Closeup of Joyce Byers (Winona Ryder) in Stranger Things season 5©Netflix/Courtesy Everett Collection
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Matthew Rudoy
Published 15 minutes ago
Matthew Rudoy is one of ScreenRant's Movie & TV News Editors. He covers the latest in movie & TV news, with a focus on major franchises like Star Wars, The Boys, and Game of Thrones. He wrote lists for ScreenRant from 2017-2022, became a news writer in 2023, a senior staff writer in 2024, and an editor in 2025.
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Tickets for the Stranger Things series finale's theatrical screenings are now available, and the runtime has been confirmed as well. The episode is considered volume 3 of the final season and makes its Netflix debut on December 31, while also premiering in select theaters. Matt and Ross Duffer previously shared that the Stranger Things finale runtime would be "around two hours long."
Now, fans can RSVP to the Stranger Things finale's theatrical screenings on December 31 and January 1. Across the 500 select theaters in the United States and Canada, the first screenings will begin at 8pm ET/5pm PT, the same time that the episode will first become available on Netflix.
The exact runtime of the series finale is two hours and five minutes. The only episode so far to have a longer runtime than the series finale is Stranger Things season 4's ending, which clocked in at two hours and 22 minutes. All episodes in seasons 4 and 5 have been more than an hour long.
Some Stranger Things season 5 theories were confirmed in the first batch of released episodes, but plenty of mysteries and unresolved stories remain heading into the back half of the season, especially where Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower) and the Upside Down are concerned.
Jamie Campbell Bower as Vecna looking intensely while coming out of a portal in Stranger Things season 5
With a feature-length runtime of two hours and five minutes, the series finale will have plenty of opportunities to conclude anything that is not resolved in episodes 5-7. Having a runtime longer than many movies also adds to why the episode can work well in theaters, especially as it wraps up a story that has come out over the course of nearly an entire decade.
While most television episodes are not released in theaters, this is a particularly unusual move for Netflix. Except for limited releases for select movies, including Rian Johnson's Knives Out sequels and Guillermo del Toro's Frankenstein, Netflix usually keeps its original movies exclusive to their platform.
This speaks to how Stranger Things is a popular culture phenomenon and one of Netflix's all-time best shows. Ahead of season 5's Netflix debut, all previous Stranger Things seasons were in the streamer's Top 10 at the same time, a feat that has never been achieved by another show before.
As a series that forever changed Netflix and television, it is fitting that Stranger Things will not only be ending with its final episode dropping on Netflix, but with a theatrical release on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. This could potentially open the door for other Netflix shows to have theatrical releases in the future.
Visit https://www.st5finale.com/ to RSVP seats for the Stranger Things finale screenings on December 31 and January 1. Season 5, volume 2 comes to Netflix on December 25, followed by volume 3 on December 31 at 8pm ET/5pm PT.
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10 stars 9 stars 8 stars 7 stars 6 stars 5 stars 4 stars 3 stars 2 stars 1 star Like Follow Followed TV-14 Drama Mystery Horror Science Fiction Release Date 2016 - 2025-00-00 Network Netflix Showrunner Matt Duffer, Ross Duffer Directors Matt Duffer, Ross Duffer, Andrew Stanton, Frank Darabont, Nimród Antal, Uta Briesewitz Writers Kate Trefry, Jessie Nickson-Lopez, Jessica Mecklenburg, Alison Tatlock
7 Images
Eleven looking into an opening of the Upside Down with pink light in Stranger Things season 1
Jim Hopper (David Harbour) grabbing Jonathan's (Charlie Heaton) shoulders in Stranger Things season 1©Netflix/Courtesy Everett Collection
Eleven with cables all over her head in Stranger Things season 4
Vecna looking towards Will in the trailer for Stranger Things season 5 (2025)
Max and Eleven in Stranger ThingsNetflix
Stranger Things season 2, episode 2 "Trick or Treat, Freak".MovieStillsDB
The Upside Down in Stranger Things season 5Courtesy of Netflix Close
Cast
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Millie Bobby Brown
Jane 'Eleven' Hopper
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Mike Wheeler
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