Regal and Cinemark Reportedly Pass on Netflix’s Cliff Booth Imax Bookings

Netflix’s theatrical ambitions face a conspicuous premium-screen hurdle with The Further Mis-Adventures of Cliff Booth. Regal Cinemas is among the chains declining to play the Brad Pitt-led, David Fincher-directed film on its Imax screens, while Cinemark has also reportedly passed on the booking.

The decision does not remove the movie from theaters entirely. The film remains set for a two-week Imax engagement at AMC beginning Nov. 25, ahead of its planned Netflix debut on Dec. 23. AMC’s U.S. Imax footprint, described as 200 screens, plus participating independent cinemas internationally, is expected to put the release on more than 500 screens worldwide.

That makes this less a story of a film being shut out of theaters than a sharp illustration of how difficult premium-format scheduling can become when a streaming company seeks a compact theatrical window. The movie has a defined path to Imax audiences, but not through every major circuit.

Why the Imax calendar matters

Imax is not simply another auditorium designation. In exhibition terms, it is a premium large format: a limited group of branded screens that studios and theater operators regard as especially valuable for high-profile releases. Because the available screen count is finite, a booking typically means another film cannot occupy that room at the same time.

That scarcity is central to the reported Regal and Cinemark decisions. Lionsgate’s The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping is scheduled to premiere Nov. 20 and is currently expected to take up the majority of cinemas. Booking Cliff Booth on Imax would require some exhibitors to give up Imax playtime for Sunrise on the Reaping shortly after its opening.

For a theater chain, that is not merely a question of whether a title is appealing. It is a scheduling and revenue decision involving a limited premium resource. The reported reluctance from some circuits comes with another key fact in the equation: Netflix intends to place The Further Mis-Adventures of Cliff Booth on its streaming service on Dec. 23, roughly a month after the theatrical run starts.

A theatrical window is the span of time between a movie’s theatrical opening and its availability through another viewing route, such as streaming. The supplied release plan gives the Fincher film an Imax run beginning Nov. 25 and a Netflix launch on Dec. 23. That schedule is long enough to create a distinct theatrical period, but it is also meaningfully shorter than the nearly 50-day wide theatrical release planned for Netflix’s Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew, including Imax screens.

AMC keeps the release on the premium map

AMC’s participation is significant because it supplies the bulk of the U.S. Imax availability described for the release. With approximately 200 U.S. Imax screens at AMC, the planned booking can still be substantial even without Regal’s roughly 100 Imax locations and Cinemark’s roughly 20. Several independent cinemas outside the United States are also expected to offer the movie, helping the overall worldwide screen total exceed 500.

Still, those headline numbers need careful reading. “More than 500 screens worldwide” describes the intended breadth of the exhibition, not necessarily more than 500 Imax screens. The available information says AMC Imax locations and international independent cinemas will collectively carry the film. It does not provide a full venue-by-venue breakdown, nor does it establish how many locations will be Imax versus other kinds of screens.

Likewise, the reported refusals should not be overstated. Regal and Cinemark are said to have declined the booking, and some additional smaller chains reportedly will not play the film. The information does not indicate a blanket rejection of Netflix theatrical releases or of the movie in every format and every market. What is clear is narrower: these decisions affect the availability of a particular film on highly sought-after Imax screens during a crowded late-November period.

Netflix’s theatrical plan is broader than one title

The Further Mis-Adventures of Cliff Booth sits within a larger lineup of Netflix films headed for theatrical release. Along with Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew, the slate named includes The Mosquito Bowl, Ray Gunn, and Charlie vs. the Chocolate Factory.

The contrast between the announced Narnia approach and the Cliff Booth plan matters. A wide release, including Imax, lasting almost 50 days would give exhibitors a different proposition from a two-week Imax engagement before a Dec. 23 streaming arrival. Neither structure automatically determines how theaters will respond, but the difference helps explain why “Netflix in theaters” is not one uniform model. Release scale, premium-screen access, competing titles and the time until streaming availability all shape each booking conversation.

Netflix has also begun reporting theatrical box-office results for its releases. Earlier in the month, La Bola Negra took in more than $277,000 from four theaters in its big-screen debut. That result was identified as the second-highest per-screen average for a non-English-language film, behind 2019’s Parasite.

A screen average divides a film’s gross by the number of theaters or screens playing it. It is useful for measuring how concentrated demand was in a limited release, particularly when a movie opens in only a handful of venues. It is not the same measure as total box office: a release can have a very strong average from four theaters while earning less in raw dollars than a much wider film. In the case of La Bola Negra, the reported four-theater total makes the per-screen figure especially notable, while also underscoring that the launch was deliberately small.

What the booking dispute says—and what it does not

The immediate practical consequence for moviegoers is geographical and chain-specific. People whose local AMC or a participating independent theater has the movie may have an Imax option beginning Nov. 25. Patrons who rely on Regal or Cinemark should not assume that their nearby Imax will carry it based on the current reports. Checking local listings as the date approaches will be essential, especially since the available information does not list every participating theater.

For Netflix, the episode highlights the difference between announcing a theatrical release and securing premium placement across the exhibition business. A major star and director, plus an Imax plan, can put a title in the conversation; they do not create extra Imax capacity when another major release is already positioned to use it.

For theater operators, the issue is timing as much as title selection. Sunrise on the Reaping is due five days before the AMC start of Cliff Booth. In that compressed period, shifting Imax programming carries an opportunity cost: the lost chance to continue using a premium auditorium for the competing release. The impending Dec. 23 Netflix arrival reportedly makes that trade less attractive for certain chains.

It would be premature, however, to read the reported decisions as a definitive verdict on Netflix’s theatrical strategy. AMC is participating, independent international cinemas are part of the plan, and Netflix has multiple films slated for cinemas under different release structures. The supplied information supports a more precise takeaway: the company’s path to theaters is expanding, but premium-format access can vary substantially from one release, chain and calendar slot to the next.

The wider entertainment business is also navigating other questions about how technology, distribution and rights affect creative work. In a separate industry development, a copyright dispute involving AI and creative rights has entered the legal conversation. The Imax scheduling situation is different in kind, but both developments show why “how audiences get a movie” increasingly involves negotiations beyond the work itself.

Key dates and figures

Nov. 20: The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping is scheduled to premiere.
Nov. 25: AMC’s two-week Imax engagement for The Further Mis-Adventures of Cliff Booth is set to begin.
Dec. 23: The Fincher film is planned to arrive on Netflix.
More than 500: The reported worldwide screen count for the film, combining AMC availability and participating independent international cinemas.
Over $277,000: The reported four-theater opening gross for La Bola Negra.