"Explain to me as if I was a toddler"- Fans confused as Netflix & IMAX’s Narnia Deal receives backlash from other film studios
With Greta Gerwig's star power, the upcoming Narnia project from Netflix has managed to get itself an IMAX-exclusive release deal, swerving away from Netflix's typical release option, which is making movies streaming-exclusive. Though this should come as an occasion of joy for fans, not everyone is happy with the deal.
According to reports, IMAX and Netflix's deal has sparked backlash from other major studios around the world, much to the confusion of fans of the franchise. The movie has set an IMAX release of December 2026, but many studios protested against this deal, primarily because IMAX decided to release Narnia without consulting any other major studio that works with the company, especially as Netflix is considered to be a rival of movie production houses.
But fans of the franchise were completely confused about this deal and why it was bad for other studios, sparking hilarious responses across social media platforms like X.
One user, for instance, wrote:
"Explain to me as if I was a toddler."
Many others had similar responses to this.
"Sounds like an imax war is brewing in Narnia…"- another user wrote.
"Why are they mad that they get to screen a film that’s meant to be streamed?"- another user said, perplexed.
"This make absolutely 0 sense to me. You’d think they’d be happy that a door was just opened for them to do the same?"- another user wrote.
"Wonder if IMAX's 'nuclear option' will actually work."- another user wrote, referencing to IMAX CEO's comment about a "nuclear option" to settle things with other studios.
Anyhow, it is quite clear that IMAX and certain big studios are at loggerheads now, and it will not be resolved so quickly. It is, however, unlikely that Netflix and IMAX will back away from this deal for Narnia, especially with the fans backing the release.
What is the status of Netflix and IMAX's The Chronicles of Narnia deal?
As per recent reports, many studios, allegedly including Disney, have been against this release, which can be brought down to two primary reasons. One is Netflix's rivalry with big movie productions and the unavailability of IMAX screens for other releases during this time.
So far, reports state that IMAX's CEO, Rich Gelfond, claimed to have a "nuclear option" in place, which would force theaters to play Narnia on IMAX screens. This so-called nuclear option is still unclear, but this could have to do with the AMC theatres, which own 182 of the 400 IMAX screens in North America. It could also be a bargain on IMAX's side, who may refuse to play important movies from the studios in the future.
Anyhow, it is still not clear how this conflict will end, but it rages on as of now.
Narnia is set to arrive in November 2026.
