The final season of “Stranger Things” will soon premiere on Netflix, the same streaming service it has appeared since Will went to the Upside Down.
But the final episodes will be shown on a much bigger format.
Netflix announced this week that it will release the feature-length finale to more than 350 theaters across the country on Dec. 31 at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT, according to The Hollywood Reporter, at the same time it will drop on the streaming service.
The show will run through the next day.
This is the first time that Netflix has released a television episode to theaters, according to Variety. Deadline, however, said Netflix held screenings of “Stranger Things 4: Volume 2″ months after its initial streaming release.
Still, a theatrical release of a television episode is rare, Deadline said.
The big-screen release is a dream that the series creators have had.
“We’re beyond excited that fans will have the chance to experience the final episode of Stranger Things in theaters — it’s something we’ve dreamed about for years, and we’re so grateful to Ted, Bela and everyone at Netflix for making it happen,” said The Duffer Brothers in a statement.
They called the showings the perfect “way to celebrate the end of this adventure.”
Initially, Netflix’s chief creative officer, Bela Bajaria, told Variety that it would not be shown in theaters.
Still, 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, [a theatrical release is] about experiencing it at the same time with fans,” THR reported.
The final season of “Stranger Things” will be released in three segments: Nov. 26 (four episodes), Dec. 24 (three episodes), Dec. 31 (one episode).
The exact theaters where it will be released at a later date, Variety reported.
The official synopsis of the fifth season reads: “The fall of 1987. Hawkins is scarred by the opening of the Rifts, and our heroes are united by a single goal: find and kill Vecna. But he has vanished — his whereabouts and plans unknown. Complicating their mission, the government has placed the town under military quarantine and intensified its hunt for Eleven, forcing her back into hiding. As the anniversary of Will’s disappearance approaches, so does a heavy, familiar dread. The final battle is looming — and with it, a darkness more powerful and more deadly than anything they’ve faced before. To end this nightmare, they’ll need everyone — the full party — standing together, one last time.”
The finale’s name is “The Rightside Up,” Variety reported.
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