A surprising amount of people are trying to figure out how to watch Contagion. Yes, you'd think a movie that's a bit too close to real life right now would be the last thing folks would want to stream, but the 2011 film appears to be the exception that makes the rule.
Cast: Marion Cotillard, Matt Damon, Laurence Fishburne, Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow and Kate Winslet, Bryan Cranston
Director: Steven Soderbergh
Run-time: 1h 46min
Age rating: PG-13
Rotten Tomatoes: 85%
IMDB: 6.6
The only catch is that the blockbuster film starring the likes of Marion Cotillard, Matt Damon and Laurence Fishburne may be a digital rental or purchase for most, as it's only on one streaming service. Here's how to watch
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Contagion, for those unfamiliar, revolves around a world struggling to stop an airborne virus that kills within mere days. Naturally, society is fighting panic as much as it's fighting the disease. Contagion has an 85% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with critics raving over director Steven Soderbergh's excellent management of the complex topic.
Many of the reviews are recent, with critics joining in the action of streaming the show themselves. Smart and scary, Contagion is far from escapism, but it's certainly an alternative to watching another hour of cable news.
Does Netflix have Contagion?
Kinda, as only a select few can watch Contagion on Netflix. That's right, the streaming giant doesn't have Contagion on its U.S. or U.K. servers. It's on on Netflix in Canada. Traveling Canadians, however, can use a VPN to log into their Netflix and stream the movie on their own.
Otherwise, they're going to be using the same digital rental and purchase solutions as everyone else. U.S. Netflix does have its fare share of pandemic-related content, including the 1995 film Outbreak (Dustin Hoffman, Rene Russo and Cuba Gooding Jr.) plus an incredibly timely Netflix Original Docuseries Pandemic: How to Prevent an Outbreak. The latter has a 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes, but that's only comprised of 6 critics' reviews.
How can I watch Contagion with a VPN?
So, as I said above, Canadians stuck far from home — or Americans in similar situations, having trouble accessing Cinemax Go (which also has Contagion) — will likely be running into geo-fenced restrictions on what services they can use. But, with the help of a virtual private network (VPN), they can watch Contagion (and all the other services from their home country) no matter where they are.
Our favorite VPN is ExpressVPN, which is easy to use and delivers fast internet speeds, making it simple to set up for streaming in no time at all. It also works on practically any device, starting with iOS and Android and including streaming devices such as the Amazon Fire TV Stick and Apple TV. Plus, game consoles like PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.
How do I watch Contagion in the US?
Since Cinemax is the exclusive distributor of Contagion in the U.S., your best bet is considering getting it as an add-on via Amazon Channels or Hulu:
How can I watch Contagion in the UK and Australia?
In the United Kingdom and Australia, you're going to need to rent or buy a digital copy from the usual suspects, such as Apple and Microsoft. Check out the JustWatch page for full details.
However, folks in the UK will have a chance to watch the film on ITV2. The channel will air the film on Thursday, March 26 at 9 p.m. GMT.
