Overview
- Industry reports say Ray Gunn, Brad Bird’s new animated film from Skydance Animation, will debut on Netflix instead of opening in theaters or IMAX.
- Netflix reportedly shifted Greta Gerwig’s Narnia out of the Thanksgiving IMAX slot and then gave that holiday platform to David Fincher’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood sequel.
- Sources quoted by trade outlets say Fincher was not seeking a Thanksgiving IMAX-style release, leaving questions about why Ray Gunn did not get the window.
- Skydance’s integration with Paramount is cited as a factor in the dispute, and filmmakers have expressed frustration even as the film reportedly tested well at a recent screening.
- Commentary frames the move as part of a larger debate over whether streaming-first releases are costing animated titles theatrical box-office opportunity, with K-Pop Demon Hunters used as an example of missed upside.