Is ‘Parallel Mothers’ on HBO Max or Netflix?

You can always count on Spanish director Pedro Almodóvar to deliver top-quality movies, and you can always count on Spanish actor Penélope Cruz to deliver top-quality performances. When you put those two things together—like Almodóvar’s most recent drama starring Cruz, Parallel Mothers, which opens in U.S. theaters this weekend—the result will surely be fantastic.

In Parallel Mothers, Cruz stars alongside Milena Smit as two single, pregnant women who meet in the delivery room where they will give birth. Cruz plays Janis Martinez a middle-aged woman who is prepared for her child, while Smit plays Ana, a young woman who is scared and not ready for the responsibility of motherhood.

The film first premiered at Venice Film Festival in September to universally positive reviews from critics, with agreeing Parallel Mothers was both a comforting return to form and a fresh new leaf for Almodóvar.

Cinephiles won’t want to miss this one, so here’s where to watch Parallel Mothers and when to expect Parallel Mothers on streaming.

WHERE TO WATCH PARALLEL MOTHERS:

Right now, the only place to watch Parallel Mothers is in a movie theater when it opens in the U.S. on Friday, December 24. It will open in the U.K. on January 28, 2022. You can find a showing at a movie theater near you here. After the movie’s theatrical run, you will be able to purchase Parallel Mothers on digital platforms like Amazon, iTunes, Google Play, YouTube, and Vudu.

WHEN WILL PARALLEL MOTHERS BE STREAMING?

The short answer is: We don’t know. A digital release date for Parallel Mothers has not yet been announced. The movie is being released by Sony Pictures Entertainment Iberia, and unlike other movie studios during the pandemic, Sony has not had a consistent digital release strategy during the pandemic. Another Sony movie, Venom: Let There Be Carnage, became available on digital after being in theaters for over 50 days, so if Parallel Mothers follows a similar strategy, it won’t come to digital until around mid-February 2022.

Disney also recently made a deal with Sony to bring Spider-Man and other Marvel properties to Disney Plus after the movies are released on Netflix—but that deal begins with Sony’s 2022 release slate, and Parallel Mothers will release in 2021. It’s also an international release, so it’s not clear if movies from Sony Pictures Entertainment Iberia will be included.

In other words, it may be a while before Parallel Mothers is available to stream at home. If you can’t wait to see it, you’ll want to go see this one in a movie theater.

WILL PARALLEL MOTHERS BE ON HBO MAX?

No. Parallel Mothers is a Sony movie, not a Warner Bros. movie, and therefore it will not be on HBO Max at the same time it is in theaters.  HBO Max—which is owned by Warner Media—has been the streaming home for blockbuster Warner Bros. theatrical movies like Dune, but it will not be the streaming home for Parallel Mothers. (At least, not any time soon.)

IS PARALLEL MOTHERS ON NETFLIX?

No. Parallel Mothers is not on Netflix. While Netflix has signed some deals to stream some 2022 Sony films, Parallel Mothers is a 2021 movie. Therefore, it’s unlikely that Parallel Mothers will be streaming on Netflix any time soon in the U.S.

That said, Parallel Mothers will be on Netflix in Latin America at the beginning of 2022. Last month, the streaming service acquired exclusive rights to release the film in Latin America. Unfortunately, that does not extend to Netflix U.S. or Netflix U.K.

Where to watch Parallel Mothers