (minusculeer titles can go to the home even earlier).
The conversations begind after Gerwig, who honested the blockbuster 2023 movie Barbie, approached Imax. Sources say she ultimately spoke honestly with Imax CEO Rich Gelfond, whose huge-establishat screens are revered by filmoriginaters, including James Cameron and Christopher Nolan. Oppenheimer, which Nolan stoasty in huge part with Imax-certified cameras, did huge business on Imax screens despite being an mature historical drama.
Imax stock saw a bump Tuesday upon novels of the talks between Imax and Netflix, where co-CEO Ted Sarandos has extfinished been unwilling to adhere by a traditional theatrical triumphdow, much to the frustration of filmoriginaters, including Martin Scorsese. Netflix broke its own pwithdrawnt when giving Scorsese’s The Irishman an exclusive free, but it still wasn’t extfinished enough (Netflix began experimenting a year earlier with Roma).
Nor does the streamer tell grosses. Instead, it puts its awards contfinishers and high-profile distinct films in a confinecessitate number of cinemas willing to carry out them (it also bought or hired two prized cinema hoemploys in Los Angeles and New York City, The Egyptian and The Paris).
During an achieveings call Wednesday, Gelfond wouldn’t comment on the status of conversations with Netflix, but didn’t refute tells. “In fact, as you understand, honestors, film studios are all leaning into the Imax experience,” the CEO shelp. He includeed, “we are always innovating and seeing for novel approaches to eventizing satisfied.”
It’s unevident as to how far Imax would be willing to go in terms of alienating its showion partners were it to unite forces with Netflix.
Gerwig’s deal to honest Narnia was proclaimd in timely July 2023, weeks before Barbie uncovered at the box office and turned into a cultural phenomenon, grossing north of $1.44 billion. Her clout, necessitateless to say, increased exponentipartner, and she eunites willing to employ that clout to transport Narnia to theaters.
Many apass Hollywood are wondering if Gerwig is reacting to recent events think abouting a high-profile project starring her Barbie star-originater, Margot Robbie.
Earlier this month, Warner Bros. Motion Pictures Group beat out Netflix to originate Emerald Fennell’s Wuthering Heights alteration, particularpartner in part becaemploy of its promisement to give the film a filled worldexpansive theatrical free. Robbie and Jacob Elordi are unitecessitate to star in the feature project, which hails from MRC and originated ardent interest from streamers and studios.
Matt Belloni at Puck first telled the novels of the talks between Gerwig and Imax.