An official online release update for Challengers revealed an exciting new streaming release window on Amazon Prime Video.
Zendaya's latest sports drama, Challengers, was met with rave reviews, resulting in over $15 million at the domestic box office opening weekend.
However, with Amazon MGM Studios as the distributor, its time exclusively in theaters was bound to be short compared to other major releases.
Challengers Digital Update
According to When To Stream, Challengers will be available online for digital purchase on Friday, May 17.
This is a mix-up from some of Amazon MGM's recent release strategy. In particular, Saltburn was given a theatrical release in December 2023 but skipped the digital release and went straight to streaming on Prime Video a month after opening.
This year, Amazon released films with well-known stars directly to its streaming platform, including Ricky Stanicky, Roadhouse, and The Idea of You.
However, Zendaya's romance hit's release strategy seems to align more closely with other studios in the 2020s.
When Will Challengers Stream on Amazon Prime Video?
Amazon MGM Studios ultimately decided to give Challengers a three-week theatrically exclusive release.
However, instead of immediately bolstering its vast Prime Video library, the studio believes more money will be made before its streaming release.
Unfortunately, there's a lack of recent history with Amazon films having this type of three-part release, which is typical of most wide-release theatrical films.
Oddly, Jason Statham's The Beekeeper could offer insights into Challenger's streaming release.
The Beekeeper, distributed by Amazon MGM, had an 18-day theatrically-exclusive release. It moved to MGM+ on April 19, 98 days after opening in theaters.
This would be the latest that Challengers could begin streaming on Prime Video, equating to a late July or early August release.
However, since Challengers will be moved to Prime Video and not MGM+, audiences should expect a shorter theater-to-streaming window.
It's hard to imagine Amazon will refrain from streaming Challengers in June, possibly looking for a 50-day window from theaters to streaming.
This makes the possible streaming release on Prime Video for Challengers Friday, June 14.
Theoretically, the studio could wait three more weeks after its May 17 digital release, making its streaming release a week earlier on June 7.
As June approaches, the streaming release for Challengers will become clearer. It's primed to be a massive success on the platform.
Challengers is now playing in theaters.
Read more about Challengers on The Direct:
Zendaya's Challengers Movie Reviews: Critics Share Strong First Reactions
