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Sherlock Holmes is coming to the big screen.聽

This is far from news in any sense, with the detective having been portrayed in film by actors from Basil Rathbone to Robert Downey Jr.聽

But this time, his TV incarnation as played by Benedict Cumberbatch is arriving in cinemas.聽

鈥淪herlock: The Abominable Bride,鈥� a special set in the world of the hit British TV series 鈥淪herlock鈥� with Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman, arrives in theaters on Jan 5 and 6. The episode will have debuted on TV in the U.S. and Britain on Jan. 1.

鈥淪herlock鈥� is the newest TV show to have episodes come to movie theaters 鈥� the British program 鈥淒octor Who鈥� and HBO鈥檚 fantasy hit 鈥淕ame of Thrones鈥� have done so as well.

While these episodes have of course not topped the box office, industry watchers are often surprised by how well they do financially. After all, these are TV episodes that viewers have seen already 鈥� moviegoers who went to 聽see 鈥淭hrones鈥� aren鈥檛 experiencing much new content except for brief previews of the next season.

So what鈥檚 the attraction? Why do those behind TV shows decide to bring episodes to theaters?聽

Paul Levinson, author of such books as 鈥淢cLuhan in an Age of Social Media鈥� and professor of聽communication and media studies at Fordham University, notes that those who go see anything in theaters are encountering strangers as opposed to watching TV at home by themselves or with family.

Yet those who go see a 鈥淒octor Who鈥� or 鈥淭hrones鈥� episode in theaters are seeing it with people who are new to them but who love something they do.

鈥淲hat you share is this common interest,鈥� Mr. Levinson says. 鈥淵ou're fans鈥� Sherlock Holmes is really a perfect example of the sense of community.鈥� There have been Sherlock fans since Arthur Conan Doyle published his stories in the nineteenth century.

There鈥檚 of course an added attraction of seeing these visuals on the big screen, something that may have been crucial when 鈥淭hrones鈥� arrived in theaters 鈥� one of the episodes was one that centered entirely on a battle.

鈥淭here's no doubt that as big as the screen is at home, it's still not as big as the screen at the movie theater,鈥� Levinson says.聽

But binge-watching shows could change what we see at the movie theater as well. As whole seasons of TV shows debut at one time, Levinson could see movie theaters screening whole seasons of shows over a weekend.聽

鈥淲hat's happening is these traditional forms 鈥� this is in the movies, this is on the television 鈥� no longer apply,鈥� he says.聽

Levinson says he was recently watching the Amazon program 鈥淭he Man in the High Castle,鈥� which takes place in an alternate America and has drawn attention for its depictions of, for one, Times Square decorated with a swastika.

鈥淚 was thinking, this would be wonderful and thrilling and even shocking to see on a big screen,鈥� he says.