The 2-Hour Final Episode of Stranger Things Will Premiere Both on Netflix and In Theaters Nationwide

Netflix is doing stranger things lately — and this time it’s both literal and figurative. The series finale episode of Stranger Things will officially be shown in movie theaters, a move that goes against the streamer’s well-known ethos.

The two-hour Season 5 finale episode, titled ‘The Rightside Up,’ will premiere both on Netflix and in over 350 nationwide theaters in tandem on December 31, 2025 at 8pm ET and play into New Year’s Day. This marks the first time a Netflix episode will premiere both on streaming and in a theatrical setting, let alone simultaneously. An official list of participating theaters will be announced at a later date.

In a recent Variety story, Stranger Things co-creators and showrunners Ross and Matt Duffer opened up about wanting the series finale to have its day in the theater.

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

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

Netflix has been notoriously against and uninterested in exhibiting its films theatrically. In fact, Netflix’s chief content officer Baja Balaria recently said she didn’t think a show on the level of Stranger Things needed what a theatrical release could offer.

“A lot of people — a lot, a lot, a lot of people — have watched Stranger Things on Netflix,” she told Variety earlier this month. “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.”

However, late this summer, Netflix took its mega hit animated film KPop Demon Hunters to theaters for a one-weekend special singalong edition release — which totally killed at the box offices and fans (I can say from experience, I actually hosted one of these) had a blast. Did KPop Demon Hunters blaze a trail for Netflix in theaters?

Stranger Things Season 5 is set to release in three sections: the first four episodes will drop for Thanksgiving on November 26, the next three episodes will come out on Christmas, and the final episode will debut on New Year’s Eve.

Lex Briscuso is a film and television critic and a freelance entertainment writer for IGN. You can follow her on Twitter at @nikonamerica.