The 'Stranger Things' Finale Is Coming to the Big Screen — Here's How to Watch It
Millie Bobby Brown and the rest of the main cast return to the Netflix hit for one last ride.
Updated Dec. 5 2025, 9:32 a.m. ET
Vecna
People continue to watch Stranger Things after almost a decade of adventures with Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) and her friends. Netflix is getting ready to release the final episode of the series. Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower) wants to destroy Hawkins, and only one group of charismatic teenagers can stop him.
Where can people watch the final episode of Stranger Things? Here's what we know about what the streaming platform has planned for the conclusion of their blockbuster hit. Part of the journey is the end, and the public deserves to witness the final bout on the biggest screen possible.
Where can people see the final episode of 'Stranger Things'?
The last episode of Stranger Things will be uploaded to Netflix around the world on Dec. 31 at 5 p.m. PT (via Netflix). However, the streaming platform will go the extra mile for Eleven's final showdown against the evil Vecna.
Stranger Things is coming to theaters. Limited screenings will be set up and distributed around 500 locations in the United States and Canada. The special occasion will allow fans to experience the conclusion as a collective experience.
Netflix isn't often fond of sending its productions to the big screen. Titles such as Frankenstein and Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery have to be screened in cinemas in order to become eligible for Academy Awards. That isn't the case for Stranger Things.
The only reason the company will bring the world of Hawkins to the big screen could be to promote the launch of the episode through their streaming catalog.
Theaters won't be able to charge for the screening of the series itself due to legal issues, which is why customers will be asked to buy a concessions voucher instead to gain access (via People).
The 'Stranger Things' theatre screenings were not planned.
Many things are always in motion in Hollywood. Sending Stranger Things to theaters was never the plan. Netflix and the Duffer Brothers, the creators of the successful series, made the decision late in the game.
The producers mention: "After we were done filming, Netflix approached us with the idea of putting the finale on its own day, which we thought was cool because we thought it would allow us to pitch our movie theater idea." (via The Hollywood Reporter).
It remains to be seen if the theatrical release for Stranger Things can even qualify for regular box office tracking. Tickets for the projection are basically food vouchers, and the exhibition itself doesn't count as a conventional movie release.
Nevertheless, fans can't get enough of the acclaimed streaming series. After almost a decade of watching the gang grow up on the screen, viewers will need to move on from Hawkins and the mystery that grew under its streets.
The stage is set for the story to be over once and for all. Will (Noah Schnapp), Joyce (Winona Ryder), and Hopper (David Harbour) are ready to protect everyone they love, in a conclusion that promises to deliver emotional farewells and non-stop action.