Is ‘Beast’ Streaming on HBO Max or Netflix? (2024)

In a fight between a human man and a fully-grown, ferocious lion, you’d most likely be betting on the lion, right? But what if I told you said human man was Idris Elba with a knife? Aha! Now you’re not so sure anymore, are you?

This is essentially the premise of Beast, a new survivalist thriller movie opening in theaters this weekend. Elba stars as Dr. Nate Samuels, a wildlife biologist who recently lost his wife and decides to take a trip with his daughters to a big game wildlife reserve in South Africa. Unfortunately, the vacation goes awry when his family starts getting attacked by a vicious, man-eating lion.

Directed by Baltasar Kormákur, with a screenplay by Ryan Engle, Beast seems like the type of movie that doesn’t overcomplicate things. It’s Idris Elba fighting a lion! C’mon! We know you want to see that, so read on to find out where to watch Beast, and when to expect to watch Beast on streaming.

WHERE TO WATCH THE IDRIS ELBA MOVIE BEAST:

UPDATE (9/14/22): Good news! If you missed Beast while it was in theaters, the movie is now available to rent or own on digital platforms like Amazon Prime Video, Vudu, iTunes, and more. You’ll also be able to stream the movie on Peacock—read on to learn more.

WHEN WILLBEASTBE STREAMING?

UPDATE (9/14/22): Beast is now available to stream on VOD services; for links on how, please click above.

Beast is a Universal movie, and a previous Universal movie, The Black Phonelanded on VOD about one month after opening in theaters, and then landed on Peacock Premium about three weeks after that. If Beastfollows a similar pattern, you can expect to be able to see the movie on Peacock in either late September or October of 2022.

All this is to say: We don’t know when exactly Beast will be on VOD. But we can expect Beastto be on Peacock in 2022, because starting with the 2022 film slate,Universal movies are now going to Peacock Premiumas soon as 45 days after opening in theaters. (That said, it could be later than 45 days.)

WHEN WILLBEASTBE ON PEACOCK?

There is not yet a Peacock streaming release date for Beast. However, we can make an educated guess as to when Beastwill be on the streaming service. Another Universal movie, The Northman, began streaming on Peacock Premium after a 45-day theatrical run and was also available on VOD the next day. That said, other Universal films like The Black Phone took closer to 50 days after opening in theaters before it was released on Peacock.

That said, given that it’s not expected to be a huge blockbuster, it seems more likely that you’ll see Beast on Peacock after about 45 days— around late September 2022.

WILL BEASTBE ON DISNEY+?

No. Beastis a Universal movie, not a Disney movie, and therefore will never be streaming on Disney+.

WILL BEASTBE STREAMING ON HBO MAX?

No. Beastis a Universal movie, not a Warner Bros. release. Also, HBO Max will no longer be streaming theatrical movies in 2022. (Last year, Warner Bros. opted to simultaneously release its theatrical slate on streaming, meaning HBO Max subscribers could watch movies likeMatrix Resurrections at home. This year, however, Warner Bros. theatrical movies will have a 45-day theaters-only run before moving to HBO Max.) It’s possible that Beastwill be on HBO and HBO Max someday, but it will not be any time soon.

IS BEAST STREAMING ON NETFLIX?

Beast will not be on Netflix any time soon. However, the movie may eventually go to Netflix, albeit not for another 4 years.A deal between Universal and Netflix gives the streaming service access to live-action films from Universal Filmed Entertainment Group about four years after they open in theaters. In the case of Beast, that means August 2026. That’s a long time to wait, so if you want to see the movie ASAP, your best bet is to go to a movie theater or wait for it to come on Peacock or digital.