‘The Color Purple’ Comes to Digital, But When Will It Be on Max?

The Color Purple (2023) is now available to buy or rent online, less than four weeks after the movie opened in theaters on Christmas Day.

The news may come as a surprise to some. However, given the film’s box office numbers and the timing of awards season, it’s no big shock that Warner Bros. is pushing the film to “premium” video-on-demand—which is the industry term for charging movie theater prices for an earlier release on digital platforms—after less than a month in theaters.

After a big opening on Christmas day, the film adaptation of the Broadway musical—based on the 1982 novel of the same name by Alice Walker—struggled to maintain momentum at the box office. It’s currently earned $58.2 million at the domestic box office, compared to a roughly $100 million production budget. Still, the film hopes to earn Oscar nominations, which will be announced later this month. Warner Bros. clearly thinks it can make a few extra bucks with people purchasing the film at home.

Here’s what you should know about how to watch The Color Purple online, and when to expect to see The Color Purple streaming on Max.

Where to watch The Color Purple 2023 on streaming:

Beginning on Tuesday, January 16, The Color Purple 2023 will be available to buy and rent digitally on Amazon Prime, Google Play, Apple TV, Vudu, and more. The price may vary depending on which platform you use to purchase the film, but on Amazon Prime the movie costs $24.99 to buy. You can also rent the film for a 48-hour viewing window at the suggested price point of $19.99.

The Color Purple digital release will include bonus content, including the following featurettes: “Creating The Color Purple: A Bold New Take on the Beloved Classic,” “Hell Yes! The Iconic Characters of The Color Purple,” “In The Flow: Creating The Color Purple’s Biggest Musical Moments,” and A Story For Me: The Legacy of The Color Purple.”

The Color Purple (2023) will also release on 4k UHD, DVD, and Blu-Ray on March 12.

When will The Color Purple 2023 be streaming on Max?

While The Color Purple Max release date has not yet been announced, the 2023 Color Purple movie will be on Max eventually because it is a Warner Bros. movie, and Max is the streaming service owned by Warner Bros. All of the new WB theatrical movies end up streaming on Max, though the wait period has varied by title. The Flash, for example, was released on PVOD about five weeks after opening in theaters and began streaming on Max about five weeks after it was released on PVOD. Another WB film, Barbie was released on PVOD eight weeks after opening in theaters, and released on Max about 13 weeks after it released on PVOD.

Because The Color Purple is coming to PVOD after about four weeks in theaters, we can guess that the studio will wait at least another month before putting The Color Purple on Max, if not longer. Using that logic, you can expect to see Barbie streaming on Max around March or April 2024, sometime after the DVD release on March 12.

That said, this is all speculation. There is not yet an official The Color Purple Max release date. If you want to watch the new Color Purple movie right away, you can buy or rent the movie online.