Netflix Is Repeating A Huge Stunt To Hype The New Stranger Things Spinoff
Travel to the theater to travel back in time.
Stranger Things Season 5 made Netflix history. As the final chapter in the Stranger Things story, it deserved a fair bit of fanfare, but Netflix pulled out all the stops. The season was released to Netflix in an unprecedented three parts, and for the finale on New Year’s Eve, there were even more ways to watch.
Now, the live-action series may be over, but Stranger Things — and the massive fan following it has — lives on. The next evolution of the series is an animated spinoff set between the two previous seasons, and while it might not be as groundbreaking as its predecessor, it’s getting the same special treatment.
The first two episodes of Stranger Things: Tales from ‘85 will be available in select theaters before their Netflix release.
According to Variety, Netflix recently announced that the first two episodes of its upcoming animated Stranger Things spinoff, Tales from ‘85, will get a release in theaters as well as on Netflix, just like the Stranger Things finale. However, unlike the finale, these episodes will be available before they are released on Netflix. The advanced showings are currently scheduled for April 18, and the series doesn’t premiere on Netflix until April 23.
Tickets are now available for purchase for the showings, which will be available in 34 AMC locations across the country at 12:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. local time. There will also be showings at Netflix’s own theaters in New York City and Philadelphia. There will also be an exclusive collectible for attendees while supplies last, so earlier is better.
This animated series allows for the Upside Down to wreak havoc without drastically affecting show canon.
Stranger Things: Tales from ‘85 is set in the winter of 1985, in between Seasons 2 and 3. “Our heroes Eleven, Mike, Will, Dustin, Lucas, and Max have settled back into a normal life of D&D, snowball fights, and quiet days,” Netflix’s synopsis reads. “But beneath the ice, something terrifying has awakened. Could it be from the Upside Down? From the depths of Hawkins Lab? Or from somewhere else entirely? Our heroes must race to solve this mystery and save Hawkins in this new story set in the Stranger Things universe.”
This series is only the next step for the Stranger Things franchise. After this, the hit Broadway play Stranger Things: The First Shadow will come to Netflix. Could that get a theatrical release, too? It was, after all, made for a theatrical viewing experience. That could prove how permanent Netflix’s attitudes are surrounding theatrical releases. Is this where the future of Stranger Things lies, or is this sneak peek just a fad to tease audiences for the rest of this risky series?
