Oh, So Now Netflix Is Interested in More Theatrical Releases

Remember when the Paramount-Netflix brawl was still ongoing, when we still weren’t sure which company would emerge with Warner Bros. in its bloody jaws? There was a lot of chatter about how a streamer might approach owning a Hollywood studio long dedicated to big-screen releases. Even James Cameron, noted “humble movie farmer,” weighed in with some headline-grabbing concerns regarding Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos’ reported opinions about movie theaters.

With Paramount landing that historic deal, those worries are a moot point now. (We have new worries to replace them, but that’s a whole other issue.) And in a funny twist, it seems Netflix now has a renewed interest in bringing its projects to the big screen. This isn’t a new idea; KPop Demon Hunters, initially a straight-to-streaming film, enjoyed a delayed theatrical run after its popularity with audiences became undeniable. Netflix also brought the finale of Stranger Things to theaters the same day it hit the streamer.

Now Stranger Things: Tales From ’85, an animated spin-off featuring characters from the original series, is getting a surprising new theatrical treatment. According to the Hollywood Reporter, AMC Theatres will preview the first two episodes (a 55-minute screening slot) on April 18—which is five days before the season drops on Netflix.

However, the catch for that early access is that there won’t be as much access. As THR writes, “The animated show’s preview will have two showings (noon and 3 p.m. local time) in 34 AMC theaters across 20 states, plus the Netflix-run Paris Theater in New York and the Netflix House in Philadelphia.”

By contrast, the live-action series’ feature-length finale “played in some 600 theaters nationwide (including about 200 AMC locations) on Dec. 31 and Jan. 1.”

Here’s the official synopsis for the series: “Return to Hawkins with Stranger Things: Tales From ’85, an exciting new animated series from showrunner Eric Robles and executive producers the Duffer Brothers. In the winter of 1985, snow blankets the town and the horrors of the Upside Down are finally fading. Our heroes Eleven, Mike, Will, Dustin, Lucas, and Max have settled back into a normal life of D&D, snowball fights, and quiet days.

But beneath the ice, something terrifying has awakened. Could it be from the Upside Down? From the depths of Hawkins Lab? Or from somewhere else entirely? Our heroes must race to solve this mystery and save Hawkins in this new story set in the Stranger Things universe.”

Spoiler alert, since Tales from ’85 takes place between seasons two and three… they do end up saving Hawkins. And those horrors from the Upside Down are nowhere near fading.

A new voice cast checks in to play the familiar characters: Eleven (Brooklyn Davey Norstedt), Mike (Luca Diaz), Will (Benjamin Plessala), Dustin (Braxton Quinney), Lucas (Elisha “EJ” Williams), Max (Jolie Hoang-Rappaport), Hopper (Brett Gipson), and Steve (Jeremy Jordan).

Odessa A’zion will also voice a new character named Nikki Baxter; Janeane Garofalo and Lou Diamond Phillips are also in the cast, though who they’re playing hasn’t been revealed.

You can see a list of AMC Theatres that will feature the Stranger Things: Tales From ’85 preview here. Tickets go on sale tomorrow, March 18, at 8 a.m. PT. More details at Tudum here. And if you’d rather watch the whole thing at home, it’ll be available April 23.

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