‘Stranger Things’ Director Reveals the “Selfish” Reason the Finale Is Getting a Theatrical Release

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The fifth and final season of Stranger Things will begin streaming on Netflix on November 26th, with the first four episodes available immediately. The remaining episodes will be released in two batches: three episodes on Christmas Day, and the series finale on New Year’s Eve. However, fans also have the option to watch the finale in movie theaters, thanks to a new agreement between Netflix and theater chains. While the series’ dedicated fanbase is a major reason for this theatrical release, director and executive producer Shawn Levy admits there’s also a more personal reason behind the decision.

At a Netflix series red carpet event, featuring the entire cast for a final appearance, director Levy explained to The Hollywood Reporter why he feels it’s important to watch the last episode in theaters. He stated the episode’s grand scope requires a big screen experience, and that the Duffer brothers, the show’s creators, made the decision based on their childhood memories of seeing films in cinemas.

There are two ways to look at why we made the Stranger Things finale so cinematic. First, the Duffer brothers – the creators – are huge movie fans. That was clear when I met them eleven years ago, and they’ve always envisioned Stranger Things as a long movie. This finale, being so emotional and visually grand, felt like the perfect time to give audiences that true movie experience. But beyond that, the story itself demanded to be seen on the biggest screen possible. If you can’t make it to a theater, we recommend getting a larger TV and a better sound system to enjoy it at home.

Making ‘Stranger Things’ Wasn’t All Fun and Games


Netflix

As much as I love Stranger Things and owe a lot of its discovery to Netflix, I get why the Duffer brothers, Matt and Ross, are feeling a bit relieved to be finishing up the series. Building an entire world and story, especially one that pleases so many fans, must have been incredibly demanding. But honestly, they’ve been pretty open about what they won’t miss about the process, and it surprisingly isn’t the actual writing itself!

The creators of the show, the Duffer brothers, recently spoke with SFX magazine (via GamesRadar+) and confessed they won’t miss the challenges of production. Ross Duffer said he’s relieved to be done with visual effects, specifically the complex “spore” shots, joking about endlessly reviewing them to fix small details like spores appearing in characters’ eyes. Matt Duffer added that making Stranger Things wasn’t always an enjoyable process, and went on to explain why.

Creating the Upside Down world was enjoyable from a writing perspective, but filming it was challenging. All the outdoor scenes for the Upside Down were shot at night, and because the trees needed to look bare, we were often filming in very cold, nighttime conditions. I think director Frank Darabont really felt the brunt of those difficulties.

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2025-11-07 20:21