‘Nope’ Movie Streaming: You’ll Be Waiting Awhile (and You’ll Need Peacock)

    
    Nope stars Keke.?
    Universal Pictures
    

    Nope, director Jordan Peele’s latest movie, hits US theaters Friday. But any fans who want to watch it at home should prepare to wait awhile before it’s available to stream.?
    Last year, an unprecedented number of new theatrical movies streamed online the same day they hit cinemas. But this year, as COVID-19 restrictions have eased and audiences have returned to cinemas, the practice has nearly vanished — especially for summer flicks with blockbuster ambitions. Pretty much all movies now get at least a month and a half in theaters exclusively, but these timeframes are all over the map.?
    Which service will stream Nope first?
    Nope is expected to stream on Peacock first. Peele’s Monkeypaw production company has a deal in place with Universal Pictures, and so the film is being distributed in the US by Universal. Peacock and Universal are owned by the same parent company, and Peacock’s arrangement is to be the first place to stream Universal-distributed movies.?
    When will Nope start streaming??
    Peacock and Universal haven’t confirmed the streaming release date for the movie Nope yet, but here’s what to know:?

• Generally, the film should start streaming on Peacock sometime between Sept. 5 and Nov. 18. Peacock can start streaming theatrical movies like Nope no sooner than 45 days after theatrical release but no later than 120 days. So if Nope hits Peacock exactly after that 45-day period, then it would become available to stream there on Sept. 5. If the movie waits until its 120th day of release, it would be on Peacock on or around Nov. 18.?
• But streaming release dates are unpredictable! The next movie from Peele’s Monkeypaw production company (called Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul) is going to be streaming on Peacock the same day it hits theaters, Sept. 2. Since Nope is already set be exclusively in theaters at first, that so-called day-and-date streaming release isn’t in the cards. But wildcards like Honk for Jesus don’t help with predictability.

Will Nope be free to stream on Peacock??
    Highly unlikely. Peacock routinely puts new movies like Nope behind its paywall.?
    If you don’t already have a premium Peacock subscription, you’ll need to sign up for a $5-a-month or a $10-a-month premium tier if you want to watch the film or any of Peacock’s other paywalled programming (like?Yellowstone,?Premier League matches,?WWE, The Office and other popular stuff.)
    Peacock has?some deals?that could reduce — or even eliminate — your cost of being a premium member. ?
    But the movie is expected to be available to paying Peacock premium subscribers without any additional fee. So if you’re already a premium subscriber to Peacock, then you’ll be able to stream it just like anything else on the service.?