Stranger Things Finale Storms Cinemas, Earns Over $25 Million In New Year’s Box Office

Netflix’s blockbuster series Stranger Things delivered an unexpected theatrical triumph as audiences flocked to cinemas over the New Year’s holiday to watch the show’s highly anticipated finale on the big screen. The special event screenings generated between $25 million and $28 million in ticket sales, according to sources cited by Variety.

Pinning down an exact figure has proven difficult due to varying ticket structures across cinema chains. AMC and Cinemark, for instance, charged $20 for a concession voucher, while Regal Cinemas and other exhibitors offered tickets priced at $11 — a nod to Eleven, the beloved supernatural character portrayed by Millie Bobby Brown. Earlier this week, series creators the Duffer Brothers revealed on social media

that approximately 1.1 million vouchers had been sold nationwide. AMC alone reported earning $15 million from more than 753,000 patrons who purchased food and beverage credits. The chain accounted for slightly over one-third of the total theatre footprint participating in the screenings.

The strong performance comes as welcome news for exhibitors, who enjoyed a relatively robust holiday season following a challenging year. Domestic box office revenues closed at roughly $8.9 billion, marking a modest 1.5% increase over the lukewarm results of 2024, but still far below the pre-pandemic highs of around $11 billion.

Despite the overall downturn, 2025 ended with a few bright spots, including hits like Avatar: Fire and Ash, The Housemaid and Marty Supreme. The theatrical success of Stranger Things now adds another encouraging data point, highlighting audiences’ willingness to turn streaming content into communal, cinema-going experiences when the occasion feels special enough.

A pop culture phenomenon since its debut, Stranger Things — a nostalgic homage to 1980s adventure classics such as The Goonies and E.T. — wrapped up its five-season run with a super-sized, two-hour finale that premiered on New Year’s Eve. The event marked a rare but significant collaboration between Netflix and movie theatres, two parties that have often had a complicated relationship.

Exhibitors have historically resisted screening Netflix titles due to the streamer’s refusal to follow traditional theatrical windows. Concerns have also grown around Netflix’s reported interest in acquiring Warner Bros., with cinema owners fearing even shorter gaps between theatrical releases and home viewing.

However, AMC CEO Adam Aron suggested the tide may be turning. In a statement released on Friday, he said, “At AMC, our company is excited about the prospect of taking more Netflix content to theater-goers, and I might add that the working relationship between the two companies in our two recent projects has been easy, creative, and seamless.”

He added, “It should come as no surprise then that our two companies already have actively commenced discussing what additional Netflix programming can be shown on AMC’s giant screens.”