When Will ‘Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank’ Be Available to Stream on Paramount+?
I’m not sure if the world needed an animated movie loosely based on “Blazing Saddles” focused on anthropomorphized dogs and cats living in feudal Japan or not, but on Friday, July 15 one hits the big screen anyway. “Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank” boasts an impressive cast including Michael Cera as the eponymous Hank, Samuel L. Jackson, Ricky Gervais, Michelle Yeoh, Gabriel Iglesias, Djimon Hounsou, Aasif Mandvi, and “Blazing Saddles” writer, director, and star Mel Brooks.
The movie follows Cera’s bumbling beagle as he attempts to become a samurai in order to protect his village from evil Somali cat Ika Chu — voiced by Gervais. Along the way, he is selected to be a samurai by Brooks’ Shogun and trained by Jackson’s reluctant sensei Jimbo. Initially called “Blazing Samurai,” the film has been in the works for a dozen years, suffering multiple delays due to COVID-19.
The film is expected to gross around $10 million during its opening weekend competing with recent box office hits “Thor: Love and Thunder” and “Minions: Rise of Gru.”
However, whether this star-studded samurai sendup of the classic western comedy gets you into a movie theater this weekend or not, it likely won’t be long until you are able to stream it from the comfort of your own home. Nickelodeon Movies is one of the lead production companies behind the film and Paramount Pictures is distributing it in the United States and in other countries and territories around the world, meaning that it will land on Paramount+, likely sooner rather than later.
Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank
A hard-on-his-luck hound finds himself in a town full of cats in need of a hero to defend them from a ruthless villain’s wicked plot to wipe their village off the map. With help from a reluctant mentor, our underdog must assume the role of town samurai and team up with the villagers to save the day.
Given the film’s Paramount pedigree, it is likely to be available to stream in roughly 45 days, which the studio is using as its new default window. If that’s the case, “The Legend of Hank” will be available to stream as early as Monday, Aug. 29. Given that Labor Day is the following week, it is possible that Paramount delays the streaming release until after the holiday weekend.
However, if “Paws of Fury” ends up being a summer break-out hit, it could be possible for Paramount to keep it in theaters through Labor Day — giving families one more chance to see it on the big screen — before dropping it on streaming on Tuesday, Sept. 6.
While no one expects the animated movie to approach “Top Gun: Maverick” levels of success, it would likely require a fairly substantial box office haul for Paramount to break from its 45-day window. Therefore, The Streamable’s best guess for when “Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank” will hit Paramount+ is on or around Monday, Aug. 29.
Paramount Plus
Paramount+ is a subscription video streaming service that includes on-demand access to 40,000+ TV show episodes from BET, CBS, Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon, Nick Jr. and more. The lineup includes “1883,” “Tulsa King,” “Star Trek: Discovery,” Nickelodeon’s “SpongeBob SquarePants,” and “PAW Patrol.” Subscribers can watch the NFL, college football, The Masters, college basketball, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa, Serie A, and NWSL. The service also offers the option to watch your live CBS affiliate. The upgraded ad-free package includes premium movies and shows from Showtime.