The latest installment of “Stranger Things” had a remarkable success during its limited theatrical release on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day, grossing over $25 million in concession sales.
Despite not having agreements for ticket sales, the cinemas implemented an ingenious concession voucher system so that fans could reserve their seats, selling packs for $20 that included snacks and drinks.
This special event, titled “Chapter Eight: The Rightside Up,” attracted thousands of fans who gathered in 620 locations to enjoy the conclusion of the series.
But Netflix doesn’t care, they don’t think of cinema as a medium
The audience reactions were very positive, with applause at key moments in the plot, such as when the character Joyce Byers confronts Vecna, one of the most fearsome antagonists of the series.
This cinematic phenomenon also managed to surpass “Avatar: Fire and Ash,” which grossed $23.7 million in the same period, highlighting its strong performance against a major competitor.
Despite this successful experiment in theaters, Netflix has confirmed that its focus will remain on distributing content through its streaming platform.
The CEO of Netflix, Ted Sarandos, emphasized that the company will not alter its content release strategy as a result of this experience. Additionally, the recent agreement in which Netflix acquired Warner Bros. for $82.7 billion will not change the way Warner’s films are released in theaters, reaffirming the intention to maintain the value of cinema.
Thus, although fans can expect more events of this kind in the future, Netflix’s distribution dynamics remain firmly in place, with the company prioritizing its streaming model over theatrical releases.