The Stranger Things Series Finale Is Going To Be A Massive Hit In Theaters - But There's A Big Catch

It's the end of an era for Netflix. After five full seasons spanning nearly a decade, "Stranger Things" is coming to an end. The streamer is rolling out the red carpet for the show's conclusion, as the "Stranger Things" series finale will be playing in movie theaters across the U.S. The hype is very real. Even though people could easily watch the episode at home when it drops on New Year's Eve, showings are sold out all across the country. That's impressive, but there's a pretty big caveat to acknowledge. 

Ross Duffer, who co-created "Stranger Things" with his sibling Matt Duffer, recently took to Instagram to hype up the series finale's theatrical release. As he told it, well over one million people have already RSVPd to these events, which is good news for theaters looking to get a nice little boost as 2025 comes to a close. Here's what he had to say about it:

"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. What a way to close out a ten-year journey — together."

"Stranger Things" has generated a fortune for Netflix and, by the sound of it, on the surface, this would allow the show to make the company a lot more money on the way out the door. But Netflix isn't actually charging people for tickets to see the finale in theaters, technically speaking. So, even though there are well over a million people who will be filling up multiplexes around the country, the streamer won't be making a dime. The box office will be completely unaffected by these sold-out screenings, strangely enough. Netflix, instead, is having theaters sell concessions vouchers for people to secure RSVP spots.

People still have to spend money to see the finale in theaters; they'll just get some concessions as part of it. Quite a few people would normally be content to pay for a ticket and not engage with the concession stand, but this isn't a normal situation.

Theaters are going to benefit tremendously since all of that concessions money will go to them, as opposed to them having to split ticket sales with Netflix. So, in that way, it's a very good thing for theaters after a very up and down year at the box office. At the same time, it seems odd that Netflix wouldn't want to sell tickets to the event, as people are clearly very happy to pay money to participate.

Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos has made it clear, time and time again, that he doesn't care about box office, having referred to theaters as "an outdated concept." Even though "KPop Demon Hunters" topped the box office earlier this year, that was long after it was on its way to becoming Netflix's biggest movie ever. Netflix doesn't have a lot of interest in bolstering the box office. It wants to funnel people to streaming.

Doing it this way ensures that there won't be headlines about how big the box office returns for the "Stranger Things" series finale were. So, if Netflix does indeed purchase Warner Bros., it can still argue that WB's movies shouldn't stay in theaters for very long. In fact, at a moment like this, it feels like Netflix is going out of its way to not bolster the box office, even though it would directly benefit the company.

The "Stranger Things" series finale drops on Netflix and in theaters on December 31, 2025.