How to watch Dune online on HBO Max and around the world now

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By Daniel Pateman
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Denis Villeneuve’s sci-fi epic has arrived

Dune poster featuring Timothee Chalamet and cast
(Image credit: Warner Bros.)

Dune has finally exploded back onto screens with visionary director Denis Villeneuve at the helm of this spectacular, long awaited adaptation of the seminal science fiction work. Keep reading as we tell you exactly how to watch Dune online on HBO Max in the US and in all corners of the world.

Recruiting an A-list cast on the planet Arrakis, Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac and Zendaya star in the critically acclaimed Dune.

Watch Dune online

Release date: Thursday, October 21

Director: Denis Villeneuve

Cast: Timothée Chalamet, Jason Momoa, Rebecca Ferguson, Zendaya, Josh Brolin, Dave Bautista, Oscar Isaac

Run time: 2h 35m

Rating: PG-13

Prior attempts to adapt Frank Herbert’s unwieldy 1965 novel have crashed and burned - most famously the 1984 box-office bomb by David Lynch. The Blade Runner: 2049 and Arrival director, however, has proven himself highly adept at juggling visual spectacle and narrative complexity, while keeping audiences emotionally engaged, too.

With Chalamet leading a magnificent cast, Dune also stars Jason Momoa, Zendaya, Josh Brolin, Benjamin Clementine, Javier Bardem and Charlotte Rampling. Expect it to be packed with epic battles, rousing emotion…even some timely environmental commentary - Villeneuve has described the film as a coming-of-age story meets “a call for action for the youth”.

So, locate the largest screen with the best picture quality available (you can enjoy it in 4K HDR on HBO Max) as we break down how to watch Dune online and stream Warner Brother’s latest blockbuster.

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How to watch Dune online in the US

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Sandworms and spice and intergalactic fights - Dune has finally landed in theaters and on HBO Max. As with previous Warner Brother 2021 releases, it’s made available online day-and-date with its theatrical release, where you can watch it as much as you want for a 31-day period.

There are currently two HBO Max subscription plans available: one ‘With Ads’ at $9.99 a month, and the other ‘Ad Free’ at the familiar $14.99 monthly rate. If you want to watch Denis Villeneuve’s Dune online, however, you’ll need to shell out for the latter option, because early access to WB blockbusters isn’t a feature of the cheaper plan – and neither is crisp 4K UHD picture quality, for that matter.

But if the $14.99 fee seems steep, you could save 16% by committing to its annual plan for $149.99 for the 12-months. And there are often excellent deals for new subscribers available, so keep an eye out.

You can stream content on a wide range of devices compatible with the HBO Max app. These include: iPhone and Android devices, Apple, Samsung, and Amazon Fire TVs, Roku, PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S consoles, Chromecast and Chromebooks, in addition to laptops and PCs running Chrome, Mac, or Windows operating systems.

Timothee Chalamat and Zendaya in Dune on HBO Max

(Image credit: Chiabella James/Warner Bros.)

How to watch Dune across the rest of the world

Dune is being released all over planet Earth, but it’ll only be available to stream at home outside of the US after its standard theatrical window.

So, international audiences will need to flock to theaters to see Dune. UK and Canadian viewers can watch it from Thursday, October 21, the same day as in America.

Indeed, October 21 is the general global cinematic release date. Sadly Australians will have to wait until December 2 to be awed by giant sandworms at the cinema, because ongoing lockdowns have pushed back a number of film releases in that part of the world.

What else can I watch on HBO Max?

As well as instant access to new Warner Bros. blockbusters – the Will Smith-starring sports biopic King Richard arrives on November 19 and the new Matrix film in December – you’ll get over 13,000 hours of prime content: choice picks from the Warner Bros. archive and subsidiary companies like New Line Cinema, Studio Ghibli’s animated masterpieces, DC Entertainment blockbusters like Wonder Woman: 1984.

And – the clue's in the name – watch every iconic HBO series ever made. Enjoy The Sopranos, Euphoria, Mare of Easttown and The Wire, plus all 10 seasons of iconic sitcom Friends, addictive HBO Max Originals like Gossip Girl, and so much more.

What is Dune about?

Set in the year 10191, Dune begins with Duke Leto Atreides (Oscar Isaac) handed control of the Spice mining operation on the desert planet Arrakis, with “spice” being a valuable commodity harvested in large amounts for its youth enhancing and prophetic properties.

But after arriving with his son Paul (Chalamet - read about how he bagged the lead role) and the Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson), the Atreides family are threatened with annihilation by their enemies, the House Harkonnen. And, forsaken in the desolate, sandworm strewn environment, they find allyship with the planet’s native Fremen.

And unlike the 80's version, it looks like Villeneuve's Dune is set for critical acclaim - the 5-star reviews are already piling. You can read TechRadar's thoughts on the film with our Dune review.

Daniel Pateman
Daniel Pateman

Daniel Pateman is a freelance writer, producing articles across the cultural spectrum for magazines like Aesthetica, Photomonitor, The Brooklyn Rail and This is Tomorrow. He also provides text-writing services to individual curators and artists worldwide, and has had work published internationally. His favourite film genre is horror (bring on Scream 5!) and he never tires of listening to Absolute 80s on the radio.