Is ‘Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret’ Available to Stream? When Will it Debut on Prime Video?
“Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret” is one of the most well-known young adult books in the history of the genre. And now, the Judy Blume classic is getting its first-ever movie adaptation, which comes exclusively to movie theaters on Friday, April 28.
The film centers on sixth-grader Margaret Simon, whose family moves from the hustle and bustle of New York City to the relatively quiet, suburban life of New Jersey. Margaret comes from a mixed religious background; one of her parents is Christian, and the other is Jewish. Against the backdrop of the normal anxieties and pressures of adolescence, Margaret goes on a quest to discover her own religious identity.
The film has received glowing praise from critics. The review aggregation site Rotten Tomatoes currently shows “Are You There God? It’s Me Margaret” as having a 99% approval rating, with 100% of audiences who have seen the movie agreeing that it’s a good one. It gets high marks for its frank portrayals of the difficulties of puberty and religious expression.
Watch a Trailer for ‘Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret’:
If you’ve been waiting decades for a film adaptation of this classic book to be released, but you’re afraid actually seeing it onscreen may drive you to tears better left for a more private setting than a movie theater, you’re likely hoping “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret” is available to stream from home.
Sadly for those cherishing these hopes, the movie will be a theatrical exclusive release. It is being distributed by Lionsgate, which is something of an arms dealer when it comes to licensing its films to stream. The company has a pay-1 deal with its in-house cable network/streaming platform STARZ, but recent Lionsgate releases have gone far and wide across the streaming industry.
For instance, all movies in the “John Wick” franchise currently stream on Peacock, and that’s where The Streamable expects “John Wick: Chapter 4” will go once it leaves theaters. Other Lionsgate titles have ended up on Hulu, HBO Max and other services, which makes it difficult to answer where “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret” will end up streaming.
There is one clue available, however. The new Judy Blume documentary, “Judy Blume Forever,” recently debuted on Prime Video, which instantly makes that platform the odds-on favorite to land the long-awaited film adaptation of one of Blume’s most famous works. But if “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret” does head to Amazon’s streaming service once it’s done in theaters, when should fans expect it here?
That’s a tough call, as well. Lionsgate releases are difficult to nail down in terms of length of theatrical stay. Anna Kendrick’s thriller “Alice Darling” was released in theaters nearly 100 days ago on Jan. 20, but is still not available to stream on a subscription service. “Shotgun Wedding,” on the other hand, went directly to streaming on Prime Video when it was released. It’s safe to say that whatever metric Lionsgate uses to determine when its movies leave theaters, it’s keeping that information proprietary.
Our best guess for when “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret” will be available to stream is 70 days from its initial release date. That will give the movie plenty of time to rake in the box office dollars, and put it on Prime Video around July 7, so you can end your July 4 holiday week with the film.
Amazon Prime Video
Amazon Prime Video is a subscription video streaming service that includes on-demand access to 10,000+ movies, TV shows, and Prime Originals like “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power,” “Jack Ryan,” “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” “The Boys,” and more. Subscribers can also add third-party services like Max, Showtime, STARZ, and dozens more with Amazon Prime Video Channels. Prime Video also offers exclusive live access to NFL Thursday Night Football.