Streaming “The Whale”
A24 is having a moment thanks to Oscar season this year. After dominating the big six categories at the Academy Awards last March, their films are suddenly in demand. The tear-jerker drama The Whale, directed by Darren Aronofsky, scored the Best Actor award for leading man Brendan Fraser, and now we’re all clamoring for the best viewing options at home. Here is where you can stream The Whale right now.
In 2022, the film distribution company A24 showcased the best marketing campaigns for indie films, even without the most stellar reviews (The Whale currently sits at a barely positive 64% on Rotten Tomatoes). This film, the story of a lonely, obese man trying to connect with his estranged daughter, used Fraser’s status in his career to highlight a redemptive comeback narrative that played perfectly into The Whale‘s themes. Aronofsky admitted to waiting for years for the right actor, and the results proved that he picked the perfect option. Originally released theatrically in late 2022, The Whale is now available on video-on-demand.
Your Options
Currently, The Whale is not available on any streaming service for subscription. A24 fans might be surprised to hear this since most of their other films are already streaming on Showtime, HBO Max, and other services. However, your favorite on-demand locations, including Amazon Prime, Google Play, YouTube, VUDU, and Microsoft Store, have The Whale for a $4.99 rental/$19.99 purchase. Even though no subscription option is available at the moment, there is a strong likelihood that we will see it on one of these services soon.
The best option for potential streaming is Showtime, which holds the primary partnership with A24 for its new streaming catalog. Recent viral successes from last year, including Men, Bodies Bodies Bodies, X, and Best Picture-winner Everything Everywhere All At Once, already feature among Showtime’s A24 slate, so even without an official announcement, The Whale‘s arrival seems apparent.
The only remaining question is when this will occur, which is never a clear-cut timeframe. Everything Everywhere All At Once took almost a year to show up on the Showtime collection, as the company’s continual building of hype throughout 2022 smartly left it in theaters for as long as possible. This movie is the most extreme example, as some later released films are already available for streaming on Showtime in the U.S. All we can say with certainty is that The Whale will most likely show up here sometime in 2023.
Until Showtime includes this film in their catalog, you can stream The Whale on-demand today to see Fraser’s powerhouse career-best performance.
