IMAX could keep Greta Gerwig's Narnia in theaters for longer than 2 weeks, if it wants

IMAX's CEO makes it clear he doesn't really view Netflix as a competitor, so he's not too worried about Narnia overlap.

By William Hughes  |  May 15, 2025 | 9:16pm
Greta Gerwig, Photo: Amy Sussman/Getty Images
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IMAX could keep Greta Gerwig's Narnia in theaters for longer than 2 weeks, if it wants

Greta Gerwig’s deal to get her upcoming Netflix-produced Chronicles Of Narnia movie onto IMAX screens continues to fascinate, in part because it’s pretty clearly about one extremely talented (and extremely profitable) director flexing some muscle to get two companies who have no real business collaborating to get their shit together to make her happy. IMAX does some of the biggest movie screens on the planet, while Netflix would largely like you to consume its content on your phone, presumably while a YouTube video and a dishwasher are also running. Getting them to work together, providing Gerwig’s first Narnia movie with a two-week IMAX window starting Thanksgiving 2026, before opening on Netflix a month later, is a minor miracle.

But one that actually makes a certain sense, at least from IMAX’s point of view. This is per comments company CEO Rich Gelfond made at Cannes this week, where he explained that, unlike traditional movie chains, IMAX doesn’t view Netflix as a competitor. Basically, the gist of Gelfond’s comments goes, the kind of movie lover who cares enough about sound and visuals to shell out for an IMAX ticket is going to be living at the opposite end of Ted Sarandos’ whole “Who even goes to movie theaters, huh?” view of all art as just so much phone slurry, so it’s no skin off their nose if the movie is available in both forms within the span of a month. “IMAX is so differentiated from the streaming experience, I don’t think we’re concerned that the streaming window is going to cannibalize,” Gelfond said. “I don’t think people think those are competitive things.”

Which is good, because Gerwig’s C.S. Lewis adaptation (which recently cast Emma Mackey in its first major part, as the White Witch) might end up pushing that 17-day window even tighter. Turns out, IMAX has an option to extend the movie’s run, if the exhibitor decides it’s worth it. Not bad for a film that hasn’t even begun shooting yet—with Gelfond noting that Gerwig is still in the process of deciding whether she’ll shoot the movie with IMAX cameras.

[via Deadline]

 
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