Netflix Inc (NASDAQ: NFLX) investors and fans could have plenty of reasons to smile Thursday with the stock hitting an all-time high and a company update on the beloved show "Stranger Things" and its final season in 2025.
What Happened: Netflix hit "Stranger Things" first premiered on the streaming platform in July 2016 and is set for a fifth and final season. Netflix confirmed this week that the fifth season will be released in 2025, with no planned release date yet.
"We have an incoming transmission from Hawkins, Indiana: Stranger Things Season 5 has started filming. Miss your favorite nerds? They're back, ready (or not) for whatever Vecna has in store for them in the beloved series' final season," Netflix said.
Production began in January and now the company is sharing more details on the upcoming season and providing some behind-the-scenes videos and photos for fans.
Netflix also announced that season 5 will be eight episodes and shared the episode titles, with part of Episode 2 blurred out as a surprise.
- Episode 1: The Crawl
- Episode 2: The Vanishing of ...
- Episode 3: The Turnbow Trap
- Episode 4: Sorcerer
- Episode 5: Shock Jock
- Episode 6: Escape from Camazotz
- Episode 7: The Bridge
- Episode 8: The Rightside Up
Why It's Important: Stranger Things had eight episodes in its first and third seasons with seasons two and three containing nine episodes each.
Netflix has not confirmed if it will release all the season 5 episodes or split them up. For season 4, "Stranger Things" was split into seven episodes and two episodes across two parts. Each episode was over an hour in length with the season finale episode nine coming in at two hours and 30 minutes and the longest.
The series is one of the most watched in Netflix history and the long gap between season 4 released in 2022 and the fifth season in 2025 could make the final season one of the most anticipated releases in company history.
Netflix ended the third quarter with 282.72 million global paid subscribers and is continuing to bet on original series like "Stranger Things," "Bridgerton" and "Stranger Things to maintain and grow subscribers.
The company is also expanding into live sports and working to grow its ad-supported plans for future revenue growth.
While a second season of "Squid Game" and two NFL games on Christmas Day 2024 make the fourth quarter one of the most anticipated in company history, investors and subscribers could be looking ahead to 2025, which will include a third and final season of "Squid Game," a fifth and final season of "Squid Game" and at least one NFL game.
Price Action: Netflix stock is up 2% to $794.03 on Thursday, hitting an intraday high of $794.20, which is a new all-time high for shares. Netflix stock is up 70% year-to-date in 2024.