Oh, So Now Netflix Is Interested in More Theatrical Releases

Remember when the Paramount-Netflix feud was still going on, when we were still not sure which company would emerge with Warner Bros. in its bloody jaws? there was a Very Discussions about how a dreamer could become the owner of a Hollywood studio dedicated to big screen releases have been around for a long time. Even famed “humble movie farmer” James Cameron expressed some headline-grabbing concerns about Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos’s reported opinions about movie theaters.

With that landmark deal from Paramount, those concerns are now a moot point. (We have new concerns to replace them, but that’s a whole different issue.) And in a fun twist, it seems like Netflix now has a renewed interest in bringing its projects to the big screen. This is not a new idea; kpop demon hunterInitially a direct-to-streaming film, it was delayed into a theatrical release once its popularity among audiences became undeniable. Netflix also brought its finale stranger things It reached streamers in theaters the same day.

Now Stranger Things: Stories from ’85An animated spin-off featuring characters from the original series is getting a surprising new dramatic treatment. According to The Hollywood Reporter, AMC Theaters will preview the first two episodes (a 55-minute screening slot) on April 18 — that’s five days. First The season arrives on Netflix.

However, the problem with that early access is that it won’t so much access. As THR writes, “The animated show will be previewed at two screenings (noon and 3 p.m. local time) at the Netflix-powered Paris Theater in New York and the Netflix House in Philadelphia, in addition to 34 AMC theaters across 20 states.”

In contrast, the feature-length finale of the live-action series “played in approximately 600 theaters nationwide (including approximately 200 AMC locations) on December 31 and January 1.”

Here’s the official synopsis of the series: “Return to Hawkins Stranger Things: Stories from ’85An exciting new animated series from showrunner Eric Robles and executive producers the Duffer Brothers. In the winter of 1985, the city is covered in snow and the horrors of the Upside Down are finally subsiding. Our heroes Eleven, Mike, Will, Dustin, Lucas and Max have settled back into normal life D&DSnowball fight, and cool day.

But beneath the snow, something terrible has awakened. Can this happen in reverse? From the depths of Hawking Lab? Or from somewhere else entirely? Our heroes must race to solve this mystery and save Hawkins in this new story stranger things The universe.”

Spoiler alert, since then Stories of ’85 Takes place between seasons two and three…they to do Hawkins was eventually saved. And those horrors of the Upside Down are nowhere to be found near Fading.

A new voice cast is checked in to play the familiar characters: Eleven (Brooklyn Dewey Norstad), Mike (Luca Diaz), Will (Benjamin Placela), Dustin (Braxton Quinney), Lucas (Elisha “EJ” Williams), Max (Jolie Hoang-Rappaport), Hopper (Brett Gipson), and Steve (Jeremy Jordan).

Odessa will also voice a new character named Aezion. Nikki Baxter; Janeane Garofalo and Lou Diamond Phillips are also in the cast, although who they are playing has not been revealed.

You can view a list of AMC theaters that will have these features Stranger Things: Stories from ’85 Preview here. Tickets go on sale tomorrow, March 18, at 8am PT. More details on Tudum here. And if you want to watch it at home, it will be available on April 23.

Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.