The final episode of Stranger Things is bound to be one of the biggest television events of the season — but it’s an even bigger deal now the two-hour series finale will be screening in theaters nationwide. However, cocreator and showrunner Ross Duffer has a new message for fans: only come and see the Season 5 ender in front of a cinema screen if you’re cool with crying in a crowded room.

"The finale. Theaters. New Year’s Eve," Duffer wrote in a new Instagram post alongside a photo of the drawing Lucas and Max used to ask each other on a date in Season 4. "This is something my brother and I have dreamed about for years. If you don’t mind crying in front of strangers, GO. And if you’re in LA… maybe we’ll see you there."

Ross and his brother Matt, with whom he shares cocreator and showrunner duties for the decade-long series, previously expressed major excitement about the idea that some of these Season 5 episodes — which run much longer than an average episode in the series — could be a prime opportunity for theatrical exhibition.

“That would be amazing,” Ross told Variety recently. “Because the fans could be there with other fans, and experience it as a communal thing — it would be incredible.” Matt added: “People don’t get to experience how much time and effort is spent on sound and picture, and they’re seeing it at reduced quality. More than that, it’s about experiencing it at the same time with fans.”

However, Netflix has a reputation for not being super into the concept of theatrical exhibition. Last month, the streamer’s chief content officer Baja Balaria told Variety that Stranger Things didn’t need a theatrical exhibition to continue to be a cultural phenomenon in its final season.

“A lot of people — a lot, a lot, a lot of people — have watched Stranger Things on Netflix,” she explained. “It has not suffered from lack of conversation or community or sharing or fandom. I think releasing it on Netflix is giving the fans what they want.”

But interestingly enough, Netflix has had a clear change of heart here, perhaps influenced by the success of its weekend-long KPop Demon Hunters singalong screenings late this summer.

Stranger Things Season 5 will debut on Netflix in three parts, with the first four episodes arriving for the Thanksgiving holiday on November 26. The next three episodes will premiere on Christmas, and the series finale will debut on the streamer and in over 350 theaters nationwide on New Year’s Eve.

Lex Briscuso is a film and television critic and a freelance entertainment writer for IGN. You can follow her on Twitter at @nikonamerica.