Stranger Things Finale Hits Theaters After Years in the Making — Bring Tissues if You Don’t Mind Crying in Public
The show is taking its final bow on the big screen, with the series finale rolling into theaters.
Stranger Things is taking its final bow on the big screen. Yes, the finale is headed to actual theaters on New Year’s Eve, and Ross Duffer is basically daring you to ugly-cry in public.
The Duffers want you in a theater on New Year’s Eve
Ross Duffer hopped on Instagram with a throwback image — the doodle Lucas and Max used to ask each other out back in season 4 — and spelled out the plan as plainly as possible.
"The finale. Theaters. New Year’s Eve. This is something my brother and I have dreamed about for years. If you don’t mind crying in front of strangers, GO. And if you’re in LA… maybe we’ll see you there."
Translation: they want the last ride with an audience, and if you are in Los Angeles, you might run into a Duffer or two at a screening.
Quick rewind: Netflix said no… then changed course
Not long ago, Matt Duffer said the series ender runs around two hours. Even with that feature-length vibe, Netflix’s chief content officer had downplayed a theatrical rollout earlier this month, basically arguing the show’s gigantic audience is already on Netflix and releasing it there is what fans want. That seemed to be that… until it wasn’t.
Now Netflix has pivoted: the final episode will play in AMC theaters and other chains across the U.S. on December 31. A two-hour finale in theaters isn’t quite a movie, but it’s close enough for popcorn and communal gasps.
How to watch
- Part 1 hits Netflix on November 26
- Part 2 lands December 25
- Part 3 (the finale) drops December 31 — and screens in U.S. theaters that day via AMC and additional chains
Who’s back (and who’s new)
The final season brings back Millie Bobby Brown, Finn Wolfhard, Caleb McLaughlin, Noah Schnapp, Gaten Matarazzo, Sadie Sink, Winona Ryder, and David Harbour. New to the chaos: Linda Hamilton, because if you are closing out a monster show, you might as well invite a Terminator icon.
So: Netflix at home, theaters if you want the big-group catharsis. Either way, Hawkins is going out loud.