The theatrical experiment surrounding the Stranger Things finale appears to be paying off. According to AMC Theatres CEO Adam Aron, audience demand for the final episode of Season 5 has been strong, with packed auditoriums and multiple sellouts across the US.
“Our year ends on a high,” Aron wrote in a post on X, confirming that the Stranger Things series finale is screening in many AMC locations for a limited two-day window on New Year’s Eve and January 1. “Theatres are packed. Many sellouts but seats still available.”
A Rare Netflix Theater Strategy
The finale’s theatrical rollout marks an unusual move for Netflix, which typically avoids traditional box-office releases. Instead, the screenings are positioned as promotional events, with exhibitors selling concession vouchers rather than standard movie tickets. Despite the unconventional setup, the scale of interest has drawn attention from both the film and television industries. Aron encouraged fans to guess how many tickets AMC locations will sell during the short run, promising to reveal the figure over the weekend.
Clues to the Ticket Count
In his post, Aron offered hints to help fans estimate the turnout. Earlier this week, Stranger Things co-creator Ross Duffer revealed that approximately 1.1 million movie theater tickets for the finale had already been sold nationwide. Aron added that AMC’s typical share of the US box office is about 26%, and that just over one-third of the theaters showing the finale belong to the AMC circuit. While Netflix will not release official box-office data, AMC’s numbers are expected to offer the clearest snapshot yet of how the theatrical debut performed.
Strong Momentum From Streaming
The enthusiasm around the finale builds on an already record-setting season. When Stranger Things 5 debuted its first four episodes just before Thanksgiving, Volume 1 attracted 59.6 million views in its first five days on Netflix — the largest premiere week ever for an English-language series on the platform. Following the release of Volume 2 on Christmas Day, the season added another 34.5 million views across its seven episodes during the week of December 22. Industry analysts say those figures made a sizable theatrical audience all but inevitable.
What It Means for Theaters and Streamers
The success of the Stranger Things finale screenings could have broader implications for the relationship between theaters and streaming platforms. With cinemas seeking event-style programming and streamers exploring new ways to amplify major releases, hybrid rollouts like this one may become more common.
For AMC, the finale represents a rare late-year boost during a traditionally quieter holiday window. For Netflix, it offers proof that even streaming-first content can draw crowds when positioned as a shared cultural moment. As Adam Aron put it, the year may be ending — but for theaters and Stranger Things fans alike, it’s ending “on a high.”
