‘Stranger Things’ Finale Heads to More Theaters as Fans Snatch Up Tickets In Record Numbers
The final episode of Stranger Things is turning into a major theater event, and its reach keeps growing. What started as a limited fan experience is now expanding again because of strong demand from viewers.
The theatrical screenings were first announced in late October. At that time, the plan was to show the finale in more than 350 theaters across the U.S. and Canada on Dec. 31, and Jan. 1.
When seat reservations opened in early December, that number jumped to over 500 locations. Now, even more theaters have joined in. According to the Duffer Brothers, the total has grown to more than 620 locations.
Ross Duffer shared the update on Instagram and confirmed just how big the response has been. He wrote, “Over 1.1 million of you have already RSVPed to the finale screenings on NYE and New Year’s Day, and more than 3,500 showtimes across 620+ theaters are already completely full.”
A quick look at current listings shows that while many theaters are sold out, some locations, including several in Los Angeles, still have seats available. Many of those screenings are marked as almost full. The finale is not limited to the biggest theater chains like AMC, Regal, and Cinemark. It is also playing at other chains such as Harkins, Megaplex, Cineplex, Alamo, Landmark, and Marcus.
Deadline previously reported that these screenings are not traditional ticketed events. Because of rules tied to TV series and talent payments, fans are reserving seats instead of buying tickets.
The reservation fee, which is $20 at AMC, is turned into a concession voucher. This means there will be no official box office numbers. Attendance is the only way to measure how well the event is doing.
The theatrical window begins at 5 PM PT on Dec. 31, which is the same time the finale becomes available on Netflix worldwide. The screenings end on Jan. 1. Because of this, the theater audience will not be counted toward Stranger Things 5’s Netflix viewership numbers. Still, the season is expected to perform strongly on the platform and land high on Netflix’s list of most-watched English-language series.
The Duffer Brothers have also hinted that they plan to watch the finale in a theater themselves. Ross Duffer shared another message, saying, “What a way to close out a ten-year journey — together. Maybe we’ll see some of you in LA.”
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