HBO Max Announces Streaming Date For ‘The Menu’ Starring Ralph Fiennes, Anya Taylor-Joy
Order up! HBO Max has announced that it is adding another new fall release to its streaming library. The service will be adding the dark comedy/horror movie “The Menu” on Tuesday, Jan. 3, 46 days after the movie was first released in theaters.
The movie centers on a young couple who has traveled to a secluded coastal island in the name of enjoying a meal at an incredibly exclusive restaurant. When they arrive, they find that the eclectic chef has prepared a lavish menu for the diners, complete with shocking and sinister surprises. The film stars Nicholas Hoult, Anya Taylor-Joy, and Ralph Fiennes.
Watch a Trailer for ‘The Menu’:
“The Menu” was well-liked by critics, who had special praise for the film’s dark humor. Currently, the film maintains an 89% rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes, with 77% of audiences registering their approval as well. The film is rated R, so if you’re planning to stream it when it becomes available on Jan. 3, you’ll probably want to ensure the kids are in bed first.
The 46-day theatrical window for “The Menu” suggests it likely didn’t blow away any Warner Bros. Discovery executives with its box office performance. To date, the movie has earned just under $60 million in theaters, and that low figure offers another data point that suggests box office metrics are the leading decider for when WBD films end up on streaming.
That would explain why “Black Adam,” the most recent DC-themed offering from WBD, went to streaming after 56 days. The company would surely have preferred to keep the movie in theaters for closer to 70 days, the same window that the studio’s Baz Luhrmann-helmed biopic “Elvis” got. But “Black Adam” faltered at the box office, and WBD was forced to cut its losses with the film and send it to HBO Max in hopes of generating some extra excitement around the holidays.
“The Menu” will likely be one of the final Searchlight films that heads to HBO Max. Thanks to a complex deal stemming from Disney’s 2019 acquisition of FOX, HBO Max gets exclusive streaming rights to approximately half of 20th Century’s releases, while the other 50% are shared between Disney-owned streaming services once the films finish their theatrical windows. But that deal ends on Dec. 31, 2022, meaning that new Searchlight releases in 2023 will almost certainly be Hulu-bound.
Max
Max is a subscription video streaming service that gives access to the full HBO library, along with exclusive Max Originals. There are hubs for content from TLC, HGTV, Food Network, Discovery, TCM, Cartoon Network, Travel Channel, ID, and more. Watch hit series like “The Last of Us,” “House of the Dragon,” “Succession,” “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” and more. Thanks to the B/R Sports add-on, users can watch NBA, MLB, NHL, March Madness, and NASCAR events.