Josh Hartnett in “Trap.”
M. Night Shyamalan’s psychological thriller Trap—starring Josh Hartnett—is new in theaters. How soon will it debut on streaming?
Written and directed by Shyamalan, Trap stars Hartnett as Cooper, a dad who accompanies his young teen daughter, Riley (Ariel Donoghue), to a concert featuring a Taylor Swift-like pop superstar named Lady Raven (Shyamalan’s daughter, Saleka Shyamalan, who composed and performed the songs in the film).
Cooper realizes once he arrives at the venue that there is an enormous police presence. He asks a Lady Raven T-shirt vendor (Jonathan Langdon) about the heavy security, and the vender reveals that authorities have set up a trap for a serial killer named the Butcher so he has no possible way to escape.
Since Cooper is secretly the Butcher—a plot detail exposed in Trap’s trailer—he begins a race against the clock to find a way to escape the concert hall before police can nab him.
ForbesDoes M. Night Shyamalan’s ‘Trap’ Have An End Credits Scene?By Tim Lammers
Right now, the only way to see Trap is in theaters, so check your local listings.
Since Trap is a Warner Bros. movie, it will eventually be available to stream on Max, which is Warner Bros. Discovery’s subscription streaming service.
Trap will first become available for home viewing on digital streaming via premium video on demand. Most studios make their titles available for digital purchase or rent before they move on to a subscription streaming service.
PVOD services include Prime Video, AppleTV+, VUDU and Google Play.
When Is ‘Trap’ Expected To Arrive On Digital Streaming And Max?
In most cases, there is no set timeline for the window between the release of Warner Bros. films in theaters and PVOD availability. Most often, the determining factor is how successful a film is in theaters.
Warner Bros.’ blockbuster hit Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, for example, opened in theaters on March 29 and made its PVOD debut on May 14, amounting to about a six-week theater-to-digital streaming window.
As such, if Trap is successful, the film will likely not be available on PVOD until Friday, September 13 or Tuesday, September 17. Typically, PVOD releases of major films happen on Tuesdays or Fridays.
Forbes‘Trap’ Star On How Movie Mirrors Swifties At Taylor Swift ConcertsBy Tim Lammers
On the other hand, the studio’s big-budget disappointment Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, opened in theaters on May 24 and pivoted to PVOD on June 25.
So, using Furiosa as a model, if Trap doesn’t perform well in theaters, it could debut on PVOD as soon as Tuesday, September 3, or Friday, September 6.
The time it takes a Warner Bros. film to start streaming on Max varies. Again, using Godzilla x Kong as an example, the film began streaming on Max on July 4, which was 97 days after its theatrical release.
If Trap follows that 90-day-plus window, don’t expect to see it on Max before the first or second week in November.
ForbesBlack & White ‘Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga’ Gets Digital Streaming DateBy Tim Lammers
On the other hand, if Trap doesn’t perform well, it could start streaming on Max anywhere from 60-70 days after its release. For example, the 2023 box office disappointment Shazam! Fury of the Gods opened in theaters on March 17 and debuted on Max just over two months later, on May 23, 2023.
Using Shazam! Fury of the Gods as an example, Trap could debut on Max in early October.
Trap plays in previews on Thursday night before opening Friday in theaters nationwide.
ForbesUnnerving ‘Longlegs’ Tune Sung By Nicolas Cage Is ReleasedBy Tim Lammers
