‘Narnia's Short Theatrical-To-Netflix Window Won't Cannibalize Imax B.O., CEO Rich Gelfond Says
The 28-day theatrical window for Greta Gerwig's Netflix movie Narnia isn't expected to hurt its Imax ticket sales, according to the large-format exhibitor's CEO Rich Gelfond.
Quite often distributors like to keep audiences in the dark on movie Premium VOD and streaming release dates in advance so that such intel doesn't impact a movie's potential box office.
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In what is arguably a first for Imax, Gerwig's feature take of C.S. Lewis' classic is getting an exclusive two-week global run in the format across 1,000 auditoriums in 90 countries beginning November 26, 2026, with a streaming debut to follow on Netflix on Christmas Day.
'Imax is so differentiated from the streaming experience,' said Gelfond on Wednesday at a Cannes luncheon and press conference. 'I don't think we're concerned that the streaming window is going to cannibalize.'
'We're quite confident that won't matter,' he added regarding the big difference between Imax moviegoers' demands and those of Netflix subscribers.
'[Netflix is] in a different business and that is selling subscriptions. In structuring the deal, we tried to accommodate how to meet their needs and how to meet our needs,' said Gelfond.
'PVOD at 17 days hasn't really hurt the Imax box office,' Gelfond added. 'I don't think people think those are competitive things.'
In regards to the box office prospects for a two-week Imax run of a movie that's primed to get a big studio awards push, it's anybody's guess. Netflix's limited release of Rian Johnson's Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery earned $15 million in its first week back in 2022, while Imax's global run of Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer minted a massive $100M (that was further propped by a 2D campaign from Universal).
While Imax is committed to a two-week run of Narnia, 'we have the option to extend the run,' says Gelfond.
He added today that Gerwig is still mulling whether to shoot Narnia with Imax cameras.
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