Stranger Things 5 finale cinema screenings confirmed, but it’s bad news for some

Stranger Things season five may have only just started streaming last week, but like many, we’re already looking ahead to what is sure to be an epic. So epic, in fact, that it’s set to be shown in cinemas.

The first four episodes of the fifth and final season of the sci-fi horror series debuted on Netflix last week and see the old gang back together to battle Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower) and his forces of the Upside Down one last time.

Already it has proven a massive success, both in streaming figures (racking up 59.6 million views in the first few days of streaming, as reported by Variety) but also in fan reaction.

And after the cliffhanger ending of episode four, anticipation for the next three episodes, which arrive on Christmas Day (US) Boxing Day (UK), and the finale, which arrives New Year’s Eve (US) New Year’s Day (UK), is high.

What’s more, Netflix has confirmed the two-hour-five-minute finale is also being screened in cinemas. Given that’s the length of a feature film, it makes total sense and cinemas are sure to be packed out!

On Tuesday (2 December), Netflix confirmed that the finale will screen in more than 500 cinemas across the US and Canada, with a full list available here. Screenings will begin on the 31 December at 5pm Pacific Time, the same time it becomes available on Netflix.

According to Variety, people can secure their seats by buying vouchers for snacks and drinks rather than buying tickets. Fans can also sign up via an RSVP list to secure seats in Netflix-owned cinemas.

Right now, however, there’s no plan to stream the finale in cinemas outside the US and Canada.

Since debuting on Wednesday, the final season of Stranger Things has received mixed reviews from critics. While some have praised the series’ mid-season finale in particular, some have criticised the show for not maturing with its actors.

Meanwhile, fans have found plenty of things to be happy about, whether it’s Will’s surprising but long in the works character development or characters coming together to form new teams.

The story picks up in 1987 with our band of heroes led by Hopper (David Harbour), Joyce (Winona Ryder) and Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) doing their best to hunt down Vecna before he strikes again.

“But he has vanished – his whereabouts and plans unknown,” the season’s synopsis reads.

“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 5, volume 1 is streaming now on Netflix.

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