Charlie Plummer as Barkovitch, Garrett Wareing as Stebbins, Cooper Hoffman as Garraty, David Jonsson as McVries, Ben Wang as Olson, Tut Nyuot as Baker, and Joshua Odjick as Parker in “The Long Walk.”
Murray Close/Lionsgate
The Long Walk, the big-screen adaptation of Stephen King’s first novel, is new in theaters. How soon will it be before you can watch the film at home?
Directed by Francis Lawrence and adapted for the screen by JT Mollner (Strange Darlings), The Long Walk opens in theaters nationwide on Friday. In the dystopian thriller, a group of teenage boys compete in an annual contest called The Long Walk, which has a huge cash prize for the winner who completes it. The catch is that the participants must walk at a minimum of 3 miles per hour. If they fall below that speed, they will be executed.
Rated R, The Long Walk stars Cooper Hoffman, David Jonsson, Garrett Wareing, Tut Nyuot, Charlie Plummer, Ben Wang, Roman Griffin Davis, Jordan Gonzalez, Joshua Odjick, Josh Hamilton, Judy Greer and Mark Hamill.
Right now, the only place you can see The Long Walk is in theaters, so check your local listings for showtimes.
The first place The Long Walk will appear in the home entertainment market is digital streaming via premium video on demand. Generally, films from The Long Walk’s studio, Lionsgate, take about three weeks to a month after they open in theaters before they arrive on PVOD.
For example, the Lionsgate thriller Flight Risk opened in theaters Jan. 24 and debuted on PVOD about three weeks later, on Feb. 14. In addition, the Ana de Armas and Keanu Reeves action thriller From the World of John Wick: Ballerina opened in theaters on June 6 and arrived on PVOD about three and a half weeks later, on July 1.
If The Long Walk follows the same pattern, then viewers can expect the film to arrive on PVOD sometime between Oct. 7 and Oct. 14, since new films on PVOD are generally released on Tuesdays.
Which Streaming Service Will Get ‘The Long Walk’ First?
Since Lionsgate has a deal with STARZ to release its films first on streaming video on demand, viewers can expect The Long Walk to be available on the STARZ app first.
Typically, it takes three and a half to four months after a Lionsgate film is released in theaters before it arrives on SVOD.
For example, the Mark Wahlberg air thriller Flight Risk arrived on SVOD on STARZ on May 24, four months after its Jan. 24 theatrical release.
More recently, though, STARZ announced that From the World of John Wick: Ballerina will debut on SVOD on Sept. 25, about three and a half months after its June 6 debut.
If The Long Walk follows the same path, the film should arrive on STARZ anytime between Dec. 25 and Jan. 8, 2026, since new films on SVOD typically arrive on Thursdays.
The Long Walk opens in theaters nationwide on Fridays.