Overview
- The final episode premiered worldwide at 02:00 on January 1, 2026 and runs a little over two hours in a film-style format.
- Netflix confirmed event screenings across North America, with more than 600 theaters hosting shows and over 1.1 million advance bookings, including thousands of sold-out performances.
- User reports indicated a short outage around the release time, with access issues lasting roughly a minute before normal service resumed.
- Season 5 posted strong viewership ahead of the finale, including 59.6 million views at its November debut and 34.5 million views during December 22–28, leading global weekly rankings.
- The Duffer Brothers framed the finale as a definitive ending, and early reactions highlight both praise for the emotional send-off and criticism of certain creative choices.