AMC’s push to redefine what counts as a movie has led to a striking new alignment with Netflix, turning binge-friendly series into front-and-center theatrical attractions. From Halloween specials to flagship finales, the exhibitor is testing how streaming hits can fill seats just like traditional blockbusters. With that momentum building, the question is no longer whether Netflix and AMC will work together, but how often and how big those events will get.

Now, AMC’s top boss himself has weighed in on whether to partner with the streaming giant.

In a conversation with Variety, AMC CEO Adam Aron noted that AMC has already partnered with Netflix on three major initiatives over the past few months. The reason for this growing bond seems to be a get-together between the two companies before hand. 

“This is a direct consequence of a meeting we had in September, in which we announced that the two companies had decided to start working together,” Aron stated. Those ventures include the K-Pop Demon Hunters' Halloween event, the Stranger Things series finale screening on New Year’s Day, and the two‑episode theatrical preview of the new One Piece season, all of which Aron emphasized as early proof of a shared strategy.

Each of these undertakings has drawn solid ticket demand, with Aron highlighting AMC's hand in forwarding these spectacles. 

“AMC was a major driver of the tickets that were sold in theaters for these Netflix experiences," he stressed, expressing that audiences will still buy tickets for serialized content when it is framed as a special, communal event. Looking ahead, Aron is eager to expand the partnership beyond those already‑announced events:

“But we don’t want to wait until then to do more with Netflix. We would love to do more with Netflix right now.” With AMC already set to play Greta Gerwig’s upcoming Narnia film alongside IMAX, Aron’s comments suggest that theatrical exhibition is becoming increasingly flexible, blending traditional movies with curated streaming‑series events.

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While AMC deepens its collaboration with Netflix, the CEO is also reflected on broader industry changes that shaped this new direction.

In the same interview, Adam Aron also argues that the post-pandemic shortening of theatrical windows significantly damaged box-office recovery. Before COVID, premium video-on-demand windows sat around 74 days, with streaming windows far longer, he explained. The industry later floated a 45-day standard, but in practice, most major studios, Disney excepted, routinely released films to home viewing between 25 and 35 days, leading to the theatre business taking a large dip, from a whopping $11 billion post-pandemic to a feeble $4.5 billion in 2021. 

By accelerating access, Aron contends, the business had to have some effect, because we were collectively training the consumer to stay at home and wait, weakening the habit of going out to theaters. That mindset shift now makes AMC’s push with Netflix to re-establish the theater as a special destination even more urgent. 

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What do you think about AMC’s deepening partnership with Netflix? Let us know in the comments.