Stranger Things finale denied theatrical release despite feature-length runtime

Fans eager to watch the series finale of Stranger Things in a theatre will be sorely disappointed, as Netflix has already confirmed the feature-length series finale will stay exclusively on the streaming site. Co-creator Matt Duffer confirmed the Stranger Things season five series finale comes in at about two hours, a length that would normally warrant a theatrical release.

Stranger Things series finale is not getting a theatre release

However, Netflix Chief Content Officer Bela Bajaria is digging in on a straight-to-streaming opening. In an interview, Bajaria said, “A lot of people — a lot, a lot, a lot of people — have watched Stranger Things on Netflix. It has not suffered from lack of conversation or community or sharing or fandom. I think releasing it on Netflix is giving the fans what they want.”

The Duffer brothers seem to prefer a theatrical release, hoping that audiences get to experience the payoff of the show in a shared environment and take advantage of the high-quality sound and picture of the production. Matt Duffer said, “People don’t get to experience how much time and effort is spent on sound and picture, and they’re seeing it at reduced quality. More than that, it's about experiencing it at the same time with fans.”

This need for a wide-screen chance appears to be one of the principal reasons why the Duffers have chosen to co-operate with Paramount after-Stranger Things. Matt Duffer explained that the freedom “to do something theatrical” was one of the attractions of their new arrangement, something he implies that Netflix cannot provide.

The last season features the return of main cast members such as Millie Bobby Brown, Finn Wolfhard and David Harbour, along with fresh addition Linda Hamilton. Stranger Things season five is to be divided into three volumes, and the first one will land on Netflix on November 26, while volumes two and three will be released on December 25-31.

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