Regal and Cinemark pass on Netflix's "Cliff Booth" in IMAX

David Fincher's "The Further Mis-Adventures of Cliff Booth", starring Brad Pitt, opens in IMAX theaters on 25 November for an exclusive two-week run before it arrives on Netflix on 23 December. Netflix announced those dates itself. What's new: Regal and Cinemark won't show it on their IMAX screens, according to reports in IndieWire, Variety and TheWrap on 30 October 2026. Both IndieWire and TheWrap say the story was first reported by Puck.

As of 2 November 2026. This piece separates what is confirmed from what is reported, then explains why it matters if you make films.

What's confirmed

The release plan: Netflix's own announcement (21 September 2026) gives an exclusive two-week IMAX run starting 25 November, and Netflix availability from 23 December.

On the record

Regal is the only company that has explained its decision publicly. In a statement given to TheWrap and also carried by IndieWire, Brooks LeBoeuf, Senior Vice President, US Content at Regal, said:

Shortened theatrical windows have a direct impact on those decisions

"Those decisions" are how the chain allocates its premium screens, which, the statement says, depends partly on how committed a distributor is to theatrical release. The statement goes on to say Regal will prioritize releases that recognize the value of theatrical exclusivity, naming "The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping" as one that will have the chain's full support in IMAX.

What's reported, not independently confirmed

• Both chains' decisions. IndieWire, Variety and TheWrap all report that Regal and Cinemark declined the film for their IMAX screens. Cinemark hasn't given a reason in any of the reports we read.
• The screen count. TheWrap puts the film at around 550 screens worldwide, about 200 of them in the US. IndieWire also reports about 550 worldwide, and Variety more than 500.

We've left out details that rest on a single outlet or on unnamed sources, including accounts of how the booking was negotiated and what Netflix expects. They may turn out to be right, but we can't confirm them.

Why it matters to filmmakers

This section is our analysis.

The window is a bargaining chip, and so is the screen. A film's theatrical window is the time it plays only in cinemas before it can be watched at home. Here the gap between cinema and streaming is four weeks (25 November to 23 December), and Regal's statement ties its premium-screen decisions to window length. Premium-format screens such as IMAX are few, and the busiest weeks of the year are when they are most contested. Exhibitors use them to reward the releases they think support cinemas most.

It isn't only a streamer problem. If your film is planned for a short theatrical run before streaming or on-demand, the same trade-off applies on a smaller scale. Regal's statement says window length is one of the things it weighs when it hands out its best screens. So when you or your distributor set the date a film goes to streaming, you are also deciding which screens and weeks you can realistically ask for. Settle that before you promise anyone a premium-format or holiday release.

Format is a release decision as well as a craft one. Shooting or finishing for a premium format only pays off if the screens are available when you need them. Netflix announced this run on 21 September as coming to "IMAX theaters globally"; by 30 October, two major US chains had reportedly opted out. A premium release can shrink after it's announced, for reasons that have nothing to do with the film itself.

What to watch

• Whether Cinemark comments, and whether any other chains change their plans before 25 November.
• Whether Netflix or IMAX say anything on the record about the booking.
• How the run performs on the screens it does have. We'll update this piece if the facts change.

Corrections: none yet. If we get something wrong, we'll correct it here with the date.