Movie theaters aren’t as out of fashion anymore. In April 2025, Ted Sarandos believed that releasing films for communal enjoyment was an outdated idea for a large portion of the public. The Netflix co-CEO argued at the time that viewers preferred to stay at home. Now, his stance is beginning to sound different.
It’s not that the audience has changed substantially; it’s that Netflix’s situation is different, and the numbers dictate a stubborn reality. Releasing in theaters remains the best way to monetize a film. The revenue figures tallied this summer by movies like ‘Toy Story 5’ or ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ would never have been possible in streaming. Moreover, it seems clear that releasing in theaters does not subtract viewers or subscribers from the paid platforms.
The Potential Box-Office Hits, in Theaters
Sarandos announced in Bloomberg Screentime that the sequel to ‘The K-Pop Warriors’ will have a very wide theatrical release. Netflix will also grant ‘La bola negra’ by Los Javis its first full 45-day exclusive window in theaters, although in this case the change is more related to the film’s prospects during awards season.
The choice of the K-Pop Warriors makes a lot of sense. The first film arrived on Netflix in June 2025, becoming an unexpected global boom, and then conquered theaters with its singing version. Those August screenings propelled it to the top of the North American box office, with more than a thousand showings sold out in five countries, according to Netflix data. The audience had already shown that they also wanted to enjoy its songs outside the living room.
Sarandos believes that a big box office does not guarantee better results on the platform, and vice versa. Although the Netflix executive focuses on viewers (and not the financial side), he distinguishes between auteur cinema and family films that invite repeat viewing with the aim of “attending” (i.e., monetizing) those who want to go to the cinema without harming Netflix’s value.
The commitment to theaters includes wide releases in 2027 for ‘Narnia’, by Greta Gerwig, and ‘Charlie vs. the Chocolate Factory’. Earlier, ‘The New Adventures of Cliff Booth’, directed by David Fincher and starring Brad Pitt, will arrive in IMAX in November. In a few months, we’ll know if Netflix’s renewed strategy with theaters bears fruit.
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