Greta Gerwig’s forthcoming Narnia movie will get a full wide release in cinemas 45 days before arriving on Netflix, it has been announced.
The film, an adaptation of CS Lewis’s 1955 book The Magician’s Nephew, will be Gerwig’s first directorial effort since the 2023 smash hit Barbie.
Historically, Netflix has resisted calls to give its original films full theatrical releases, with the streamer often favouring a shorter release window across fewer screens.
Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew represents the biggest cinema release for a Netflix movie to date. The company has long received criticism from within the film industry for its aversion to wide releases and prioritising of at-home viewing.
Revered filmmakers such as Martin Scorsese, David Fincher, Jane Campion and the Coen Brothers have directed films for Netflix before – but Gerwig is the first to have secured a traditional cinema release.
Last year, the sing-along version of the hit children’s animation KPop Demon Hunters did receive a wide release in cinemas. This was, however, limited to a few days and was announced only after the original KPop Demon Hunters version had gone straight to Netflix.
The Magician’s Nephew features an ensemble cast that includes Sex Education’s Emma Mackey, Carey Mulligan, Ciarán Hinds, Daniel Craig, Meryl Streep, and Andor’s Denise Gough. The two child leads will be played by David McKenna and Beatrice Campbell.
The film will now be released in the US on 12 February, having been pushed back from its originally scheduled Thanksgiving release date. It will then transfer to Netflix on 2 April.
“Working with Netflix to bring this film to life has been extraordinary, and IMAX continues to be an incredible partner. I cannot wait for people to see the film in theaters on February 12 and on Netflix on April 2,” said Gerwig in a statement.
“I was a child when I first read The Magician’s Nephew, and I fell in love with the gorgeously improbable but completely brilliant concept of a cosmic lion singing the world of Narnia to life,” she continued. “I didn’t know that I would grow up to make films, but a universe built out of music is an idea that always lived in my heart. It is the honor of a lifetime to be asked to imagine it into being.
“Because of C. S. Lewis’s The Chronicles of Narnia, I believed in magic and hidden worlds and adventure. I believed that anywhere could be enchanted and that anyone could be swept up into an epic. That wonder and awe was available to everyone, even ordinary people like me. … It transformed me.”
Details about the film’s release in the UK and internationally are yet to be confirmed.
