Hold onto your dice, Stranger Things fans, because it’s finally been announced that the grand finale of the long-running Netflix hit will premiere its final episode in theaters later this year. There’s been much speculation this week whether the last episode of Stranger Things would actually make its way to the big screen, but Netflix officially announced today that it will bring the finale episode of Stranger Things 5 to select theaters nationwide.
The screenings of the last episode of Stranger Things will take place in over 350 theaters in the U.S. and Canada starting on December 31, 2025, at 5:00pm PT, timed to the finale’s global premiere on Netflix, and run through January 1, 2026. “We’re beyond excited that fans will have the chance to experience the final episode of Stranger Things in theaters,” the Duffer Brothers said in a statement released today, adding:
“It’s something we’ve dreamed about for years, and we’re so grateful to Ted, Bela, and everyone at Netflix for making it happen. Getting to see it on the big screen, with incredible sound, picture, and a room full of fans, feels like the perfect — dare we say bitchin’ — way to celebrate the end of this adventure.”
Stranger Things Season 5 will be released on Netflix across three premiere dates, with Volume 1 on November 26, Volume 2 on December 25, and the Finale on December 31. Each volume releases at 5 PM PT/8 PM EST, making it feel like the old days of event TV where you just had to tune in at the exact moment as everyone else. More information on how to attend the theatrical release of the final episode, as well as specific theater locations, will be made available later this year. Check out the official synopsis for the final season of Stranger Things below:
“The fall of 1987. Hawkins is scarred by the opening of the Rifts, and our heroes are united by a single goal: find and kill Vecna. But he has vanished — his whereabouts and plans unknown. Complicating their mission, the government has placed the town under military quarantine and intensified its hunt for Eleven, forcing her back into hiding. As the anniversary of Will’s disappearance approaches, so does a heavy, familiar dread. The final battle is looming — and with it, a darkness more powerful and more deadly than anything they’ve faced before. To end this nightmare, they’ll need everyone — the full party — standing together, one last time.”
‘Stranger Things’ Fans and Cast Are Worried About the Final Season
As with any successful series, the worry that the final season of Stranger Things won’t live up to the hype is a constant among fans, and even the cast who have already filmed the show’s final moments. Speaking with Time magazine, Finn Wolfhard, who portrays Mike Wheeler in the series, touched on the fact that he was once concerned the epic conclusion to Stranger Things would be met with the same ire that Game of Thrones received so many years ago:
“I think everyone was pretty worried, honestly. The way that Game of Thrones got torn to shreds in that final season, we’re all walking into this going, ‘We hope to not have that kind of thing happen.’ But then we read the scripts. We knew that it was something special.”
Hopefully, Wolfhard’s words ring true, and the finale really is “something special.” Stranger Things has been a staple for so many years that it would be a shame to see it go out with a whimper rather than the explosive ending it deserves. We’ll find out how things resolve themselves when the first volume of Stranger Things Season 5 hits Netflix on November 26.
- Release Date
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2016 – 2025
- Network
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Netflix
- Writers
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Kate Trefry, Jessie Nickson-Lopez, Jessica Mecklenburg, Alison Tatlock
