‘Barbie’ Comes to Digital, But When Will It Be on Max?

After some confusion, the Barbie digital release date is finally upon us. This Barbie is (almost) available for digital download via an online platform!

Greta Gerwig’s record-breaking comedy was easily the movie of the summer. Everyone and their cousin picked out their best pink outfits, and went to the movie theater to see Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling as Barbie and Ken. Barbie has made over $1.38 billion at the worldwide box office to date, and the number just keeps climbing.

Given that massive financial success, some folks may be surprised that Warner Bros. is pushing the film to “premium” video-on-demand—which is the industry term for charging movie theater prices for an earlier release on digital platforms—less than two months after Barbie opened in theaters. (Barbie will still be playing in theaters after the digital release, including a one-week IMAX release on September 22.)

But that’s more or less the new standard these days, with a few exceptions. And, given the big potential Barbie has at this year’s Oscars, it also seems like that WB will release Barbie on streaming via Max before the end of the year. Here’s what you should know about how to watch Barbie online, and when to expect to see Barbie streaming on Max.

Where to watch Barbie on streaming:

Beginning on Tuesday, September 12 Barbie will be available to buy and rent digitally on Amazon Prime, Google Play, Apple TV, Vudu, and more. The price may vary depending on which platform you use to purchase the film, but on Amazon Prime the movie costs $29.99 to pre-order to buy. You will also be able to rent the film for a 48-hour viewing window at the suggested price point of $24.99. (Though, again, this price may vary by platform.)

 The Barbie digital release will include over 30 minutes of bonus content, including the following featurettes: “Welcome to Barbie Land,” “Becoming Barbie,” “Playing Dress-Up,” “Musical Make Believe,” “All-Star Barbie Party,” and “It’s A Weird World.”

There is not yet a Barbie DVD/Blu-Ray release date.

When will Barbie be streaming on Max?

Barbie will likely be on Max before the end of the year, because it is a Warner Bros. movie, and Max is the streaming service owned by Warner Bros. All of the new WB theatrical movies end up streaming on Max, though the wait period has varied by title. The Flash, for example, was released on PVOD about five weeks after opening in theaters and began streaming on Max about five weeks after it was released on PVOD.

But Barbie, which is a much more financially successful and highly anticipated release, will likely take longer to hit Max. The studio waited nine weeks after Barbie opened in theaters, so—following the same pattern as The Flash release—we can guess that they will wait at least another nine weeks before putting Barbie on Max. Using that logic, you can expect to see Barbie streaming on Max around mid-to-late November 2023.

That said, this is all speculation. There is not yet an official Barbie Max release date. If you want to watch the Barbie movie right away, you can buy or rent the movie online tomorrow.