How to watch Stranger Things season 5 finale in cinemas
Can you get tickets for the finale in the UK? We have the answers...
Stranger Things season 5 is coming to cinemas for its epic finale, but not everyone will be able to get tickets.
The Stranger Things season 5 finale is the biggest TV event of 2025, and easily among the decade’s most anticipated episodes of television.
That isn’t an exaggeration, given that it’s one of the best Netflix shows and the biggest series it has ever produced. The opening episodes of the fifth season broke viewership records, becoming the platform’s biggest debut after Squid Game.
We still have volume 2 to go, but fans will already be looking ahead to the final episode and how (and if) they can watch it in cinemas. You’re in the right place.
Is the Stranger Things season 5 finale coming to UK cinemas?
Unfortunately, the Stranger Things season 5 finale won’t be screening in UK cinemas.
This will be a bitter pill to swallow, especially since it’s coming to major theatrical chains across the US and Canada.
In Netflix’s announcement, it said there will be “limited fan screenings in more than 500 theatres” in North America. However, it didn’t include any details about the UK or other international territories.
That’s not to say it absolutely won’t happen. While there aren’t any UK showtimes online right now, it’s possible that independent cinemas could host screenings of the finale. Don’t get your hopes up, though.
Why isn’t the finale in UK cinemas?
Netflix hasn’t explained why the Stranger Things season 5 finale screenings are limited to the US and Canada. However, there’s an obvious reason: the time difference.
The last episode (just like volume 1 and 2) will drop at 5pm PT / 8pm ET on December 31. For those in the UK, that’s 1am on New Year’s Day.
Midnight screenings for new movies aren’t uncommon, but Stranger Things has two big factors working against it. Firstly, cinemas being expected to put on 1am screenings during one of the year’s biggest celebrations is a tall order. Secondly, some chains flat-out don’t screen Netflix titles.
For example, Wake Up Dead Man hasn’t been available to watch in Odeon or Cineworld cinemas. Stranger Things screenings would almost certainly sell out, but it’s still at an inconvenient time.
As you’d expect, fans aren’t happy. “Oi @netflix where the [bleep] is our Stranger Things finale in cinemas for the UK?” one user tweeted.
“Please, I BEG OF YOU, put the finale in cinemas in the UK too. The amount of fans that would flock to cinemas to see it, including myself and my dad, would be phenomenal,” another wrote.
So, if you want to watch the finale with a big group of people, you should probably plan a viewing party.
Where to get tickets for the Stranger Things season 5 finale
If you want to watch the Stranger Things finale in cinemas, you’ll need to purchase tickets for a screening in the US or Canada. You can use Netflix’s theatre-finder and ticketing website.
The finale is being shown in AMC, Regal, Cinemark and Alamo Drafthouse cinemas, among others.
Unlike other limited theatrical events, like Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour movie, there aren’t any price differences for tickets.
How long is the finale?
The Stranger Things season 5 finale will be 2 hours 5 minutes long.
This makes it the show’s second-longest episode, just behind season 4’s finale (which was 2 hours 19 minutes).
It will also be called ‘The Rightside Up’, with creators Matt and Ross Duffer teasing that we’ll learn major answers about the Upside Down by the end of the show.
“That really is a Volume 2 thing, where we really get into the Upside Down, and we explain what it is. Again, this is something that has been planned for 10 years now, and it just now, obviously is the time to reveal it,” they told Deadline.
Read more: Stranger Things season 5 age rating explained before you watch ‘dark’ final series
