Where in Atlanta to catch the ‘Stranger Things’ series finale in theaters
Netflix, capitalizing on the popularity of metro Atlanta-shot show “Stranger Things,” placed tickets on sale Tuesday for a very limited run Dec. 31 and Jan. 1 of the two-hour series finale in more than 500 movie theaters nationwide.
Here are local theaters will host screenings, according to st5finale.com:
- The Tara Theatre, Atlanta
- Regal Atlantic Station, Atlanta
- Regal Mall of Georgia, Buford
- Regal McDonough
- Regal Arbor Place, Douglasville
- AMC North Dekalb 16, Decatur
- AMC Phipps Plaza 14, Atlanta
- AMC Parkway Pointe 15, Cobb County
- AMC Southlake 24, Morrow
- AMC Barrett Commons, Kennesaw
- Cinemark Tinseltown, Fayetteville
The series finale will be available worldwide at 8 p.m. EST on Dec. 31 on Netflix. The earliest showings at movie theaters will be 8:05 p.m. that day.
Ticket prices will be relatively nominal with Tara Cinema charging just $5 and that will be a voucher for concessions. Netflix will not be taking any direct revenue from the marketing stunt, said Tara owner Christopher Escobar.
On Dec. 31 for the 8:05 p.m. screening, Escobar plans to hold a 1987-themed prom at the Tara with some crew and cast expected to attend. He recommends attendees to cosplay accordingly.
In recent years, Netflix has been reluctant to work with movie theaters, occasionally providing a limited run of particular movies so they could qualify for awards like the Oscars. Examples include “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery,” “Maestro” and “All Quiet on the Western Front.”
Netflix also gave movie theaters two brief runs of “K-Pop Demon Hunters” this fall.
Movie attendance is about 30% below what it was before the pandemic and many experts blame the rise on streaming services.
The first four episodes of the fifth and final season of “Stranger Things” were released on Netflix on Nov. 26, with three more episodes dropping on Christmas Day before the New Year’s Eve finale.
The show, from brothers Matt and Ross Duffer, debuted on Netflix in 2016, and quickly became a ratings juggernaut, turning cast members such as Millie Bobby Brown and David Harbour into worldwide stars.
Though set in fictional Hawkins, Indiana, the majority of the show was shot in metro Atlanta over the years.
About the Author
Rodney Ho writes about entertainment for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution including TV, radio, film, comedy and all things in between. A native New Yorker, he has covered education at The Virginian-Pilot, small business for The Wall Street Journal and a host of beats at the AJC over 20-plus years. He loves tennis, pop culture & seeing live events.
