Will Stranger Things Season 5 Finale Hit Theaters Worldwide or Stay U.S.-Only?
Stranger Things is heading to the big screen as Netflix screens the Season 5 finale exclusively in more than 350 select theaters across the U.S. and Canada, giving fans a communal send-off to the final chapter.
Stranger Things is taking its last dance to the big screen. Netflix is putting the Season 5 finale in movie theaters for one night only in North America, while the rest of the world hits play at home at the exact same time. Translation: your New Year’s Eve just turned into a Hawkins double feature.
How the finale rollout works
The finale will screen in select theaters across the United States and Canada only, in more than 350 locations, starting December 31 at 5:00 p.m. PT, with showtimes running through January 1, 2026. If you’re outside North America, you’ll watch it exclusively on Netflix.
'We are beyond excited that fans will have the chance to experience the final episode of Stranger Things in theaters - it is something we have dreamed about for years, and we are so grateful to Ted, Bela, and everyone at Netflix for making it happen. Getting to see it on the big screen, with incredible sound, picture, and a room full of fans, feels like the perfect - dare we say b*tchin' - way to celebrate the end of this adventure.'
Streaming times and dates
If you are not doing the theater thing, the finale hits Netflix at the exact same time as those first showings. Netflix is doing a simultaneous global drop, so the times below will auto-adjust to your local time zone.
- Volume 1 (Episodes 1-4): November 26, 2025 at 5:00 p.m. PT (8:00 p.m. ET) globally
- Volume 2 (Episodes 5-7): December 25, 2025 at the same hour
- Finale (Episode 8): December 31, 2025 - global Netflix premiere, plus select theaters in the US and Canada
How long is the finale?
Netflix has not confirmed the finale’s runtime. Expect roughly two hours, and since it is playing in theaters, do not be shocked if it runs longer. Tiny behind-the-scenes tidbit: co-creator Ross Duffer posted a video on Instagram showing the first four episode lengths - Episode 1, 'The Crawl' is 1 hour 8 minutes; Episode 2, 'The Vanishing of...' is 54 minutes; Episode 3, 'The Turnbow Trap' is 1 hour 6 minutes; Episode 4, 'Sorcerer' is 1 hour 23 minutes. The rest will be revealed when they drop.
Where the story picks up
Season 5 is set in the fall of 1987. Hawkins is torn up by those nasty rifts, and the gang has one clear mission: kill Vecna. The core cast is back, including Winona Ryder (Joyce Byers), David Harbour (Jim Hopper), Millie Bobby Brown (Eleven), Finn Wolfhard (Mike Wheeler), Gaten Matarazzo (Dustin Henderson), Caleb McLaughlin (Lucas Sinclair), Noah Schnapp (Will Byers), Sadie Sink (Max Mayfield), Jamie Campbell Bower (Vecna), and more.
Tickets and the fine print
Ticketing details and the full list of participating theaters are coming later from Netflix. Until then, mark your calendar: Stranger Things Season 5 starts streaming November 26, 2025, and wraps with the finale on December 31, 2025 - whether you are on your couch or in a room full of fans.