Stranger Things Finale to Premiere in Theaters and Netflix

Netflix will release the two-hour series finale of Stranger Things, “The Rightside Up,” simultaneously on its platform and in more than 350 U.S. and Canadian movie theaters on Dec. 31, 2025 at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT, with theatrical showings running through Jan. 1, 2026. Season 5 will roll out in three batches: four episodes on Nov. 26, three episodes around Christmas (no fixed date given), and the standalone finale on New Year’s Eve. The Duffer brothers, who long pushed for a cinematic send-off, said the communal big‑screen experience motivated the decision after Netflix initially signaled such a theatrical release was unlikely. Netflix has been experimenting with theatrical windows (for example, KPop Demon Hunters), making this simultaneous TV–theater premiere a notable precedent for the streamer. The season is set in the fall of 1987 and reunites the core cast for one final confrontation.