The Monkey, an adaptation of a Stephen King horror tale, is making waves in theaters, but some will be eager to watch the movie at home on streaming instead.
When Will The Monkey Be Released on Digital?
In recent years, theatrical-to-digital release windows have only grown shorter, and NEON's latest flicks have been no exception to that rule. This may mean The Monkey will be available to watch at home in the not-too-distant future.
Many of those catching The Monkey in theaters have shared strong reactions to the horror-comedy, with one critic praising it as a "super bloody blast."
A movie's digital release date defines when it will become available to purchase on PVOD platforms such as Apple TV+, Amazon Prime Video, Google Play, and more, while it's debut on monthly subscription platforms will come later.
While Sydney Sweeney's Immaculate took just 25 days to come to digital last spring, more recent NEON movies like Longlegs and Cuckoo stretched closer to 40 days, and The Monkey will likely follow suit:
- Immaculate:
- Theatrical: March 22, 2024
- Digital: April 16, 2024 (25 days after theatrical)
- Longlegs:
- Theatrical: July 12, 2024
- Digital: August 23, 2024 (42 days after theatrical)
- Cuckoo:
- Theatrical: August 9, 2024
- Digital: September 17, 2024 (39 days after theatrical)
As The Monkey hit theaters on February 21, its likely digital release date would be in early April, but nothing has been confirmed just yet.
When & Where Will The Monkey Start Streaming?
Since 2017, The Monkey distributor NEON has been in a deal with Hulu to start streaming its movies first on Hulu, which is now owned by Disney. The deal has brought NEON hits such as Longlegs and Immaculate to Hulu shortly after theaters, and The Monkey is expected to follow suit.
Looking back at NEON's other recent Hulu debuts, the theatrical-to-streaming windows have ranged from the 130 days of Cucko to the 217 days of Longlegs:
- Immaculate:
- Theatrical: March 22, 2024
- Streaming (Hulu): August 15, 2024 (146 days after theatrical)
- Longlegs:
- Theatrical: July 12, 2024
- Streaming (Hulu): February 14, 2025 (217 days after theatrical)
- Cuckoo:
- Theatrical: August 9, 2024
- Streaming (Hulu): December 17, 2024 (130 days after theatrical)
Compared to movies like Cuckoo and Immaculate, The Monkey is picking up more steam at the box office with almost $40 million grossed in under two weeks. This performance appears closer to, albeit not quite as impressive as, Longlegs, which totaled $126.94 million across its box office run.
The Monkey has bolstered its theatrical run with a line-up of impressive and terrifying popcorn buckets available from various theater chains, with merch ranging from pint glasses to a model drum-playing monkey.
As such, The Monkey may opt for a longer theatrical and digital exclusivity window that sees it come to Hulu around late summer or early fall, possibly around August or September, over six months after hitting theaters.
The Monkey is playing now in theaters worldwide.
