The release date for the new Stephen King series, It: Welcome to Derry, has been announced, and it’s set to debut at the same time as season 5 of <Stranger Things>. Both shows, from HBO and Netflix respectively, are already generating a lot of excitement this year. Because they are both major horror series launching around the same time, people are bound to compare them.
The upcoming film, Welcome to Derry, starring Bill Skarsgård as Pennywise, is a prequel to Stephen King’s It and its previous adaptations. The story is set in 1962 and centers on the grandfather of It‘s Mike Hanlon, who uncovers a long history of evil in the town of Derry, Maine. Meanwhile, the fifth and final season of Stranger Things will see the people of Hawkins, Indiana, unite for one last showdown against the villain Vecna.
It: Welcome To Derry’s Release Schedule Partly Overlaps With Stranger Things Season 5
As a critic, I’m happy to report that the first season of It: Welcome to Derry will be a fairly standard length for an HBO series – eight episodes, running through mid-December. You’ll be able to catch new episodes every Sunday on HBO at 6 PM Pacific, 9 PM Eastern, and thankfully, they’ll also be streaming on HBO Max at the same time. Here’s the official release schedule, so you can plan your viewing!
- Episode 1: October 26, 2025
- Episode 2: November 2, 2025
- Episode 3: November 9, 2025
- Episode 4: November 16, 2025
- Episode 5: November 23, 2025
- Episode 6: November 30, 2025
- Episode 7: December 7, 2025
- Episode 8 (Finale): December 14, 2025
Netflix is handling the release of the fifth and final season of Stranger Things differently than before. Instead of releasing all episodes at once, or even one episode per week, they’re splitting the season into three parts, which will be released throughout the holiday season.
- Volume 1 (Episodes 1-4): November 26, 2025
- Volume 2 (Episodes 5-7): December 25, 2025
- Volume 3 (Episode 8, Series Finale): December 31, 2025
There’s a lot of similarity between them, which will likely lead to some exciting competition during their upcoming seasons.
Q4 Will Be An Interesting Comparison Of HBO’s & Netflix’s Wildly Different Release Strategies For Their Horror Shows
Credit: Courtesy of Netflix
Although the two shows don’t directly compete, it’ll be fascinating to see which release approach works better. HBO is taking a classic approach with It: Welcome to Derry, which makes sense since it’s the first season of a new show, even with the popularity of It, Pennywise, and Stephen King. Releasing episodes weekly gives the show time to attract new viewers throughout the season and build a strong audience.
Unlike typical releases, Netflix is positioning the fifth season of Stranger Things as a major event. While this approach wouldn’t make sense for most shows, Stranger Things truly deserves the label, especially after a wait of over three years. The cast and many of its viewers have grown up since the show first premiered when Barack Obama was in office.
It’s almost perfect timing that Stranger Things is ending as Welcome to Derry is just starting. It feels like Netflix’s hugely popular show is passing the baton to HBO’s new horror series – and it’s a bit ironic, since Stranger Things was heavily influenced by Stephen King’s work. Hollywood often comes full circle, and this year, that means horror fans have a lot to look forward to in late 2025.
Read More
- Best Season 10 PvE Build in New World: Aeternum
- Gold Rate Forecast
- BTC PREDICTION. BTC cryptocurrency
- Silver Rate Forecast
- I’m Living For George Clooney Admitting To The Internet He Got Wildly Drunk At The Tonys
- BTC AUD PREDICTION. BTC cryptocurrency
- Skate 4 – How to Christ Air | Redemption Air
- Spider-Man 4: Kirsten Dunst Reveals if She’d Return as Mary Jane Watson
- DC’s Canceled Batgirl Movie Gets a Surprisingly Hopeful Update, 3 Years After Warner Bros Pulled The Plug
- Valheim coming to PS5 in 2026
2025-10-22 23:52