Is 'The Whale' streaming?

It's one of the most anticipated movies of the year but is The Whale streaming yet? 

Starring everybody's '90s crush Brendan Fraser (The Mummy franchise, George of the Jungle) and Kate Bush-loving Stranger Things breakout Sadie Sink, the Darren Aronofsky-directed drama garnered a six-minute standing ovation when it debuted at the Venice International Film Festival in early September, especially earning attention as a comeback vehicle for its leading man.  

“He said he wanted an actor to reintroduce,” Fraser says of Aronofsky casting him, per Vanity Fair. “And I wanted to be reintroduced.”

The Oscar buzz is cranked high for this one, but when will you get to watch The Whale from the convenience and comfort of your own home? Here's all the streaming information we have for the A24 title so far. 

Is 'The Whale' streaming?

Unfortunately, The Whale is not yet available for streaming. The film had a limited theatrical release in the United States beginning on Friday, December 9, with a wider release set for December 20. 

Previous A24 films have become available on streaming platforms 45 days after their theatrical release, so we can expect The Whale around late January or early February 2023. Watch this space for when and where you'll be able to watch The Whale at home. 

'The Whale' plot: what is it about?

Based on the 2012 Samuel D. Hunter play of the same name, The Whale follows Charlie, a 600-pound reclusive literature teacher (played by Fraser), as he attempts to reconnect with his estranged 17-year-old daughter (Sink). Like the stage play that inspired it, much of the action of the film takes place in one location, Charlie's apartment. 

Watch 'The Whale' trailer: 

'The Whale' runtime: how long is it?

The psychological drama runs for one hour and 57 minutes in total. It is rated R for language, some drug use and sexual content.

'The Whale' movie cast: who's who?

Joining Brendan Fraser and Sadie Sink, The Whale cast is a mix of fresh faces and familiar names:

• Brendan Fraser as Charlie
• Sadie Sink as Ellie
• Jacey Sink as young Ellie
• Hong Chau as Liz
• Ty Simpkins as Thomas
• Samantha Morton as Mary
• Sathya Sridharan as Dan

Brendan Fraser 'The Whale' transformation:

To play the 600-pound Charlie, Brendan Fraser had to undergo a pretty massive physical transformation, which he detailed in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter while at the Toronto International Film Festival in September. 

"Charlie carries some hundreds and hundreds of extra pounds in body weight," Fraser told the outlet. "To create that, we needed to start with costuming, apparatus, makeup. He would be doing a scan, a 3D rendering, printing without a mold of that. And then more traditional applications. An actor gets up early and we all drink a lot of coffee and look at YouTube videos. Then maybe I'd nap a bit. That's how it gets started."

"I wanted to disappear into it. My hope was that I would become unrecognizable," the actor said in Vanity Fair of the role, which reportedly required five to six hours in the makeup chair per day. “The torso piece was almost like a straight jacket,” he explained, “with sleeves that went on, airbrushed by hand, to look identical as would human skin, right down to the hand-punched hair.”

“I learned quickly that it takes an incredibly strong person inside that body to be that person,” he added. “That seemed fitting and poetic and practical to me, all at once.”

Want more movies to stream at home? Here's streaming info for fellow A24 title Aftersun, as well as recent releases Spoiler Alert, The Menu, Bones and All and Triangle of Sadness.