The horror film The Boogeyman will be scaring up the box office in theaters starting June 2, but when will it hit Disney-owned streaming services? The Boogeyman is one of Disney’s first major horror releases following its acquisition of 20th Century Studios, with the 2023 film being praised as one of the scariest Stephen King adaptations yet. The Boogeyman‘s cast stars Yellowjackets’ Sophie Thatcher and Obi-Wan Kenobi’s Vivien Lyra Blair as two sisters grieving their mother’s recent death. When their therapist father invites a desperate patient to their home, a horrifying entity preys on the family while fueling their suffering.
As Disney attempts to combat the 2023 horror successes from studios like Universal and Warner Bros. Discovery, The Boogeyman kicks off the summer horror slate with a terrifying new entry. While The Boogeyman is opening in theaters against Sony’s long-awaited Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse movie, the Stephen King adaptation may still prevail with little genre competition until Insidious: The Red Door in July. If The Boogeyman‘s positive Rotten Tomatoes score indicates its success in theaters, then Disney could choose to extend its theatrical exclusivity through the fall. However, The Boogeyman’s streaming release date on the Disney-owned streaming service Hulu is still expected to arrive before the end of summer.
The Boogeyman Will Likely Begin Streaming On Hulu In August 2023
Since 2023, Disney has largely shifted to a 90-day exclusive theatrical window for its big releases before moving them to streaming on Disney Plus or Hulu. For example, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania began streaming on Disney Plus after 89 days, with the number of days being adjusted to fit the streamer’s schedule of releasing new movies on Wednesdays. As a less family-family PG-13 horror movie, The Boogeyman is expected to release only on Hulu rather than Disney Plus when it becomes available for streaming. If following the streaming timeline of Ant-Man 3, then The Boogeyman could begin streaming on Hulu as early as Wednesday, August 30.
Since The Boogeyman was originally intended for a streaming-only Hulu release, its exclusive theatrical run is already a win for the 2023 horror movie. Disney was criticized in 2022 for releasing the hit horror movie Prey exclusively on streaming instead of theaters, so The Boogeyman’s release strategy change is seemingly a reaction to this mistake. More so, however, The Boogeyman’s longer theatrical run appears to be a response to advice from the short story’s author Stephen King. According to The Boogeyman director Rob Savage (via GamesRadar), King noted after a private screening that “They [the studio] would be stupid to release this on streaming and not in cinemas.” Therefore, Disney likely won’t be eager to move The Boogeyman to Hulu so quickly.
The Boogeyman Is Expected To Release On Digital In July 2023
While The Boogeyman is unlikely to stream before the end of August, the movie is expected to be available for rental or purchase from digital retailers much sooner. So far, Disney’s 2023 theatrical releases like Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and Chevalier have premiered on VOD approximately eight weeks after their theatrical debuts. While Ant-Man 3 was released digitally on a Tuesday, Chevalier has a Friday digital premiere date, so The Boogeyman could follow either strategy. As such, The Boogeyman will most likely arrive on digital platforms like Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV Plus, and Vudu as early as Tuesday, July 25 or Friday, July 28.
This story originally appeared on Screenrant
