The figure more than doubles the 240m views recorded by Gerwig’s ‘Barbie’ trailer in its first week
Pop Culture & ArtOctober 21, 20263 min readPhoto: Empire
Greta Gerwig’s upcoming Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew has made a major impact before its theatrical debut, with the film’s first trailer attracting 481 million views in its first seven days, surpassing the initial-week viewership of Barbie, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie and Wonka.
According to data from WaveMetrix the trailer’s extraordinary view count puts it among the most-watched film trailers ever. The figure more than doubles the 240 million views recorded by Gerwig’s Barbie trailer in its first week. It also exceeds the 281.6 million views for The Super Mario Galaxy Movie and the 237.2 million views for Wonka over the same period
The response signals considerable interest in Gerwig’s next project following the enormous success of Barbie, which grossed more than $1.4 billion worldwide. The filmmaker is now turning her attention to the fantasy world created by author C. S. Lewis, adapting one of the foundational stories of The Chronicles of Narnia for Netflix.
Titled Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew, the film adapts Lewis’s 1955 novel, which explores the origins of Narnia and the events that precede The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. The story follows two children, Digory Kirke and Polly Plummer, who discover magical rings that transport them between worlds and eventually witness the creation of Narnia by the lion Aslan.
The trailer debuted on October 13 and features Led Zeppelin’s iconic song “Stairway to Heaven”, marking the first time the track has been licensed for a film trailer. Gerwig personally approached the band’s Jimmy Page and Robert Plant to secure permission, explaining that the song’s spiritual journey mirrored the themes of Lewis’s story.
The film stars newcomers David McKenna and Beatrice Campbell as Digory and Polly, alongside Daniel Craig, Emma Mackey, Carey Mulligan, Ciarán Hinds and Meryl Streep. Craig plays Uncle Andrew, while Mackey portrays Jadis, the character who eventually becomes the White Witch. Streep voices Aslan, whose creation of Narnia is central to the story.
Gerwig has spoken about her longstanding connection to the books, describing The Magician’s Nephew as a formative influence on her imagination. The director has also emphasised her desire to create a film designed for the big screen, with Netflix committing to a wide theatrical release rather than its traditional streaming-first approach.
The trailer’s popularity has also generated discussion among fans about Gerwig’s interpretation of thedia platforms found that 46% of more than 4,000 respondents felt more optimistic about the film after watching the trailer, while 35% said they felt less optimistic. Despite the mixed reactions, 70% said they would definitely or probably watch it in cinemas
The renewed attention has extended to Lewis’s original books, with The Magician’s Nephew climbing to No. 3 in Amazon’s Kindle Store Children’s Classics category following the trailer’s release. Other books in the series also experienced a boost, suggesting that the film’s marketing is introducing the franchise to new readers as well as reconnecting longtime fans with the fictional world.
Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew will receive IMAX previews on February 10, 2027, before opening in cinemas worldwide on February 12. The film is scheduled to arrive on Netflix on April 2, 2027, following an exclusive theatrical window.
With its first trailer already outperforming the early viewership of several major blockbusters, Gerwig’s adaptation is generating substantial anticipation ahead of its release. Whether that online interest translates into comparable box office success remains to be seen, but the film has already established itself as one of Netflix’s most closely watched upcoming releases.
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