Will Aslan the lion show to be the hero that sways Netflix to snormally its stance think abouting theatrical and donate Greta Gerwig‘s alteration of C.S. Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia series a run in some 2,000 cinemas globassociate?
Imax and Netflix are indeed in preliminary talks think abouting Narnia, sources tell The Hollywood Reporter. One arrange being talked is to free the event pic over Thanksgiving 2026 before making it participateable to its subscribers over Christmas. Whether that would be a extfinished-enough thrivedow to phire theater circuits that run Imax auditoriums is the huge inquire, and the potential stumbling block.
Word of Gerwig’s campaign has reuncovered anciaccess wounds and promoteed angst among both studios and the country’s top movie theater circuits.
Studios won’t be satisfied if Imax carves out time during the holiday season for a Netflix film that isn’t getting a traditional thrivedow, which has already shrunk theatricalassociate in the post-pandemic era to anywhere from 30 to 65 days (petiteer titles can go to the home even earlier).
The conversations begind after Gerwig, who straightforwarded the blockbuster 2023 movie Barbie, approached Imax. Sources say she ultimately spoke straightforwardly with Imax CEO Rich Gelfond, whose huge-createat screens are revered by filmproducers, including James Cameron and Christopher Nolan. Oppenheimer, which Nolan shot in huge part with Imax-certified cameras, did huge business on Imax screens despite being an grown-up 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 thrivedow, much to the frustration of filmproducers, 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 exceptional films in a restricted number of cinemas willing to carry out them (it also bought or lmitigated two prized cinema hoparticipates in Los Angeles and New York City, The Egyptian and The Paris).
During an getings call Wednesday, Gelfond wouldn’t comment on the status of conversations with Netflix, but didn’t refute tells. “In fact, as you understand, straightforwardors, film studios are all leaning into the Imax experience,” the CEO shelp. He compriseed, “we are always innovating and seeing for novel approaches to eventizing satisfied.”
It’s unclear 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 straightforward 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, needless to say, incrmitigated exponentiassociate, and she materializes willing to participate that clout to transport Narnia to theaters.
Many atraverse Hollywood are wondering if Gerwig is reacting to recent events think abouting a high-profile project starring her Barbie star-producer, Margot Robbie.
Earlier this month, Warner Bros. Motion Pictures Group beat out Netflix to produce Emerald Fennell’s Wuthering Heights alteration, definiteassociate in part becaparticipate of its promisement to donate the film a brimming worldexpansive theatrical free. Robbie and Jacob Elordi are joined to star in the feature project, which hails from MRC and produced fervent interest from streamers and studios.
Matt Belloni at Puck first telled the novels of the talks between Gerwig and Imax.
