Entertainment

When Is 'The Big Short' On Netflix?

The Big Short is without question one of the most talked about films heading into the Oscars. The movie, which is the first from director Adam McKay that can't be considered a straight up comedy, has struck a chord with people by finally making the housing collapse and financial crisis of 2008 easy to understand. The fact that the film tackles this historically boring subject matter in a way that's relentlessly entertaining and even funny at times is another impressive achievement, so it's no wonder why everyone can't get enough of the movie. So fans are understandably wondering when The Big Short will be on Netflix.

In all likelihood, it's going to be years before The Big Short heads to Netflix, if at all. Why is this? Well, the studio that owns the distribution rights to The Big Short is Paramount Pictures, and they're not exactly on the best terms with everybody's favorite streaming service. See, it wasn't that long ago when it was easy to find big Paramount releases like Star Trek: Into Darkness or The Wolf of Wall Street on Netflix, and everyone was happy. This was the result of a five year deal Netflix had with premium cable network Epix, which is jointly owned by Paramount, Lions Gate Entertainment, and MGM. The agreement gave Netflix first run access to those studios' movies airing on Epix, but the deal expired at the end of September, 2015. So where does that leave wannabe Big Short streamers?

Thankfully, Hulu picked up Netflix's slack. The streaming competitor took the place of Netflix as a partner of Epix in October, meaning that Hulu now enjoys speedy access to the "big movies" from Paramount and others that Epix airs. In addition, Amazon Prime has had a deal in place with Epix since 2012, which is why you see many of the same new movies on both Hulu and Amazon. Generally speaking, Epix gains access to their films roughly a year after their theater runs, meaning that The Big Short, should it head to Epix, will probably show up on Hulu and Amazon Prime toward the end of 2016. But what if you don't want to wait that long?

Well, if you're willing to spend some extra coin, The Big Short does not currently has a DVD/Blu-Ray release date set, but sometime spring 2016 is definitely likely. Since Digital HD releases usually happen around the same time as the DVD release date, if not shortly before, fans can likely expect the film to be available to purchase on iTunes some time in the next few months. Which means that this St. Patricks Day you might me able to celebrate in your own home by watching the 2008 financial collapse unfold before your very eyes. Fun, right?!

Images: Paramount Pictures; giphy.com