Brad Pitt’s “Cliff Booth” Movie Will Skip Regal and Cinemark

Brad Pitt’s return as Cliff Booth will have a narrower big-screen launch than its high-profile name might suggest. Regal and Cinemark are not expected to carry Netflix’s “The Further Mis-Adventures of Cliff Booth” when the film opens in IMAX on November 25.

The decision leaves AMC and participating independent theaters as the main destinations for moviegoers who want to see the “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” follow-up before it moves to streaming. The planned theatrical run is unusually short: the film is set for a two-week exclusive IMAX engagement before reaching Netflix on December 23.

A short window meets a crowded holiday

Regal linked its decision to the value it places on longer theatrical exclusivity. In a statement reported by MovieWeb, the chain said shortened windows influence how it assigns premium screens. Cinemark is also sitting out the release, while AMC has committed screens in standard and IMAX formats.

Timing adds another challenge. The film arrives during the Thanksgiving corridor, just days after “The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping,” which is receiving a broader theatrical push. Premium screens are limited, and exhibitors have an incentive to favor movies that will remain exclusive to theaters for a longer period.

Netflix’s release strategy makes “Cliff Booth” a fresh test of the uneasy relationship between streaming platforms and cinema chains. The company has increasingly used theatrical play to turn select movies into events, but exhibitors continue to make their own calculations when the gap between opening night and streaming is measured in weeks rather than months.

A major character in a limited rollout

The project follows Pitt’s stuntman character from “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” the 2019 film that earned more than $400 million worldwide. Quentin Tarantino wrote the new installment, which gives Netflix a recognizable character, a major star and an event-sized IMAX pitch.

That combination will still reach theaters, but not through two of the country’s largest chains. For audiences, the practical result is simple: seeing Cliff Booth on the biggest available screen may depend heavily on whether an AMC or participating independent cinema is nearby.