Netflix delays Greta Gerwig’s ‘Narnia’ for big theatrical push to 2027

Audiences will have to wait a few more months to see “Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew,” with the release date pushed back from Thanksgiving to Feb. 12, 2027.

In addition to the big-screen reboot of “Narnia” and writer-director Greta Gerwig’s first film since “Barbie,” “The Magician’s Nephew” also looks like the next step in Netflix’s relationship with movie theaters — and it’s getting even bigger with the delay.

The company previously said “The Magician’s Nephew” would play exclusively on Imax screens for at least two weeks before its Christmas streaming release. This would be an ambitious cinematic release by Netflix standards, but relatively limited compared to many other Hollywood blockbusters.

Now, says Netflix “The Magician’s Nephew” will begin exclusive Imax previews on February 10, 2027, followed by a wide worldwide theatrical release on February 12. (In Netflix’s words, it will be an “eventful global release.”) The film won’t begin streaming until April 2.

The company’s announcement isn’t more specific about which theaters will screen “The Magician’s Nephew,” but Imax released a statement noting that the delay will allow the film to have “a full theatrical window,” so major theater chains are unlikely to protest

In fact, recently AMC Theaters highlighted the success of the final screenings of “Stranger Things”. and said he has plans for more collaborations with Netflix. At the same time, the streamer’s limited support for theatrical releases and its resistance to exclusive theatrical windows was reportedly a “dealing factor” in negotiations with the makers of “Stranger Things,” who eventually signed an exclusive deal with Paramount.

With a cast that includes Daniel Craig and Meryl Streep, “The Magician’s Nephew” adapts one of the later books in CS Lewis’ classic fantasy series — a prequel that lays out the beginnings of Narnia.

In Netflix’s announcement, Gerwig said she first read the book as a child, when she “fell in love with the wonderfully unlikely but utterly brilliant idea of ​​a cosmic lion singing the world of Narnia to life.”