In an upside down move, Netflix has decided to screen “Stranger Things” in cinemas for a proper send-off. The two-hour series finale episode – titled “The Rightside Up” – will debut on December 31, 2025, simultaneously streaming on Netflix and playing in over 350 theatres across the U.S. and Canada. The show’s co-creators, Matt Duffer and Ross Duffer, called the move “something we’ve dreamed about for years” and envisioned the ending as an event—“a room full of fans” experiencing Hawkins one last time on the big screen. The upcoming season picks up in Hawkins circa 1987, with Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) and the Hawkins gang facing one final showdown after the Rifts open at the end of Season 4.
The mixed release is a departure for Netflix, which has rarely granted its TV episodes a theatrical window. Fans have long begged for a theatrical release, especially after the box office success of “K‑Pop Demon Hunters”, which proved streaming-era-IP can make waves in cinemas too. Netflix’s acquiescence signals how powerful the demand has become. The Duffer brothers say they and said they’re “so grateful to Ted (Sarandos), Bela (Bajaria) and everyone at Netflix for making it happen.”
Season 5 of Stranger Things storms to streaming beginning November 26 with Volume 1 (four episodes), Volume 2 (three episodes) on December 25, and the finale (episode 8) hits globally on January 1, 2026 — but will already be showing in cinemas from December 31 at 5 p.m. PT.
The supernatural series launched in 2016 and became a defining property for Netflix, with breakout stars like Millie Bobby Brown and Finn Wolfhard anchoring a decade of fan devotion. This theatrical premiere gives the Hawkins saga the grand finale it deserves, a ride out of the Upside Down and into the theater lights.