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- Premiere plan: IMAX event, then Netflix arrival
- How this affected Netflix’s schedule and “Narnia”
- What the short IMAX run means for Netflix’s theatrical approach
- Creative team and cast behind the project
- Logline, early footage, and production credits
- Context: Fincher, Netflix, and box office history
Netflix is set to roll out a high-profile event this holiday season: David Fincher’s new spin-off featuring Brad Pitt back as Cliff Booth will get a short IMAX run before streaming on the platform in late December. The move signals another instance of the streamer experimenting with theatrical windows for prestige titles.
Premiere plan: IMAX event, then Netflix arrival
Studio plans call for a special IMAX engagement beginning November 23 for two weeks. After that limited theatrical engagement, the film will land on Netflix on December 23.
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- IMAX dates: two-week run starting Nov 23.
- Streaming debut: Netflix on Dec 23.
How this affected Netflix’s schedule and “Narnia”
The December streaming slot had been held for Greta Gerwig’s adaptation of Narnia. That project has been pushed and reworked.
- Gerwig’s Narnia now opens in theaters on February 12, 2027.
- It will debut on Netflix on April 2, 2027, following a theatrical window that exceeds 45 days.
This longer theatrical window is notable. It marks one of the first times Netflix has given a title that extended theatrical window before a platform debut.
What the short IMAX run means for Netflix’s theatrical approach
An industry source says this is not a wholesale change to Netflix’s release model. Instead, the streamer is staging more event-style theatrical plays for major auteurs and stars.
- Netflix has been securing bigger titles and testing limited theatrical engagements.
- It’s still unclear whether the Cliff Booth film will expand beyond the initial IMAX run into a wider theatrical release.
For now, the IMAX engagement feels like a prestige move—a way to create buzz and offer a theatrical experience while keeping the film tied to the streaming launch.
Creative team and cast behind the project
The script originated with Quentin Tarantino, and David Fincher took the director’s chair for this spin-off. Brad Pitt returns to the role that earned him an Academy Award.
Cast highlights
- Brad Pitt as Cliff Booth
- Elizabeth Debicki
- Scott Caan
- Carla Gugino
- Yahya Abdul-Mateen II
- Peter Weller
Leonardo DiCaprio’s Rick Dalton does not appear to be part of this project, at least based on current information.
Logline, early footage, and production credits
The official logline frames the story in a changed Hollywood: “Brad Pitt returns as Cliff Booth in 1977, in a very different Hollywood.” A Super Bowl teaser earlier this year offered the first look.
- The teaser showed Cliff at a bar, wandering studio backlots, and racing a derby car on a dirt track.
- Early working titles included names like “The Adventures of Cliff Booth.”
- Pitt is also a producer on the film, alongside Ceán Chaffin.
Context: Fincher, Netflix, and box office history
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood earned nearly $400 million in theaters. Despite that theatrical success, Fincher’s involvement in the spin-off comes with a Netflix distribution arrangement.
The strategy pairs a theatrical event with a guaranteed streaming audience, leveraging both box office prestige and Netflix’s global platform.
