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UPDATE: Apr. 16, 2025, 5:35 p.m. EDT This article has been updated to include the official streaming release of “The Brutalist,” as well as the latest pricing details.
If you haven’t seen The Brutalist yet, you can now watch all three-and-a-half hours of it at home from your couch — where you have the ability to pause and return to it as you see fit. Mashable’s reviewer Siddhant Adlakha called it a “modern American masterpiece,” and we named it one of the best films of 2024.
Set in the aftermath of World War II, director Brady Corbet crafts a deeply moving film about immigrants, architecture, and Jewish identity. It stars Adrien Brody — who nabbed not only the Golden Globe, but also the Academy Award for his role as László Tóth — as well as Felicity Jones, Guy Pearce, and Raffey Cassidy. It was one of the most nominated films at the 2025 Academy Awards, and managed to take home three, including Best Cinematography, Best Original Score, and Best Lead Actor.
You can watch it for yourself at home now that it’s officially available at digital-on-demand retailers and will soon make its streaming debut. Here’s everything you need to know.
What is The Brutalist about?
Clocking in at three-and-a-half hours long, The Brutalist tells the tale of László Tóth (Brody), a fictitious Jewish Hungarian architect and survivor of the Holocaust, over several decades as he arrives in America post-World War II. “It embodies the kind of American epics no longer really made by Hollywood studios. All the while, the film also explores the fraught corners of post-World War II Jewish identity in the West,” Adlakha writes.
Check out the official trailer:
Is The Brutalist worth watching?
The Brutalist clocked in at No. 17 on our list of the best films of 2024. It was also one of the most prominently featured films this awards season. It nabbed the Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture – Drama, Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama for Brody, and Best Director for Corbet. Additionally, it earned 10 Oscars nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director, Lead Actor, Supporting Actor, and Supporting Actress. While it was a favorite to take home the biggest award of the night, it ended up losing out to Anora. Still, it took home the prize in Best Lead Actor, Best Cinematography, and Best Original Score.
Currently, the A24 film has a 93 percent critic rating and an 80 percent audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Mashable’s own reviewer writes, “The Brutalist is a towering paean to the American dream, in all its force and folly. Set over several decades, Brady Corbet’s post-World War II immigrant saga is — like the architectural achievements of its protagonist — constructed with meticulous consideration, resulting in a work of multifaceted technique and piercing humanity.”
Read our full review of The Brutalist.
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How to watch The Brutalist at home
Credit: A24
There are multiple ways to watch The Brutalist at home: purchasing it via digital video-on-demand, renting it through digital video-on-demand, and of course, streaming. The cheapest option is renting, but it’s also the most limiting.
Buy or rent The Brutalist on digital
The Brutalist made its digital debut just shy of two months after its theatrical release. You can purchase the film for your digital collection as of Feb. 18 at online retailers like Prime Video and Apple TV. It’s also available to rent at the same digital retailers for 30 days. Just note that once you start watching, you’ll only have 48 hours to finish — and it’s a 3.5-hour movie.
Here are some quick links to rent or purchase the A24 flick:
Stream The Brutalist on Max
Thanks to a multi-year output deal between A24 and Warner Bros. Discovery, we knew that The Brutalist would eventually make its streaming debut on Max alongside other recent A24 hits like Babygirl and Queer. The usual window between a digital and streaming release for A24 is about around two-and-a-half months, so we originally thought it would start streaming at the end of April. A24, instead, decided to make us wait a little longer. The Brutalist is finally set to make its streaming debut on Max on May 16.
Max subscriptions start at $9.99 per month, but there are a few ways to save money on your plan. We’ve rounded up the best Max streaming deals for you below.
The best Max streaming deals
Best for most people: Save 33% on Max with ads annual subscription
While a Max with ads subscription goes for $9.99 per month, you can knock that price down to just $8.33 per month by signing up for a year in advance. Yes, you’ll have to pay $99.99 upfront, but the breakdown monthly ends up saving you 16%.
Better yet, if you sign up before May 7, you’ll be able to slash that price even further as annual subscriptions are 20% off their usual cost. That drops the annual plan with ads down to only $79.99 per year or $6.67 broken down monthly. After your initial discounted year is up, the price will revert back to the typical annual plan fee, which is still a very good price.
Best Max deal with no ads: Save up to 32% on a Max Ad-Free annual subscription
Similarly, for those who hate ads, you can also save up to 32% through May 7 by committing to a yearly plan of the Max ad-free tiers. You have two tiers to choose from: Max Ad-Free and Max Ultimate Ad-Free. The basic ad-free tier costs either $16.99 per month or $139.99 per year (about $11.67 per month) for a limited time, while the Ultimate tier costs either $20.99 per month or $169.99 per year (about $14.17 per month) for a limited time. The price drop is only valid for your first year of streaming and will revert back to full cost — $169.99 or $209.99 per year — thereafter.
Note: Both tiers offer an ad-free viewing experience, but the Ultimate tier comes with 4K Ultra HD video quality and Dolby Atmos immersive audio.
Best Max deal for Cricket customers: Free Max with ads for customers on the $60/month unlimited plan
Cricket customers on the $60 per month unlimited plan get a free Max with ads subscription — no questions asked. That’s a $99.99 per year value for zero dollars. If you’re already on the $60 per month unlimited plan, just head over to the Max app, choose Cricket as your provider, then enter your Cricket credentials to log in. Boom — you’re free to watch whatever you want, whenever you want — including The Brutalist upon its release. Check out the terms and conditions on Cricket’s website to learn more.
Best Max deal for DoorDash users: Free Max with ads with DashPass annual plan
Another way you can get Max for free in 2025 is through DoorDash’s annual DashPass plan. A yearly DashPass membership costs $96 per year ($8 per month) and gets you $0 delivery fees and reduced service fees on eligible orders, as well as a Max subscription with ads. You’ll just have to activate your Max subscription through your DoorDash account. Then, once you’re in, you’re in as long as your annual DashPass plan is valid.
Best Max deal for students: Save 50% on Max with ads
College students can get an entire year of Max with ads for just $4.99 per month instead of $9.99. That’s 50% in savings. All you have to do is verify your student status with UNiDAYS to retrieve the unique discount code that will drop the price.
Best bundle deal: Get Max, Disney+, and Hulu for up to 38% off
While it won’t be the cheapest way to get Max, you can get more bang for your buck if you choose a streaming bundle deal instead of a single service. For only $16.99 per month (reg. $25.97), you can sign up for Max, Hulu, and Disney+ with ads or $29.99 per month (reg. $48.97) without ads. That’s up to 38% in savings for access to three full streaming libraries.