'The Zone of Interest' streaming date: When will it be available to watch?

Christian Friedel as the German Nazi commandant Rudolf Höss in "The Zone of Interest"
(Image credit: A24)

"The Zone of Interest was a big winner at the 2024 Oscars. Out of all the films nominated, it was only one of three films that took home multiple wins (2), joining "Poor Things" (3) and "Oppenheimer" (7). 

From all accounts, "The Zone of Interest's" wins for Best International Feature Film and Best Sound were well deserved. So now that it's won multiple Academy Awards, you probably want to see "The Zone of Interest" for yourself. If you do, you're in luck. "The Zone of Interest" is currently available to stream on paid video-on-demand (PVOD) services right now. We recommend using Amazon or Apple to buy or rent digitally, but if you have a preferred vendor like Vudu or YouTube those options are available as well.

If you prefer to watch movies on one of the best streaming services, we have good news there as well. Thanks to a deal between A24 and Max, we know that "The Zone of Interest" is coming to Max on April 5. We even know when it's coming. So read on to find out what the movie is about and "The Zone of Interest" will be released for streaming on Max.

What is 'The Zone of Interest' about?

The Zone of Interest | Official Trailer HD | A24 - YouTube The Zone of Interest | Official Trailer HD | A24 - YouTube
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Fair warning — this movie is not fun. "The Zone of Interest" is not enjoyable or even easy to watch. It's loosely based on the 2014 novel of the same name by Martin Amis and stars Christian Friedel as Rudolf Höss. Höss, for those who aren't aware, was the notorious commandant of the Auschwitz concentration camp in Nazi Germany. 

But this movie isn't a deep dive into the horrors of what went on inside the camp where more than 1 million people were exterminated in government-mandated genocide. Instead, the movie focuses on Höss and his wife Hedwig (Oscar-nominee Sandra Hüller) as they attempt to build the perfect life outside the death factory's walls.

That's not to say the horrors of the Holocaust don't creep into the movie. In fact, that's part of what makes "The Zone of Interest" such a harrowing watch. Interspersed among the scenes of supposed normalcy are gunshots, trains transporting prisoners, sounds from the infamous crematoriums and the visible human remains of Jewish prisoners. But these are portrayed as background noise rather than shown front and center. This movie instead displays how mundane and normal the exercise of mass murder was to this Nazi German family and how they viewed it as simply a means to a better life. 

When will 'The Zone of Interest' be available for streaming on Max?

While what I just described may frankly sound awful, I promise you this is a must-watch movie. As I mentioned before, if you don't want to pay to buy or rent it from a PVOD streaming service, you'll need to wait until the movie arrives on Max.

The good news is Max just confirmed that "The Zone of Interest"will be release on Max on April 5. That's a good bit earlier than expected and means it could hit Max before "The Iron Claw," an A24 film destined for Max that arrived on PVOD streaming services just a week before "The Zone of Interest." I guess Max decided to capitalize on those Oscar wins after all.

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Malcolm McMillan
Senior Streaming Writer

Malcolm McMillan is a senior writer for Tom's Guide, covering all the latest in streaming TV shows and movies. That means news, analysis, recommendations, reviews and more for just about anything you can watch, including sports! If it can be seen on a screen, he can write about it. Previously, Malcolm had been a staff writer for Tom's Guide for over a year, with a focus on artificial intelligence (AI), A/V tech and VR headsets.

Before writing for Tom's Guide, Malcolm worked as a fantasy football analyst writing for several sites and also had a brief stint working for Microsoft selling laptops, Xbox products and even the ill-fated Windows phone. He is passionate about video games and sports, though both cause him to yell at the TV frequently. He proudly sports many tattoos, including an Arsenal tattoo, in honor of the team that causes him to yell at the TV the most.