Netflix’s ‘Cliff Booth’ Won’t Play on Cinemark or Regal’s IMAX Screens

Netflix‘s theatrical play was bound to have a few hiccups as it works through the kinks of putting movies in theaters for extended runs. One of its big upcoming releases, David Fincher’s “The Further Mis-adventures of Cliff Booth” starring Brad Pitt, won’t be playing at some major theater chains when it opens this Thanksgiving.

Regal and Cinemark have declined to play “Cliff Booth” on their IMAX screens as part of the film‘s IMAX-exclusive theatrical run beginning November 25, IndieWire has learned. For now, the film will play only on AMC’s IMAX screens worldwide, plus a few other smaller circuits with IMAX screens, bringing its worldwide screen total to about 550. AMC has about 200 IMAX screens in the U.S., which is the majority, while Regal has about 100 and Cinemark has closer to 20.

Those theaters will likely hold “Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping” for a second weekend rather than play a Netflix movie that will be available to stream sooner (it drops on Netflix on December 23, in time for Christmas). Normally, IMAX dictates what titles will play on its screens, and theaters don’t have much of a choice, but in this case, because IMAX came aboard as a partner late in the game, IMAX allowed theater chains to opt out of “Cliff Booth” if they chose and would rather stick with “Hunger Games,” which it looks like they’ll do.

“Regal’s premium screens are among our most valuable assets, and one of the factors we consider in how we allocate them is the level of commitment distributors make to the theatrical marketplace,” said Brooks LeBoeuf, SVP of US Content for Regal Global Entertainment in a statement to IndieWire. “Shortened theatrical windows have a direct impact on those decisions, as they limit the opportunity for audiences to experience films on the big screen. We will continue to prioritize releases that recognize the value of theatrical exclusivity, including ‘The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping,’ which will have our full support in IMAX.”

It’s a small letdown for Netflix, but there’s always a fight for premium IMAX screens, and moving “Cliff Booth” to Thanksgiving so it could have this IMAX-exclusive window was a big part of the thinking. Netflix had originally slated Greta Gerwig’s “Narnia” movie there, but it moved into February so that it could have a longer run in theaters and a clearer window at IMAX screens.

This isn’t even the only kerfuffle around screens and streamers that took place this week, as Puck, which originally reported the “Cliff Booth” news, added that Regal, Alamo Drafthouse, and also AMC are all among chains that are opting to not play Amazon’s “Ali G: Who Iz I?” as part of an “extended release” Amazon is planning for the film. That movie opened in just 150 select theaters last weekend as part of a brief theatrical stunt, and it’s dropping on streaming even sooner; though it never reported box office data for it, the Sacha Baron Cohen comedy is intending to continue its run, though the major chains are now opting not to hold it. Amazon did not respond to a request about how many screens the film will play on this weekend.