Netflix to give Greta Gerwig's 'Narnia' wide theatrical release next year

May 1 (Reuters) - Netflix on Friday said filmmaker Greta Gerwig's "Narnia: The Magician's Nephew" will be released in theaters worldwide next February, where it will play exclusively for more than 45 days - a first for the streaming service.

Written and directed by Gerwig, the film is the first adaptation of C.S. Lewis' 1955 book of the same title, which explores the origins of Narnia.

Netflix said it opted for a broad theatrical release for the film, because of Lewis' broad appeal across generations and geographies. The film will be available to stream on Netflix on April 2.

Theater owners applauded Netflix's decision.

"This is welcome news," Cinema United President Michael O'Leary said in a statement, adding, "Greta Gerwig's 'Narnia: The Magician's Nephew' is a movie audiences will want to see on the big screen. Now they'll have that opportunity."

(Reporting by Dawn Chmielewski in Los Angeles and Zaheer Kachwala in Bengaluru; Editing by Jonathan Ananda and Aurora Ellis)

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This story was originally published May 1, 2026 at 4:49 PM.