Netflix’s ‘Cliff Booth’ Won’t Play in Regal and Cinemark Imax Theaters

Netflix’s push to release more films on the big screen hasn’t come without a few hiccups. Most recently, theater chains including Regal Cinemas are declining to play the streaming platform’s “The Further Mis-Adventures of Cliff Booth” on their Imax screens. Cinemark also turned down the “Cliff Booth” booking, according to sources.

“Cliff Booth,” which stars Brad Pitt and is directed by David Fincher, is still set to play on AMC’s Imax screens for a two-week release beginning Nov. 25 before releasing on the streaming platform Dec. 23.

News of the release plans was first reported by Puck.

Lionsgate’s “The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping” is currently set to occupy a majority of cinemas with its upcoming Nov. 20 premiere. The exhibitors would have had to give up some of their “Hunger Games” Imax screens for “Cliff Booth,” which streams just a month later — a no-go for some circuits.

With AMC’s 200 Imax screens available in the U.S. and several others offered internationally by independent cinemas, “The Further Mis-Adventures of Cliff Booth” will play on more than 500 screens worldwide. Regal has approximately 100 Imax screens and Cinemark around 20, while some other smaller chains will reportedly not book “Cliff Booth” either.

Fincher’s film is one of several upcoming Netflix titles slated for a theatrical release, including “Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew,” which will see a wide release (including Imax screens) for almost 50 days, “The Mosquito Bowl,” “Ray Gunn” and “Charlie vs. the Chocolate Factory.” The streaming platform reported grosses for the first time for the big-screen debut earlier this month of “La Bola Negra,” which brought in over $277,000 across just four theaters and marked the second-highest screen average for a non-English language film behind 2019’s “Parasite.”