Audiences flocked to cinemas to say goodbye to the Upside Down over New Year’s. 

Movie theaters earned between $25 million to $28 million by showing the finale to Netflix‘s “Stranger Things,” sources tell Variety. It’s very hard to get an exact number, because tickets came with vastly different pricing. AMC and Cinemark charged $20 for a concession voucher, for example, while Regal Cinemas and other circuits charged $11, a nod to the supernatural character played by Millie Bobby Brown, all according to Variety.

A spokesperson for Netflix did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Earlier this week, the Duffer Brothers, the show’s creators, announced on social media that 1.1 million vouchers had been sold. AMC said it generated $15 million from the more than 753,000 people who bought food and beverage credits. The chain had slightly more than one-third of the total theater count. 

The results are good news for theaters, which are having a robust holiday season after a disappointing year that saw domestic ticket sales hit roughly $8.9 billion, a 1.5% increase over the middling 2024 results and far below the $11 billion that the business generated prior to COVID. But 2025 did close with some welcome successes such as “Avatar: Fire and Ash,” “The Housemaid” and “Marty Supreme.”

“Stranger Things,” a homage to ’80s fantasy adventures such as “The Goonies” and “E.T.,” has become one of the most popular shows in Netflix’s history. It ended its five-season run with a super-sized, two-hour finale that debuted on New Year’s Eve. Netflix has often had a complicated relationship with exhibitors, who have refused to show some of the streamer’s movies because they do not adhere to traditional theatrical windows. Many cinemas are concerned about Netflix’s plans to buy Warner Bros., fearing the company would shorten the amount of time between a film’s debut and its bow on home entertainment platforms.

But on Friday, AMC chief Adam Aron hinted that the streamer will look for more ways to have its programming shown on the big screen. 

“At AMC, our company is excited about the prospect of taking more Netflix content to theater-goers, and I might add that the working relationship between the two companies in our two recent projects has been easy, creative, and seamless,” Aron said in a statement. “It should come as no surprise then that our two companies already have actively commenced discussing what additional Netflix programming can be shown on AMC’s giant screens.”