The Batman's streaming release date was accidentally leaked, and it's coming to HBO Max much sooner than you might expect, as evidenced by HBO itself announcing - and promptly removing - the movie's streaming availability on its own website.
Spotted by Deadline, The Batman is due to launch on HBO Max on April 19, closely followed by a release on the HBO cable network a few days later on April 23. That's roughly a month and a half after The Batman's theatrical release date of March 4, 2022.
The Batman continues to perform extremely well at the box office and is soon expected to pass a cool $500 million in revenue, easily surpassing its estimated budget of around $185-200 million.
It's not just a commercial success, either, as The Batman currently holds an average rating of 8.4 over on IMDb, making it one of the most highly-rated DC films since the Christopher Nolan-directed Dark Knight trilogy, beating middling entries like Batman v Superman and Wonder Woman 1984.
The Batman, which sees Robert Pattinson take up the mantle of the caped crusader, isn't to be a standalone project, either, with TV show The Penguin also coming to HBO Max, in which Colin Farrell will reprise his role as the titular eccentric villain.
Analysis: Is The Batman coming to HBO Max too soon?
While it may seem like The Batman is releasing on HBO Max a bit prematurely, it's actually not out of the ordinary for a Warner Bros. project. Jason Kilar, CEO of WarnerMedia, has previously confirmed that theatrical releases from Warner Bros. throughout 2022 and beyond will land on HBO Max roughly 45 days (give or take) after their cinematic debut.
That means you can likely expect more upcoming Warner Bros. movies like Black Adam and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom to also be pushed onto HBO Max not too long after their theatrical debut, assuming those release plans don't suddenly change on WarnerMedia's end.
While it's true that neither WarnerMedia or HBO have commented on The Batman's streaming release window, that April 19 date does line up with that aforementioned month-and-a-half gap from cinema to TV screen. As such, we'd honestly be surprised if that date proved inaccurate or is pushed back in any way.
