When Will Ethan Hawke Horror Film ‘The Black Phone’ Be Streaming? Will it Be Available on Netflix, HBO Max, Peacock?
Since the pandemic started in March 2020, nearly every movie that has found box office success has been a big-budget blockbuster built upon existing franchise intellectual property. While unlikely to be in the same category as “Top Gun: Maverick” and “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” this weekend a much smaller, more original movie looks to scare up an audience at movie theaters across the country.
Written by Scott Derrickson and C. Robert Cargill and directed by Derrickson, “The Black Phone” opens across the United States and Canada on Friday, June 24 with a wave of critical praise behind it. Currently, the horror film has an 85% Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 122 professional reviews, while the audience score is an even higher 93%.
Based on Joe Hill’s short story of the same name, the movie stars Ethan Hawke as a serial child-kidnapper and murder who abducts a boy named Finney (played by Mason Thames). Finney mysteriously gets some potentially otherworldly help to survive and escape via a black telephone that doesn’t appear to be hooked up anywhere. Hill — whose birth name is Joseph Hillström King — is the son of famed horror writer Stephen King.
The film is forecast to bring in approximately $20 million during its opening weekend, but since it is not based on a comic book or the extension of a cinematic world establish decades ago, there’s no guarantee that people will head to movie theaters to be tormented by a mask-wearing psychopath.
The Black Phone
Finney Blake, a shy but clever 13-year-old boy, is abducted by a sadistic killer and trapped in a soundproof basement where screaming is of little use. When a disconnected phone on the wall begins to ring, Finney discovers that he can hear the voices of the killer’s previous victims. And they are dead set on making sure that what happened to them doesn’t happen to Finney.
So, if people prefer to be terrified at home, when and where will “The Black Phone” be available to stream? The movie is being distributed by Universal Pictures, which means that it will eventually stream on NBCUniversal’s multi-tiered service Peacock.
Last summer, Universal announced that it would be shifting its streaming partnership from HBO Max to in-house streamer Peacock, and in December, the platform announced that it would have the exclusive streaming rights to Universal films following a 45-day theatrical window.
Short of becoming a major surprise box office hit, “The Black Phone” will likely arrive on the streamer sometime around Monday, Aug. 8. But, there is precedent for NBCU to hold off bringing a movie to Peacock should it exceed expectations at the theaters. Animated comedy “Bad Guys” was released by Universal on April 22 and has gone on to gross nearly $95 million domestically and $238M worldwide.
Because of this projection-defying return, NBCU will not release the movie on streaming until July 1, a full 70 days following its big-screen debut. So, if you are jonesing to have Ethan Hawke haunt you from the safety and comfort of your own couch, keep one eye on “The Black Phone” box office receipts and another on Peacock during the first week of August, and make sure to answer the phone… whether its plugged in or not.
Peacock
Peacock is a subscription video streaming service from NBCUniversal that includes original shows, blockbuster movies, and classic television series. Peacock is home to “Yellowstone,” and “The Office,” as well as original hits like “Poker Face” and “Bel-Air.” You can also watch live sports including NFL, MLB, WWE, Olympics, Premier League, NASCAR, French Open, College Football and Basketball, and PGA Tour. Premium Plus subscribers can stream their local NBC feed in all 210 markets.