Netflix has set Greta Gerwig’s Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew for theaters on February 12, 2027, before it reaches Netflix on April 2, 2027. The film will also get IMAX sneak previews beginning February 10, giving the project a 45-day theatrical window that is unusually long for a Netflix release.
That schedule is the reason the film is drawing attention now. Gerwig said she first read The Magician’s Nephew as a child, and Netflix’s decision gives her version of C.S. Lewis’s story a runway in cinemas before it lands at home. For a streamer that has often guarded where its movies appear, the move signals a bigger bet on this one.
Gerwig said working with Netflix to bring the film to life has been extraordinary, and she singled out IMAX as an incredible partner. She also said she cannot wait for people to see the film in theaters on February 12 and on Netflix on April 2. Her attachment to the material goes back to childhood, when she said The Magician’s Nephew transformed her imagination and made her believe in hidden worlds, adventure and the idea that even ordinary people could be swept into something epic.
The cast gives the project more weight. Emma Mackey plays Jadis, the White Witch, while Meryl Streep is the voice of Aslan. Carey Mulligan appears as Mabel Kirke, David McKenna as Digory Kirke, and the cast also includes Beatrice Campbell, Kobna Holdbrook-Smith and Daniel Craig. Netflix’s logline says Gerwig is bringing C.S. Lewis’s beloved story to the screen for the first time.
What makes the release plan notable is not just the dates but the window. Netflix has historically been cautious about granting its original films extended theatrical runs, yet this one is getting a full 45 days before streaming begins. That makes Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew the first Netflix release to receive that kind of theatrical treatment, a sign the company is willing to let the movie build an audience in theaters before it shows up online.
The timing now points to a clear next step: IMAX previews start February 10, the film opens two days later, and then Netflix gets it on April 2. The question the release plan answers is simple enough. Netflix is treating Gerwig’s Narnia not as a quick streaming title, but as a movie it wants to give room to breathe on the big screen first.
