Some conspiracies are just too wild to ignore. In "Bugonia," the latest absurdist black comedy from director Yorgos Lanthimos, two conspiracy-obsessed young men (Jesse Plemons and Aidan Delbis) kidnap the high-powered CEO of a major company (Emma Stone), convinced she's an alien who plans to destroy planet Earth.
If you've been eagerly awaiting the next bizarre collaboration from the Oscar-winning team behind "Poor Things" and "The Favourite," you're probably more than ready to see this tale. There's just one catch: You can only see it at a theater right now.
If you'd rather wait to watch the paranoia unfold from your couch, that's totally fair, but "Bugonia" is not available to stream just yet. But that begs the question: When can you watch it at home to find out if she's really an alien? Here's when we think you'll be able to stream "Bugonia."
When can we expect the 'Bugonia' streaming release?
As of right now, "Bugonia" is still playing exclusively in theaters following its Oct. 18 release. So if you’ve been waiting to watch it from home, you’ll need to be a little patient. There hasn’t been an official update on the digital or streaming releases yet, but we can make a solid guess based on how Universal, the parent company of Focus Features, typically handles its films.
Universal usually moves its theatrical releases to paid digital rental fairly quickly. In most cases, you can see movies hit platforms like Amazon, Apple and Vudu about three to six weeks after their theatrical debut. Following that pattern, "Bugonia" could show up for digital purchase or rental sometime in mid to late November.
As for streaming with a subscription you might already have, that part is a bit more predictable. Universal sends its movies to Peacock after they finish their digital run. The window for that is usually around four months from the theatrical release date. If "Bugonia" follows the same track as other recent Universal titles, it could arrive on Peacock in early 2026. February is a reasonable estimate, though of course, release timing can shift around a bit.
So the rough breakdown looks like this: digital rental and purchase likely in November, then streaming on Peacock early next year. But we're still waiting on official confirmation from Universal.
What is 'Bugonia' about?
"Bugonia" follows conspiracy-obsessed beekeeper Teddy Gatz (Jesse Plemons) and his cousin Don (Aidan Delbis), as they face a self-imposed deadline to aliens from destroying Earth.
That deadline is the upcoming lunar eclipse, which Teddy has deluded himself into thinking will bring an alien mothership. He targets Michelle Fuller (Emma Stone), the CEO of a pharmaceutical megacorporation, fully convinced she's a high-ranking Andromedan alien. Teddy and Don kidnap her and hold her captive in their basement, demanding she contact the alien emperor.
Michelle, meanwhile, attempts to bargain, threaten and play along to survive her increasingly violent interrogation. As you can imagine, things spiral out of control from there and go decidedly sideways. If you're a dark humor fan who also loves a bit of surrealism, chances are you'll love this one too.
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