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Every new movie follows the same path: theaters first, then rent or buy at home, then a subscription streaming service. What changes is how long each step takes, and that depends almost entirely on which studio made the movie. Once you know the studio, you can predict roughly when a movie will reach your couch.

The three windows every movie goes through

1. Theaters. Studios now promise a set number of days or weekends in theaters before a movie goes anywhere else. In 2026 that's typically 31 to 45 days.
2. Rent or buy (PVOD). Next, the movie goes on sale as a premium digital rental or purchase on stores like Prime Video. This is the earliest way to watch at home.
3. Subscription streaming. Finally, the movie lands on the studio's streaming service, or the service it has a deal with, at no extra cost to subscribers. Across the industry, that step averaged about 95 days after release in 2025, according to Omdia figures.

Studio by studio

Studio	Time in theaters	Where it streams	When it usually streams
Universal (incl. DreamWorks)	At least 5 weekends in 2026; 7 weekends from 2027	Peacock, then Netflix	Peacock about 4 months after release
Paramount	45 days	Paramount+	About 90 days after release
Disney (incl. Marvel, Pixar, Lucasfilm)	Varies by film	Disney+	Usually 2 to 3 months; big titles can take longer
Sony	Varies by film	Netflix	After the theater and rent-or-buy windows end
Warner Bros.	45 days	HBO Max	Set film by film, usually after rent or buy
Amazon MGM	Set film by film	Prime Video	Set film by film

Universal

Universal guarantees at least five weekends in theaters for its 2026 releases and seven weekends starting in 2027, up from three. Its specialty label, Focus Features, stays at three weekends. Universal movies then stream on Peacock about four months after release. Live-action titles move to Netflix for a long run after that, before returning to Peacock.

Paramount

At CinemaCon in April 2026, Paramount committed to a 45-day exclusive theatrical run, followed by a 90-day window before its movies move to streaming. That puts most Paramount releases on Paramount+ about three months after they open.

Disney, Marvel and Pixar

Disney movies typically reach Disney+ two to three months after theaters, and recent Marvel movies have taken 80 days or more. Bigger releases can take much longer: Deadpool & Wolverine took 109 days, and Avatar: Fire and Ash took 188 days, from December 19, 2025 to June 24, 2026.

Sony

Sony doesn't have its own streaming service. Its movies go to rent or buy first, then stream on Netflix once the theater and home-entertainment windows end. Netflix holds those first streaming rights in the US, and a January 2026 deal is extending them worldwide.

Warner Bros.

Warner Bros. keeps a 45-day theatrical window, but its movies no longer stream on HBO Max at a fixed day 45. Each film gets its own date, and a rent-or-buy window usually comes first. Warner Bros. and Paramount now share a parent company after their October 2026 merger, so where their movies stream could change. We'll update this guide when it does.

Amazon MGM

Amazon MGM sets its windows movie by movie, and its films stream on Prime Video. Project Hail Mary, for example, came to digital about 53 days after it opened.

Want it sooner? Rent or buy

If you can't wait for a movie to reach your subscription, renting is the fastest legal way to watch at home, often a month or two after release. You can rent or buy most new releases on Prime Video, even without a Prime membership.

Know the day it lands

Dates move, and studios don't always announce them early. The easiest way to avoid checking is to let StreamingBeam watch for you: search the movie, add it to your watchlist, and set an alert. When it becomes available on a service you choose, you'll get an alert, and you can see every place it's streaming in one search.

Quick answers

How long do movies stay in theaters? In 2026, most major studios guarantee 31 to 45 days, and Universal goes to seven weekends in 2027.

Do movies come to Netflix? Sony movies do, after their rent-or-buy window, and so do Universal live-action movies after their Peacock run.

What's the fastest way to watch a new movie at home? Rent or buy it digitally once the theatrical window ends.

Last updated November 2, 2026. Studios change their windows often, and we update this guide when they do.

Sources

• TheWrap: Universal extends its theatrical window (March 2026)
• What's on Netflix: Universal movies coming to Netflix
• LA Mag: Paramount pledges a 45-day theatrical window (April 2026)
• The Direct: Disney+ streaming windows
• Cartoon Brew: Sony films to Netflix under global deal (January 2026)
• TheWrap: Warner Bros. movies and HBO Max timing
• TechCrunch: Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery merger
• The Blog Timer: How long movies stay in theaters in 2026 (Omdia averages)