Netflix issues final decision on showing Stranger Things’ two-hour series finale in theaters

The ‘Stranger Things’ series finale is set to air on both Netflix and in theaters December 31

The upcoming Stranger Things series finale will be available to watch on more than just Netflix.

Stranger Things, created by Matt Duffer and Ross Duffer, is set in the 1980s in the fictional small town of Hawkins, Indiana, and follows the town’s residents after a young girl with psychokinetic abilities opens a gateway between Earth and an alternate dimension known as the Upside Down.

Season five of the hit Netflix science fiction show — which is also the show’s last season — is set to consist of eight episodes, with Volume one, comprising four episodes, released on November 26. Volume two will then be released on Christmas Day and contains the next three episodes. The finale, which is titled “The Rightside Up,” will then be shared on the platform on New Year’s Eve.

However, according to an announcement from Netflix, the show’s finale will also be released in more than 350 movie theaters beginning December 31 at 8 p.m. ET, continuing through January 1, 2026. The exact theaters offering the viewing will be announced at a later date.

This is the first time an episode of a Netflix series will be available to watch on the big screen.

The series’s creators have previously expressed interest in the final episode being available to watch in theaters (Netflix)

The announcement comes one week after the Duffer brothers admitted in an interview with Variety how excited they would be to have the two-hour-long episode shown in the highest quality available in movie theaters.

“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,” Matt said. “More than that, it’s about experiencing it at the same time with fans.”

“That would be amazing,” Ross agreed. “Because the fans could be there with other fans, and experience it as a communal thing — it would be incredible.”

The Duffer brothers also recently revealed, ahead of the release of season five’s premiere, that a fan-favorite character would not be making an appearance.

Fans have speculated for years about the possibility of Joseph Quinn’s beloved character, Eddie Munson, returning after he was killed by the Upside Down’s Demobats in the season four finale of the show.

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However, after months of swerving the question while Quinn teased a potential comeback in interviews, series co-creators the Duffer brothers have finally put their foot down.

“I love that Joe Quinn is toying with people!” Matt said in a recent interview with Empire. “But no, he's dead.”

“Joe is so busy anyway, that everyone should know he's not coming back. He’s shot like five movies since! When the hell has he got time to come and shoot Stranger Things?” he added.

“No, sadly, RIP. He’s fully under that ground.”