Dev Patel has taken his career in a whole new direction with “Monkey Man,” moving behind the camera as both director and co-writer and transforming himself into an action hero onscreen. He plays the movie’s title character, who takes on a mythical persona in order to enact revenge on the criminals who killed his family. “Monkey Man” has been compared to “John Wick,” but Patel brings his own style to it, incorporating influences from Indian cinema into the Mumbai-set story.
Patel’s effort has paid off: “Monkey Man” has been acclaimed by critics, with an 88% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and has performed well at the box office, where it debuted in second place behind blockbuster juggernaut “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire.” That’s especially impressive for a movie that was dropped by its initial distributor, Netflix, before producer Jordan Peele came on board and helped Patel place “Monkey Man” at Universal Pictures and secure a major theatrical release.
For viewers who didn’t catch “Monkey Man” in theaters, or fans who want to watch it again at home, here’s what we know so far about the availability of “Monkey Man” on streaming services.
When will 'Monkey Man' be available to stream?
When to Stream reports that “Monkey Man” will be available for VOD rental and purchase on April 23, which is just a little over two weeks after its theatrical opening. The site notes, however, that Universal has yet to confirm this date, which means that it’s possible the release will be pushed by a week or two. Mid-level Universal films like “Monkey Man” typically make their VOD debuts fairly quickly, though, so the April 23 date is a safe bet.
It’s likely to take longer for “Monkey Man” to arrive on a subscription streaming service, and since Netflix sold the rights to Universal, don’t expect to stream “Monkey Man” on Netflix. Instead, it will eventually stream on Peacock, which is the initial streaming destination for all Universal releases. The standard window for Universal films to end up on Peacock is about 45 days, which would mean that “Monkey Man” would be available in late May.
Some Universal genre releases, including this year’s “Night Swim,” have taken a bit longer to make it to Peacock, but “Monkey Man” should show up no later than the beginning of the summer. In the meantime, you can still catch Patel’s action-thriller vision on the big screen, where he worked hard to give it a proper showcase.
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