Netflix’s Cliff Booth Blocked from Cinemark & Regal IMAX Screens: Why Fans Are Furious

Major chains decline to run Netflix’s Cliff Booth on their IMAX auditoriums

Netflix’s upcoming David Fincher film, The Further Mis-adventures of Cliff Booth, starring Brad Pitt, will not be shown on IMAX screens at Regal or Cinemark when it opens over the Thanksgiving weekend, IndieWire has learned. Instead, the IMAX-exclusive theatrical window beginning November 25 will be available primarily through AMC’s IMAX footprint worldwide and a handful of smaller circuits.

The streamer arranged an IMAX-first theatrical stint for the film, which Netflix has scheduled to be available to stream on December 23 — a brief theatrical window that many chains say undercuts the value of the big-screen experience.

How many IMAX sites will carry the movie?

Netflix’s arrangement puts the picture on roughly 550 IMAX screens around the globe, coming largely from AMC’s network. AMC will show the film on its IMAX auditoriums (the chain’s IMAX presence is reported to be about 500 screens worldwide, and roughly 200 in the U.S.). By comparison, Regal operates about 100 IMAX screens and Cinemark about 20 in the U.S., but those chains have opted not to include Cliff Booth in their IMAX lineups for Thanksgiving.

Chains favor blockbusters with longer theatrical windows

Exhibitors are expected to keep premium auditoriums playing The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping for its second weekend rather than switch to Netflix’s title. Industry sources say the decision is driven by the film’s shortened theatrical exclusivity — Netflix’s December streaming date limits the time audiences can only see the movie on the big screen.

Regal’s Brooks LeBoeuf, SVP of U.S. Content for Regal Global Entertainment, explained the chain’s stance in a statement to IndieWire. He said Regal’s premium screens are among the company’s most valuable assets and that allocation decisions reflect how committed a distributor is to a traditional theatrical run. LeBoeuf added that shorter theatrical windows reduce opportunities for audiences to experience a film on a large screen, and that Regal will continue to prioritize releases that support theatrical exclusivity, citing The Hunger Games title as one they will fully back in IMAX.

Why some chains could opt out

Normally IMAX works directly with exhibitors to set which titles run on its premium screens, leaving little room for chains to decline. But sources indicate IMAX joined the Cliff Booth plan relatively late, giving theaters the flexibility to pass on the Netflix release if they preferred, and several did — choosing to stick with other tentpoles already drawing audiences.

Netflix’s move to shift Cliff Booth into the Thanksgiving window was largely intended to create an IMAX-exclusive theatrical moment. The studio had earlier eyed that slot for Greta Gerwig’s Narnia, but Narnia was moved to February to allow a longer theatrical life and a clearer IMAX window.

Another streamer-theater disagreement this week

This isn’t an isolated clash between streamers and exhibitors. Puck reported that Regal, Alamo Drafthouse and even some AMC locations are among chains declining to continue showing Amazon’s Ali G: Who Iz I? as part of an “extended release” push. Amazon opened the Sacha Baron Cohen comedy in about 150 select theaters as a short theatrical stunt before it streams, and although the plan was to keep it playing in more venues, the major chains are reportedly choosing not to hold it. Amazon did not respond to inquiries about how many screens the film will appear on this weekend.

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Claude Merritt

Claude Merritt explores the world of entertainment with a keen eye. From music to film, TV series, and popular culture, he covers celebrity news and American cultural trends with a lively and critical approach.