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Netflix Sends Off 'Stranger Things' with Bike Rides and Product Blitz

Cast member Jamie Campbell Bower and guests attend the screening for the final season of the television series "Stranger Things", at Odeon Luxe Leicester Square in London, Britain, November 13, 2025. REUTERS/Isabel Infantes
Cast member Jamie Campbell Bower and guests attend the screening for the final season of the television series "Stranger Things", at Odeon Luxe Leicester Square in London, Britain, November 13, 2025. REUTERS/Isabel Infantes
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Netflix Sends Off 'Stranger Things' with Bike Rides and Product Blitz

Cast member Jamie Campbell Bower and guests attend the screening for the final season of the television series "Stranger Things", at Odeon Luxe Leicester Square in London, Britain, November 13, 2025. REUTERS/Isabel Infantes
Cast member Jamie Campbell Bower and guests attend the screening for the final season of the television series "Stranger Things", at Odeon Luxe Leicester Square in London, Britain, November 13, 2025. REUTERS/Isabel Infantes

Netflix's hit sci-fi series "Stranger Things" is about to ride to its conclusion with a marketing and merchandising blitz befitting a blockbuster movie.

Ahead of the fifth and final season's debut on Wednesday, thousands turned out in Los Angeles at a cycling event dubbed "One Last Ride," a nod to the show's bike-riding teenagers in the fictional town of Hawkins, Indiana.

Retailers are offering everything from Demogorgon Crunch cereal to Hellfire Club backpacks for what is Netflix's largest consumer products program to date, said Netflix Chief Marketing Officer Marian Lee.

Target stores are selling more than 150 "Stranger Things" products.

Many brands are leaning in to 1980s nostalgia. Gatorade brought back an '80s Citrus Cooler flavor, and Walmart is selling a "Stranger Things" collection of Care Bears, one of the hot-selling toys of that era.

The promotional push extends around the world.

"This is a show that really resonates globally," Lee said.

In Paris, visitors can browse a Hawkins Christmas market at the Galeries Lafayette department store. A "Stranger Things" experience featuring the Hawkins Lab has stopped in San Francisco, New York, Rio de Janeiro and Sydney. New Netflix Houses inside malls feature "Stranger Things" areas.

Instead of releasing all episodes at once, Netflix will stagger the final season's episodes around major holidays. Four episodes debut on Wednesday, the day before the US Thanksgiving Day holiday, three on Christmas Day in December and the final episode on New Year's Eve.

"Stranger Things" - whose stars include Millie Bobby Brown, Finn Wolfhard and Noah Schnapp - will be hard to miss throughout the holiday season. A "Stranger Things" float featuring 1970s and '80s rock band Foreigner will appear in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade. More products will arrive to tempt holiday shoppers.

The all-in approach is similar to what movie studios employ for big-budget films such as "Barbie" or "Wicked," said Amanda Cioletti, an expert on licensing trends and vice president of content and strategy at research firm Informa Markets Global Licensing Group. TV shows rarely receive such treatment.

"We see 'Stranger Things' everywhere," Reuters quoted Cioletti as saying. "When you are on social media you see it, and you see it in all the storefronts. You see it in every other placement that makes sense."

Fans at the Los Angeles bike ride voiced anticipation for the final season of a series that began nine years ago.

"The (show) started when I was in about sixth grade, so I was the same age as the characters when it started," said 21-year-old Chloe Allen. "It's definitely been a huge part of my life."

Netflix hopes to keep fans interested in the "Stranger Things" world for years. A play called "Stranger Things: The First Shadow" is running on Broadway and London's West End, and an animated series is set for next year.

A live-action spinoff also is planned. "It's not a continuation of the story of Hawkins, of these characters, but it's still in the universe of 'Stranger Things,'" Co-Creator Ross Duffer said.

Executive producer Shawn Levy revealed few details but said he and the Duffers would offer fans something new.

"We are never going to repeat ourselves," Levy said.

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Entertainment

Blockbuster ‘Hope’ Shows S.Korea’s Growing Movie Muscle

Director Na Hong-jin and cast members Hwang Jung-min, Alicia Vikander, Michael Fassbender, Taylor Russell and Hoyeon pose on the red carpet during arrivals for the screening of the film "Hope" in competition at the 79th Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France, May 17, 2026. (Reuters)
Director Na Hong-jin and cast members Hwang Jung-min, Alicia Vikander, Michael Fassbender, Taylor Russell and Hoyeon pose on the red carpet during arrivals for the screening of the film "Hope" in competition at the 79th Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France, May 17, 2026. (Reuters)
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Blockbuster ‘Hope’ Shows S.Korea’s Growing Movie Muscle

Director Na Hong-jin and cast members Hwang Jung-min, Alicia Vikander, Michael Fassbender, Taylor Russell and Hoyeon pose on the red carpet during arrivals for the screening of the film "Hope" in competition at the 79th Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France, May 17, 2026. (Reuters)
Director Na Hong-jin and cast members Hwang Jung-min, Alicia Vikander, Michael Fassbender, Taylor Russell and Hoyeon pose on the red carpet during arrivals for the screening of the film "Hope" in competition at the 79th Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France, May 17, 2026. (Reuters)

Acclaimed director Na Hong-jin has unveiled South Korea's biggest budget film ever: a blood-splattered sci-fi thriller featuring killer extraterrestrials played by real-life couple Michael Fassbender and Alicia Vikander.

"Hope" by Na, whose low-budget horror movie "The Wailing" became a huge hit in his home country, was able to give free rein to his dark imagination in this gory tale of alien invasion.

"It's the most expensive film in the history of Korean cinema," Na told AFP in an interview at the Cannes Film Festival where the film premiered on Sunday night.

"It's a film that really required a very, very large budget because of the special effects, the design, the actors."

Despite having a genre-defying concept that was hard to sell initially -- it skips between thriller, sci-fi, horror and comedy -- he received backing from Korea's Plus M Entertainment and a budget of around 30 million euros ($35 million).

The cost of "Hope" underlines the increasing resources available to South Korean directors whose hit films such as the quadruple Oscar-winning "Parasite", as well as TV series like "Squid Game" have turned the home of KPop music into a global entertainment center.

Reviews for "Hope" were broadly positive, with Screen magazine calling it "a thunderously entertaining genre mash-up" while The Hollywood Reporter said it had "instant cult classic written all over it".

But others such as IndieWire slammed the quality of the special effects -- suggesting the budget was "not enough" for Na's grand ambitions, while its run-time of 160 minutes was described as "over long" by Variety.

Although married acting couple Fassbender and Vikander, stars of films from "12 Years a Slave" to "Ex Machina", are listed on the film's cast, many fans might struggle to recognize them.

Their acting has been transformed by special effects, with all the recognizable lead roles performed by bankable Korean stars including Hwang Jung-min, as well as Hoyeon from "Squid Game".

- Korean wave -

The all-action film, full of bodily fluids and gunfire, revolves around a clash between the residents of a remote town close to the frontier between South and North Korea and terrifying visitors from another planet.

With its themes of conflict and the incompetence of local officials, Na said he had "the wars that we know at the moment and the political situation that we had" at the time in his mind as he was writing the screenplay.

"Hope", intended as the first film in a series, is one of 22 films competing for the prestigious Palme d'Or prize for best film in Cannes.

It is the first by Na in 10 years since "The Wailing", which also focused on a remote location struggling with a mystery arrival.

The Cannes jury this year is headed by a South Korean director for the first time, Park Chan-wook, the maker of arthouse classics such as "Oldboy" and "The Handmaiden".

"Korea is playing a role as one of the central hubs of the film world, and I believe this is a movement befitting the time," he told AFP last week.

"It makes me think of a lot of the (Korean) predecessors who were truly outstanding but never had the opportunity to be recognized internationally," he added.

Park insisted that he would not favor his compatriot, Na.

"Some even joked that I might go out of my way to be harsher on a Korean film, because it wouldn't look good if I appeared to be favoring it," he told AFP. "I intend to judge everything as fairly and objectively as possible."

Entertainment

Spanish Court Orders 55 Mn Euro Tax Refund to Shakira

Colombian artist Shakira attends Global Citizen NOW in New York, New York, USA, 14 May 2026. (EPA)
Colombian artist Shakira attends Global Citizen NOW in New York, New York, USA, 14 May 2026. (EPA)
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Spanish Court Orders 55 Mn Euro Tax Refund to Shakira

Colombian artist Shakira attends Global Citizen NOW in New York, New York, USA, 14 May 2026. (EPA)
Colombian artist Shakira attends Global Citizen NOW in New York, New York, USA, 14 May 2026. (EPA)

A Spanish court has ordered the tax authority to refund Colombian pop star Shakira more than 55 million euros ($64 million) improperly collected in a dispute over her 2011 taxes, according to a ruling seen Monday.

The National Audience said tax authorities had failed to prove that the "Hips Don't Lie" singer spent more than 183 days in Spain in 2011, the legal threshold requiring residents to pay personal income tax in the country.

"On the contrary, the court found that Shakira spent 163 days in Spain and that the tax authorities had therefore failed to prove that the singer had the center of her economic interests in Spain," according to the ruling issued last month which was seen by AFP on Monday.

The court ordered "the reimbursement of the sums paid, together with legal interest", cancelling the tax assessments and multi-million-euro fines imposed by the tax authorities, which had considered the singer a tax resident in Spain in 2011.

The ruling comes as Shakira is set to wrap up her record-breaking "Women Don't Cry Anymore" world tour with a concert residency in Madrid starting in September.

Entertainment

‘Michael’ Reclaims Top Box Office Spot in its 4th Weekend

People observe the ‘Michael’ movie poster at a multiplex theater in La Paz, Bolivia, 23 April 2026. EPA/LUIS GANDARILLAS
People observe the ‘Michael’ movie poster at a multiplex theater in La Paz, Bolivia, 23 April 2026. EPA/LUIS GANDARILLAS
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‘Michael’ Reclaims Top Box Office Spot in its 4th Weekend

People observe the ‘Michael’ movie poster at a multiplex theater in La Paz, Bolivia, 23 April 2026. EPA/LUIS GANDARILLAS
People observe the ‘Michael’ movie poster at a multiplex theater in La Paz, Bolivia, 23 April 2026. EPA/LUIS GANDARILLAS

After two weeks trailing “The Devil Wears Prada 2,” the Michael Jackson biopic “Michael” reclaimed the No. 1 spot at the North American box office with $26.1 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday.

The Lionsgate movie is in rarefied territory, having brought in $703.9 million worldwide and counting. It still has a way to go to surpass the current reigning champion of musical biopics: “Bohemian Rhapsody.” The Queen movie grossed over $910.8 million worldwide.

There were also several newcomers in the mix this weekend, including the relationship horror movie “Obsession,” the Guy Ritchie action pic “In the Grey” and the revenge saga “Is God Is,” but the holdovers continued to draw the largest crowds. The power dynamics are poised to shift when “Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu” hits theaters next weekend.

Disney and 20th Century Studios' “The Devil Wears Prada 2” took second place in its third weekend with $18 million, bringing its domestic total to $175.9 million and worldwide earnings to $546.2 million.

“Obsession” topped the newcomers, exceeding expectations with an estimated $16.1 million from 2,615 theaters. YouTube breakout Curry Barker wrote and directed the thriller in which a hopeless romantic gets more than he bargained for when his crush returns his affections. The film received positive reviews from both critics (94% on Rotten Tomatoes) and audiences (A- CinemaScore). Perhaps more notable is that Barker made the film for $750,000. Focus Features acquired it out of the Toronto International Film Festival last fall for around $15 million.

Lisa Bunnell, president of domestic distribution for Focus Features, attributed some of “Obsession's” success to audiences craving fresh, original voices at the movies. It’s also getting an infusion by word-of-mouth, with younger audiences making plans to go back with friends. Horror movies don’t often get CinemaScores in the A- range, but “Obsession” is in good company with another recent hit: “Weapons.”

“I’m expecting a really strong holdover,” Bunnell said.

Fourth place at the box office this weekend went to “Mortal Kombat II,” which fell 65% in its second weekend to $13.4 million in domestic ticket sales. Globally, it has made $101.2 million from 80 markets.

Amazon MGM Studios had three movies in the top 10, including “The Sheep Detectives” in fifth place, “Project Hail Mary” in seventh place and “Is God Is” rounding out the top 10.

“The Sheep Detectives” enjoyed a slim 33% drop from its first weekend, taking in an additional $10.2 million and bringing its running total to $30.5 million. “Project Hail Mary,” which is now available to rent or buy at home, brought in another $3.4 million in its ninth weekend in theaters. “Is God Is,” Aleshea Harris’s adaptation of her Obie-winning play about twin sisters ( Kara Young and Mallori Johnson ) on a quest to find and kill their abusive father made $2.2 million in its first weekend in theaters. It has a 97% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Meanwhile, the action caper “In the Grey,” released by Black Bear, made $3 million from 2,018 locations. Henry Cavill, Jake Gyllenhaal and Eiza González star in the film about a team of elite operatives on an impossible mission. It currently carries a 44% on Rotten Tomatoes and a B CinemaScore.

There were also several high-profile re-releases in theaters this weekend, including “Top Gun” which made $3.1 million, and “Shrek” which earned $1.3 million.

Paul Dergarabedian, head of marketplace trends for Comscore, noted that “Prada,” “Michael” and “Top Gun” all making the top 10 show “nostalgia is on full display.”

“What’s old is new again and audiences clearly love it,” he said.