‘Stranger Things’ Finale Adds New Theater Locations as Ticket Demand Explodes
The final episode of Stranger Things is turning into a major theater moment, and it keeps getting bigger. What began as a limited fan event has grown into a wide release across hundreds of theaters due to strong interest from viewers.
When the event was first announced in late October, the plan was to show the series finale in more than 350 theaters across the United States and Canada.
The screenings were set for Dec. 31, and Jan. 1. By the time seat reservations opened in early December, the number of locations had already increased to over 500. Since then, even more theaters have joined. The total now stands at more than 620 locations.
The update was shared by the show’s creators, the Duffer Brothers, on Instagram. Ross Duffer confirmed just how large 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.”
Despite many sold-out showings, some seats are still available in certain cities, including Los Angeles. Many of those screenings are close to selling out. The finale is not only playing at major chains like AMC, Regal, and Cinemark. It is also showing at other theaters such as Harkins, Megaplex, Cineplex, Alamo, Landmark, and Marcus.
Earlier this month, Deadline reported that these screenings are not standard ticketed events. Because of issues tied to TV contracts and residuals, fans are reserving seats instead of buying tickets.
The reservation fee, which is $20 at AMC, is turned into a food and drink voucher. As a result, there will be no box office totals. Attendance numbers are the only way to judge how successful the event is.
The theater audience will not count toward the show’s Netflix viewership totals. Even so, Stranger Things 5 is still expected to perform very well on the platform and rank among Netflix’s 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 online, 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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