IMAX CEO Reveals New Info About Greta Gerwig's Narnia Film: "Not Your Mother's Or Grandmother's Narnia"
IMAX CEO Rich Gelfond shared more details about Greta Gerwig and Netflix’s upcoming Narnia film describing it as “not your mother’s or grandmother’s Narnia.”
During the company’s recent 2025 Investor Day presentation, Gelfond shared how his company’s relationship with Netflix is different than other exhibitors and specifically pointed to the upcoming Narnia film and how he and IMAX secured an exclusive 28-day theatrical release before it arrives on streaming on Netflix.
In fact, at one point during his presentation he shared that the film will “change the theatrical world.”
He doubled down on that later in the presentation saying, “The one I’m most excited about is Narnia because I think of its potential to change IMAX and to change the business.”
While he didn’t touch on exactly why he believed this early in the presentation, he was eventually prompted later on and shared, “This is one that my team has to hold me back, because I think, as I said before, that it’s really going to change the world. I know that sounds like a lot of hyperbole. But Greta is making this movie for IMAX and then fully understands that when word gets out of what this movie is, it’s going to create a cultural event.”
“So for us, the goal is not only to do good box office in IMAX, but to prove out that IMAX can create worldwide events where they didn’t exist before,” he elaborated. “So we want Netflix to do well in streaming. That’s part of our goals in this. And again, when we negotiated with Netflix, we were in a very unique position because the exhibitors have a history and the exhibitors also have an animosity at some level because they see themselves as competitors. But we don’t compete with Netflix.”
He then declared, “This is a real blockbuster movie that’s being made for both. And then I guess I do have to talk a little about why I’m so excited about it. This is not your mother’s or your grandmother’s Narnia. The music in it is unbelievably contemporary music, which IMAX fans like, and I’m not going to say specifically, but things like Pink Floyd and The Doors, that kind of music, which people go to see in IMAX.”
“And the movie itself is going to be -- it’s being filmed at the largest sound stage in Europe. I went on the set where there were hundreds of people and multiple -- it’s filmed at multiple locations, and you’re going to see a clip in a second. And if you can’t see how passionate Greta is about it, then you’ll have to wait to see the movie to see how awesome it is,” he added.
Gelfond’s comments regarding the film’s music are not surprising given the film’s producer Amy Pascal previously claimed, “It’s a very new take on Narnia. It’s all about rock and roll.”
Gelfond was not the only IMAX executive to discuss the film, the company’s Executive VP and Chief Content Officer Jonathan Fischer discussed the project while outlining upcoming films that are coming to IMAX screens, “And of course, in November, we are bringing visionary filmmaker, Greta Gerwig’s bold, reimagining of the world of Narnia, exclusively to IMAX screens around the globe as a Filmed for IMAX title.”
“We have one of the most singular creative voices and commercial forces in film, making a truly epic blockbuster film that will only be available in IMAX for fans around the world,” he added.
"This is not your mother's or grandmother's Narnia"--mothers and grandmothers have nothing to do with it; put quite simply, THIS IS NOT NARNIA...
"new take on..."
you've lost me already.