How to stream Dune early on HBO Max

It’s now been nearly a year since WarnerMedia announced that it would bring its entire 2021 slate of movies to HBO Max on the same day as their theatrical releases. Several filmmakers were displeased with the experiment, but the hybrid strategy seems to have been a success.

Nevertheless, the studio already confirmed that its 2022 releases will have traditional theatrical debuts. But in the meantime, there are still huge movies coming day-and-date to HBO Max this year, like Dune.

If you want to watch Dune from the comfort of your home, you can sign up for HBO Max here.

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Dune HBO release date and streaming release

WarnerMedia’s official release date for Dune is October 22nd, 2021. Of course, as with every modern theatrical release, showtimes will begin as early as Thursday evening. Typically, HBO Max subscribers have had to wait until midnight on the West Coast to watch these movies. This time, Warner is flipping the script. Dune will start streaming on HBO Max at 3 PM PT / 6 PM ET this Thursday, October 21st, to align with the earliest showtimes in Eastern Time.

It’s rather intriguing that Warner is still tinkering with its day-and-date movie releases this late in the game. As we know, when the calendar flips to 2022, Warner Bros. movies will again debut exclusively in theaters. After a 45-day theatrical window (down from 90 days before the pandemic), the movies can move to video-on-demand and streaming services. Nevertheless, Warner is still trying to perfect this model. It’s going to be difficult to put the rabbit back in the hat, as so many people have become accustomed to watching major studio releases at home on launch day. Warner is probably trying to gather as much data as it possibly can before reverting to the old model.

What’s at stake for WarnerMedia

Dune

is one of the most high-profile releases left for 2021. The movie reportedly cost $165 million to make, and WarnerMedia has plans for a sequel movie as well as a live-action prequel series for HBO Max called Dune: The Sisterhood. Warner needs Dune to be a hit, and the company believes having a simultaneous launch in theaters and on streaming will make an impact.

In addition to Dune: Part One, WarnerMedia will also release King Richard and The Matrix Resurrections in theaters and on HBO Max simultaneously. There’s no word yet on whether those movies will follow the same model as Dune. But it stands to reason that Warner is pleased with Dune’s numbers, we will see the remainder of its 2021 slate hit the service on Thursday evenings from now on.

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