Cinemark refuses to screen Tarantino's 'Cliff Booth'

Two theater chains have opted not to show the upcoming sequel to Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood.

Cinemark and Regal have chosen not to allocate any of their Imax screens to The Further Mis-Adventures of Cliff Booth, featuring Brad Pitt returning as a daring stuntman in a film penned by Quentin Tarantino and directed by David Fincher. This decision effectively makes Cliff Booth exclusive to AMC among the major chains.

During Cinemark's third-quarter earnings call on Tuesday morning, CEO Sean Gamble explained that the decision not to show the film was due to Netflix's brief release window, which ends just two weeks before the film moves to streaming. The company did not want to set a precedent that might impact future negotiations.

"The Cliff Booth situation is an intriguing one," Gamble stated. "We evaluate all our films on a case-by-case basis. In this instance, we consider the long-term implications and how certain precedents might influence the industry over time. In this specific case, we don't believe the proposed release model benefits the broader theatrical ecosystem, nor does it align with our theaters' interests." Gamble also mentioned that keeping The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping on Imax screens during Thanksgiving is a smart move due to the film's strong advance sales.

Cliff Booth will premiere in theaters on Nov. 25, followed by its Netflix release on Dec. 23.

For Netflix, which has typically resisted filmmakers' attempts to secure theatrical releases, this film marks a first—the first time the streamer has released a movie in Imax. The slot was initially intended for Greta Gerwig's Narnia: The Magician's Nephew, but the release was postponed to February, allowing for a more generous seven-week theatrical window.

Cinemark Holdings reported increased revenue and earnings compared to the previous year, with total revenue rising to $1.05 billion from $857.5 million in the same period of 2025. Gamble predicted that the theatrical window might actually expand despite the growth of streaming.

"We're going to continue to see [the window] expand, especially since the commitments were a minimum of 45 days, and beyond that, many larger films continue to have windows of 60-plus days," he said. "As we move into 2027, we're going to see that window continue to grow, particularly as more studios participate."