When is One Battle After Another on streaming? Speculation on the potential HBO Max release date

When will One Battle After Another be on streaming? The latest Paul Thomas Anderson film arrives in cinemas this week, and it's already picked up a huge amount of critical buzz. The film, which has been shot in VistaVision (a high-resolution widescreen film process, developed in the 1950s and only rarely used these days), is well worth seeing on the biggest screen possible. Still, many will be waiting to watch the new movie when it's available for home viewing.

Loosely inspired by Thomas Pynchon's 1990 novel Vineland, One Battle After Another stars Leonardo DiCaprio as Bob, a former revolutionary who has given up his radical lifestyle in order to look after his teenage daughter. But as the title suggests, the war isn't over for Bob just yet, and he's about to be pulled back into the fray. The film also stars Benicio del Toro, Sean Penn, Regina Hall, and Teyana Taylor.

Cards on the table, we don't yet know precisely when One Battle After Another will be streaming just yet. Still, we can make an informed guess, so read on for some speculation on the new movie's streaming release date.

When is One Battle After Another on HBO Max? Streaming release date speculation

One Battle After Another is receiving rave reviews and currently sits with an impressive 98% score on Rotten Tomatoes. This critical buzz is combined with a projected $50m opening weekend worldwide, according to Deadline. That's very solid for a non-franchise film, especially one that clocks in at almost three hours runtime.

This critical buzz and hopefully strong box office may encourage Warner Bros to keep the film in theaters longer. Paul Thomas Anderson himself is also a vocal advocate for seeing the film on the big screen, posting a note on the movie's Instagram, encouraging viewers to seek out a VistaVision screening of the film where possible.

Still, it will get a home release eventually. Before the movie comes to streaming, it will be made available as a Premium VOD release, where you can pay to watch the film at home. Usually this will take place between 30–45 days after the theatrical release. With that in mind we can probably expect One Battle After Another to arrive on PVOD in mid November.

The big question, however, is when will the film be dropping on HBO Max? That's the streaming platform of choice for all Warner Bros titles. Going by another recent and highly-acclaimed movie, Sinners, we suspect the film will be released on streaming roughly three months after its theatrical debut.

That would land on December 26 – Boxing Day! That seems unlikely, but a highly acclaimed film like this makes for ideal holiday viewing. For that reason, we suspect that One Battle After Another may get a slightly earlier release and start streaming on HBO Max in mid-December. That said, it's also possible that the film might be nudged over into the new year as a great way to start 2026. Either way, it's not too long to wait, and we'll keep you updated as we find out more.

One Battle After Another is in theaters from September 26. For more, check out our list of the best thriller movies, or our guide to the most exciting upcoming movies.