The release month of Netflix’s sequel to Once Upon A Time… in Hollywood has been revealed.
Six years after the popular Quentin Tarantino movie was released, the news broke that there would be a sequel focused on Brad Pitt’s character, titled The Adventures of Cliff Booth. The script comes from Tarantino, with David Fincher directing, and a cast that also features Timothy Olyphant, Scott Caan, Elizabeth Debicki, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, and Carla Gugino. A summer 2026 release window was previously reported, and a surprise trailer debuted during Super Bowl LIX, but a more exact release remained under wraps.
Now, a report from Deadline about the uncertainty of Netflix’s theatrical future mentions that The Adventures of Cliff Booth is releasing in August. The sequel is discussed in the report alongside Greta Gerwig’s Narnia movie, both of which are major Netflix movies premiering later this year. Beginning on November 26, Narnia will have a two-week limited IMAX release in 90 countries before coming to the streaming platform in December. No theatrical plans have been announced yet for The Adventures of Cliff Booth.
Discussion of Netflix’s theatrical approach comes in the aftermath of Paramount winning the bidding war for Warner Bros. One of the most widespread concerns about a Netflix acquisition was the effect that the studio, which has generally released all their content via streaming or with very limited theatrical windows, would have on the industry. Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos repeatedly promised that a 45-day theatrical release window in theaters would be honored under the new ownership. Now that the deal with Warner Bros. is off, at the Next on Netflix event, Film Chairman Dan Lin said, “We’re looking to do special things in theatrical, but just give us some time” and “We are a streaming-first company. The strategy works really well for us.”
Given this situation at Netflix, The Adventures of Cliff Booth is likely to remain exclusive to the streaming platform or only have a limited theatrical release, although a different decision could be announced in the coming months. As one of Quentin Tarantino’s highest-grossing movies, making more than $370 million worldwide against a reported budget of $90 million, Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood was a massive box office hit. A sequel with Pitt coming back to play Cliff Booth has plenty of box office potential, but such potential will go untapped if it is only available to stream on Netflix.
With an August release, The Adventures of Cliff Booth can follow in the footsteps of Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood by becoming a dominant summer release. Instead of dominating the box office, though, it can become a streaming sensation, even without Leonardo DiCaprio, Margot Robbie, and other cast members from the original film.