Greta Gerwig’s Narnia will be released in theaters before Netflix

The film will even benefit from wide theatrical release, a rarity for Netflix. But will it be visible under these conditions in France?

The big movie Narnia by Greta Gerwig changes dimension.

Initially scheduled for Thanksgiving 2026, the film is postponed to see bigger. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Wizard’s Nephew will finally be released on February 12, 2027 in cinemas, and also in IMAX (Imax previews are even announced from February 10) before arriving in streaming on Netflix on April 2, 2027. A rare, exceptional choice from the group at N Rouge, which therefore favors a theatrical release, before its streaming distribution. The film will even benefit from wide distribution in cinemas, where Netflix tended to settle for more limited releases to mark the occasion (or have the right to be nominated for the Oscars).

Should we see in this the stirrings of a new shift initiated by Netflix in its commercial strategy? It is obviously too early to tell, but if The Chronicles of Narnia: The Wizard’s Nephew is a big hit in theaters, this could naturally push the streamer to reproduce the experience with other blockbusters…

In an interview with Tudum, the director is jubilant and insists on this double release: “Working with Netflix to bring this film to life has been extraordinary, and Imax is an incredible partner. I can’t wait for audiences to discover the film in theaters on February 12 and on Netflix on April 2. But it is above all its intimate link with the original material that stands out: “I was a child when I read The Magician’s Nephew, and I fell in love with this improbable yet utterly brilliant concept of a cosmic lion singing the world of Narnia into existence. I didn’t know I would become a director, but the idea of ​​a universe created through music stuck with me. It’s the honor of a lifetime to be able to imagine it myself.”

Same story with Imax, which fully supports this strategic postponement: “From the start, we were involved in helping Greta Gerwig fully realize her vision in Imax. The delay to 2027 creates an opportunity to offer Narnia a wider theatrical release, with a real operating window.”

But what about the French release? For the moment, no specific announcement on this subject. But we know that the media chronology will not allow this kind of calendar. Impossible for Netflix to offer a wide theatrical release then an online release only two months later: regulations impose a delay of more than a year between the two. Result, the platform will have to decide for Narnia : either sacrifice real cinema exhibition in France, or agree to widely postpone its streaming release.

Adapted from the sixth volume of the chronicles of CS Lewis, the feature film is in fact a prequel to the Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. The story tells the creation of Narnia, through the eyes of Diggory and Polly, two children propelled into the mysterious “Wood Between Worlds” thanks to magic rings. Emma Mackey plays Jadis, the future White Witch.

On the casting side, Gerwig also brought together Carey Mulligan, Daniel Craig and Meryl Streep.

Between blockbuster fantasy and authorial gesture, this Narnia version Gerwig promises to be a major bet for Netflix – and perhaps a turning point in its cinema strategy.