Brad Pitt’s Cliff Booth Movie Gets Limited IMAX-Only Theatrical Release
Brad Pitt’s return as stuntman Cliff Booth in The Further Misadventures of Cliff Booth has hit a major scheduling wall, securing only an IMAX-only U.S. theatrical run across approximately 350 locations ahead of its late 2026 Netflix debut, according to Empire City Box Office reports.
The Theatrical Bottleneck and Distribution Strategy
The upcoming film, directed by David Fincher from a screenplay by Quentin Tarantino, serves as a follow-up to the 2019 hit Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood, for which Pitt secured an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. Rather than a wide traditional rollout, Netflix has locked in a limited theatrical footprint. According to Empire City Box Office, the feature will bypass standard-format and competing premium large-format screens entirely. Instead, it targets a U.S. run in roughly 350 IMAX locations starting November 25, 2026, before launching globally on streaming December 23, 2026.
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Set in 1977—eight years after the events of the original film—the narrative explores another chapter in the life of Cliff Booth, the stuntman who worked alongside Leonardo DiCaprio’s Rick Dalton. DiCaprio will not appear in the sequel after reportedly turning down the role. The expanding ensemble cast features Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Elizabeth Debicki, Scott Caan, Carla Gugino, Peter Weller, Matt Groove, JB Tadena, Karren Karagulian, and Corey Fogelmanis.
Fincher and Pitt reunite for the project, continuing a working relationship that previously yielded Se7en (1995), Fight Club (1999), and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008). Pitt also serves as producer alongside Ceán Chaffin. Netflix previously offered a glimpse of the project during a Super Bowl teaser trailer in February, featuring Pitt’s character stating, “I don’t possess many talents, but I know better than to get in the way of a good story.”
Venice Film Festival Absence and Production Pauses
The release strategy faces further complications following delays behind the scenes. Venice International Film Festival artistic director Alberto Barbera addressed the lineup’s omissions in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, noting that high-profile studio projects missed the cut because production paused. Barbera stated that Fincher’s film was not ready because the director had to pause for personal reasons, pushing the completion timeline to October and missing the Venice window entirely.
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