Major Theater Chains Decline IMAX Release of The Further Mis-Adventures of Cliff Booth

Regal Cinemas and Cinemark have declined to show Netflix's upcoming film, The Further Mis-Adventures of Cliff Booth, on their IMAX screens, according to a report from Yahoo. The conflict centers on the commercial value of premium screens during the busy November moviegoing season. Netflix intended for the film to have an exclusive two-week IMAX engagement starting November 25, 2026, before streaming on December 23. However, Variety and Deadline reported on October 30 that exhibitors were influenced by this short window and competition from another major release, The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping, which debuts November 20. Brooks LeBoeuf, senior vice president of U.S. content at Regal, told TheWrap that the company considers a distributor's commitment to the theatrical marketplace when allocating its most valuable assets. LeBoeuf stated that short theatrical windows limit the audience's ability to see films in cinemas. As a result, Regal will provide full IMAX support to the Hunger Games film instead. The film's IMAX footprint is now expected to cover about 550 screens globally, including roughly 200 in the U.S., according to TheWrap. These will primarily be through AMC and independent venues, including Quentin Tarantino's New Beverly Cinema. The project serves as a sequel to the 2019 film Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood, which earned $377 million globally and won Brad Pitt an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. While Tarantino wrote the screenplay, David Fincher is directing. According to Netflix's Tudum, Pitt suggested Fincher for the role, a proposal Tarantino called "a fantastic idea." Set in 1977 Los Angeles, the story takes place eight years after the previous film. Brad Pitt returns as Cliff Booth, who has transitioned from a stuntman to a Hollywood fixer for powerful industry figures. The cast also includes Peter Weller, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Carla Gugino, Scott Caan, and Elizabeth Debicki. The dispute highlights ongoing tensions between streaming platforms and cinema operators regarding theatrical exclusivity. While Netflix is utilizing a short window for this release, it is expected to provide a significantly longer theatrical rollout for its upcoming film, Narnia: The Magician's Nephew. --- HOT covers what Americans are searching for most right now. Sources: Yahoo: https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/movies/articles/major-theater-chains-reject-imax-180017395.html; La Repubblica (IT): https://arc-codex.com/. Machine-written by gemma4:31b-cloud from those reports. Fact check against them by gpt-oss:120b-cloud.