Although the release of Stranger Things season 5 volume 1 was nothing short of a blockbuster success, this doesn’t mean that the show’s next release isn’t a major risk for Netflix. Stranger Things season 5 volume 1 landed on November 27, and, among critics and viewers alike, the general consensus is that the show’s final outing was worth the wait.

Viewers need to wait another week to see what Vecna’s full Stranger Things season 5 plan is and how the Hawkins gang hopes to defeat the villain, but the show’s critical acclaim is firmly secured. The first outing of season 5 was a fun reintroduction to the show’s heroes that doubled as a fast-paced, emotionally resonant adventure.

However, this doesn’t mean that Stranger Things creators, the Duffer Brothers, can afford to get complacent. Volume 2 and the finale are still huge risks, as the ending of Stranger Things will cement its status in pop culture history. Plenty of beloved shows have been ruined by weak finales, from Roseanne to Dexter.

Stranger Things Season 5 Volume 2 Will Be Released On Christmas Day

Stranger Things season 5 volume 2 also has another problem to tackle, and it has nothing to do with the show’s story, characters, or fictional universe. Netflix is releasing episodes 5, 6, and 7 of season 5 on December 25, 2025, meaning one of the streaming service’s biggest release dates ever will coincide with Christmas Day.

To say that this is a risky strategy would be a massive understatement. Despite Nancy’s upcoming Stranger Things spinoff and 2026’s upcoming animated interquel Stranger Things: Tales from ’85, season 5 volume 2 is the show’s last major release. Stranger Things is the streaming service’s most successful show to date, and its biggest blockbuster hit.

Beginning in 2016, Stranger Things has gradually grown in scope from a small town, self-contained sci-fi mystery to a sprawling multimedia universe. The show has launched the careers of numerous A-list stars like Millie Bobby Brown, Joseph Quinn, and Finn Wolfhard, and its countless imitators prove that its influence has been massive.

As such, the arrival of Stranger Things season 5, volume 2, needs to be a major cultural moment. Season 5, volume 1 achieved this through a re-watch campaign on social media that ensured the show made streaming history when seasons 1, 2, 3, and 4 were all simultaneously in Netflix’s top 10 most-watched shows the week before its arrival.

Stranger Things Season 5 Volume Is One of Netflix’s Biggest Releases Ever

In terms of sheer streaming numbers, Stranger Things remains Netflix’s biggest franchise, ahead of Wednesday and Squid Games. Volume 2 of season 5 is also the show’s last major release, since the finale is only one standalone episode, so it is incredibly risky to release the show on a day when viewers are inordinately likely to ignore its existence.

Christmas Day is a rare time when even the most obsessive media fans are likely to be spending time with family or friends, prioritizing real-world interaction over online viewing. While Stranger Things season 5 volume 1 was also technically released on a major holiday, there was a huge difference that made this a less risky proposition.

Season 5, volume 1’s Thanksgiving release broke all sorts of records, but it’s worth noting that Thanksgiving is a US-only holiday, whereas Christmas is observed throughout a lot more of the world. Furthermore, Thanksgiving has long been a day when major movies and TV shows are released, since collective viewing experiences are part of the traditional celebration.

Stranger Things Season 5’s Volume 1 Release Doesn’t Guarantee Volume 2’s Success

Courtesy of Netflix © 2025

This is not necessarily true of Christmas, which has historically been both a disastrous release date for movies and a hugely successful one, depending on the year. In 2025, The Housemaid will be betting big on a December 26 release date, but that Freida McFadden adaptation already faced stiff box office competition from Avatar: Fire and Ash.

Moreover, traditional cinema releases are a more familiar proposition in the industry, as are traditional network TV broadcasts. Streaming services are only just reaching the level of cultural import where they can compare to movie releases and network TV broadcasts, and the arrival of Stranger Things season 5 is a major testing ground.

The end of Stranger Things will leave a void that countless other replacement shows and movies will try to fill, but the show’s biggest cultural impact remains to be seen. If Stranger Things season 5, volume 2 is viewed by millions across the world on its release day, this will prove Netflix’s status as a cultural institution.

If, in contrast, the show underperforms in comparison to earlier releases, this will be evidence that mainstream viewers aren’t sitting down to a Netflix new release on Christmas Day the way they might usually watch network TV that same evening. If that’s the case, Stranger Things may end not with a resounding bang, but with an unexpected and unwelcome whimper.

Release Date

2016 – 2025-00-00

Network

Netflix

Showrunner

Matt Duffer, Ross Duffer

Directors

Matt Duffer, Ross Duffer, Andrew Stanton, Frank Darabont, Nimród Antal, Uta Briesewitz

Writers

Kate Trefry, Jessie Nickson-Lopez, Jessica Mecklenburg, Alison Tatlock