Picture Credit: Disney
One of Netflix’s most anticipated upcoming movies, Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew, will no longer debut in 2026. The movie has shifted its exclusive theatrical release to February 2027 with a streaming release on April 2, 2027.
Netflix has shifted the release date of its upcoming Narnia film from director Greta Gerwig. The original plan was for the movie to release in IMAX theaters this Thanksgiving with a streaming debut on December 25, 2026. It will not have exclusive theatrical release on February 12, 2027, with previews only in IMAX beginning on February 10, 2027. The film will subsequently become available for streaming on Netflix on April 2, 2027. Incidentally, this news coincides with the 71st anniversary of the novel The Magician’s Nephew, which the movie is based on.
Directed by Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Greta Gerwig (Little Women, Barbie) and produced by Mark Gordon, Amy Pascal, and Vincent Sieber, Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew was all set up to be one of the biggest releases of 2026, serving as the streamer’s blockbuster picture for the holiday season. The release shift takes it well into 2027; it retains its exclusive theatrical run in February 2o27 before ultimately streaming on Netflix on April 2.
“Working with Netflix to bring this film to life has been extraordinary, and IMAX continues to be an incredible partner. I cannot wait for people to see the film in theaters on February 12 and on Netflix on April 2,” Gerwig said in a statement.
“It’s incredibly moving to see how deeply Greta Gerwig has embraced C. S. Lewis’s world, and infused Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew with joy, heart, and genuine love for the story,” said the C. S. Lewis Company. “We’re so excited for audiences everywhere to experience her vision — and to share the magic of Narnia with a whole new generation.”
While a delay is never the news fans want to hear, this shift reveals a monumental change in Netflix’s distribution playbook and perhaps their decade-long aversion to theatrical in favor of its own platform might be shifting forever.
By moving the film out of the crowded 2026 holiday season, Netflix is treating this as a massive, standalone global blockbuster and not in the path of Dune 3 and Avengers: Doomsday. Furthermore, the streaming giant is giving Narnia a sprawling seven-week (49-day) exclusive theatrical window before it lands on the platform, the longest in Netflix history, at least for an English language film of this scale. As you know, Netflix has given many of its films theatrical windows but often for only one or two weeks at any given time.
This also means the movie is not eligible for this year’s Oscars, given these dates.
Based on the novel by C.S. Lewis, The Magician’s Nephew is the first story chronologically in the Narnia series. It serves as a creation story for the world of Narnia, chronicling how Jadis, aka The White Witch, came to rule over the land. This movie is the first time that The Magician’s Nephew has been adapted to the big screen. Previous movies started with Lewis’ seminal novel The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.
The movie boasts an all-star cast, including David McKenna (as Digory), Beatrice Campbell (as Polly), Emma Mackey (as The White Witch), Carey Mulligan (as Mabel), Ciarán Hinds, Daniel Craig (as Andrew Ketterley), and Meryl Streep. Netflix also confirmed the recent reported additions of Denise Gough and Susan Wokoma. That’s in addition to the news that Kobna Holdbrook-Smith has joined the cast as Francis.
Narnia producer Mark Gordon confirms PG age-rating for The Magician’s Nephew
In addition to the release date shift, Narnia producer Mark Gordon also recently confirmed that the movie boasts a PG (Parental Guidance) age rating. This age grading falls in line with every other adaptation of Narnia, including the seminal 2005 movie The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.
“It is a four-quadrant, all-audience movie that will be a delight for kids,” he said during a recent appearance on The Gary & Kenny Show. “I’m sure it’ll be PG.”
He also noted that, while no further instalments in the franchise have been confirmed, there are plans to adapt the subsequent six novels in C.S. Lewis’ Narnia series. “Hopefully, it’ll be more than one [movie].”
‘Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew‘ will begin streaming on Netflix on April 2, 2027. We’ll keep you posted on all the latest updates.
