Nightmare Alley, Guillermo Del Toro’s latest film, is coming to HBO Max in February. The movie is still currently in theaters but will begin streaming next month.
Nightmare Alley stars Bradley Cooper as a con-man who becomes enshrouded in a mystery involving a carnival and a dangerous relationship with a psychologist played by Cate Blanchett. Directed by Del Toro, the film also stars Rooney Mara, Willem Dafoe, Toni Collette, Richard Jenkins, David Strathairn, Ron Perlman, Mary Steenburgen, and Clifton Collins Jr.
While the film falls under Searchlight Pictures, the re-named Fox brand currently owned by Disney, Nightmare Alley will stream on HBO Max and not Hulu or Disney+. There is no information about business dealings regarding streaming for this film, but there must have been some deal between Warner Bros or HBO Max and Disney regarding the streaming plans for this film. It’s unlikely Nightmare Alley would have been on Disney+ as it is rather adult, but it could’ve landed on Hulu.
The film is based on a novel of the same name by William Lindsay Gresham that was adapted by Del Toro and Kim Morgan. On March 10, 2020, production on Nightmare Alley was halted as Del Toro and Cooper decided it was best for everyone’s safety to halt production in the midst of the pandemic. The production halt lasted for six months before the rest of the movie was shot, and the film was later released on Dec. 17, 2021.
However, this delay seemed to pay off as the film was a hit with critics with an 81% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes. It didn’t do amazing numbers at the box office, which could be blamed on a multitude of things, including COVID-19 and competition that included Spider-Man: No Way Home. Currently, there is a black-and-white version of the film, called Nightmare Alley: Vision in Darkness and Light, in theaters for a limited theatrical run beginning on Jan. 15.
Nightmare Alley will begin streaming on HBO Max on Feb. 1.
