Netflix’s Narnia Trailer With Bold Soundtrack Choice Just Broke Massive All-Time Record

Published Oct 20, 2026, 6:45 PM EDT

Grant Hermanns is a TV News Editor, Interview Host and Reviewer for ScreenRant, having joined the team in early 2021. He got his start in the industry with Moviepilot, followed by working at ComingSoon.net. When not indulging in his love of film/TV, Grant is making his way through his gaming backlog and exploring the world of Dungeons & Dragons with friends.

Netflix's Narnia: The Magician's Nephew has already scored record-breaking viewership with just its trailer.

Written and directed by four-time Oscar nominee Greta Gerwig, the first-ever adaptation of C.S. Lewis' 1955 novel centers on Digory Kirke and his friend Polly who, with the use of magical golden rings gifted by Daniel Craig's eponymous inventor, embark on a journey through the multiverse, where they meet Aslan, Jadis the White Witch and many others. Alongside Craig, The Magician's Nephew's ensemble cast includes David McKenna as Digory, Beatrice Campbell as Polly, Emma Mackey as Jadis, Meryl Streep as Aslan and Carey Mulligan, among others.

As reported by Deadline, new data from WaveMetrix reveals that the Narnia: The Magician's Nephew trailer has roared its way past an all-time record, clocking in over 481.3 million views in its first seven days. This officially marks the quickest collection of views for a Gerwig-helmed film, beating Barbie's 240 million views, while also overtaking the likes of Timothée Chalamet's Wonka at 237.2 million views and The Super Mario Galaxy Movie at 281.6 million views.

While the film itself had been the talk of the town since Gerwig signed a two-film deal to adapt The Chronicles of Narnia books for the streamer, The Magician's Nephew instantly became one of the most viral titles when its trailer released on October 13. One of the biggest reasons was the bold soundtrack choice of Led Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven" being used in the trailer, a track infamously never licensed for media, only for Gerwig meeting with the classic rock band to convince them.

Even still, while the Magician's Nephew trailer has amassed an impressive viewership haul since its debut, the response wasn't universally positive for Netflix's first Narnia adaptation. Many viewers lamented the lack of the classically medieval feeling of the previous films connected to the eponymous universe, while others were quick to defend that its source material was very much a different tone and setting compared to Lewis' other novels in the franchise.

Regardless of where the consensus stands on the new Narnia movie at the moment, the fact that The Magician's Nephew is already breaking records with just its trailer is a very encouraging sign for the film's chances. Collaborating with Sony, the fantasy reboot is part of Netflix's major forays into theatrical releases, having both the longest theatrical-exclusive window and most IMAX showings for the streamer yet when it arrives on February 12.

While trailer metrics are not always a one-to-one indication of how a film will perform, the titles that Narnia: The Magician's Nephew has beaten with its 481.3 million view debut does point to Netflix's costly investment proving worth it. Barbie memorably came out on top at the box office amid the Barbenheimer battle with its $1.448 billion haul, while Wonka brought in over $634 million and The Super Mario Galaxy Movie continued the franchise's $1 billion success streak. Given Netflix is said to have spent up to $250 million on their Narnia reboot, any of these box office hauls would certainly be welcome to affirm their future franchise plans with Gerwig.

Cast

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  David McKenna

  Digory Kirke

• Beatrice Campbell

  Polly Plummer

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  Jadis / The White Witch

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  Carey Mulligan

  Mabel Kirke

Adapted from the sixth book in C.S. Lewis' The Chronicles of Narnia saga, The Magician's Nephew follows the universe-hopping misadventures of Digory Kirke and Polly Plummer as children, long before the events of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.