Dune – the new sci-fi blockbuster starring Oscar nominee Timothée Chalamet – is free to stream on the HBO Max Ad-Free plan from today, 21st October. Excited? Read on for how to watch Dune on HBO Max in 4K from any country in the world.
Dune (2021) tells the story of Paul Atreides (Chalamet), a brilliant and gifted nobleman entrusted with protecting the galaxy’s most vital element from evil forces that are hellbent of wiping out humanity. An all-star Dune cast includes Rebecca Ferguson, Jason Momoa, Stellan Skarsgård, Javier Bardem, Zendaya and Dave Bautista.
Dune premieres in US movie theatres on Thursday 21st October 2021, and you can also stream it on HBO Max from 6pm ET (midnight on Friday 22nd in the UK). Away from the US? Follow this guide on how to watch Dune on HBO Max from anywhere in the world.
And while you wait for the “awe-inspiring” new movie to drop, don’t forget you can watch Dune 1984 in 4K HDR now or even read the Frank Herbert Dune book series as a warm up.
Watch Dune (1984) in 4K HDR now
The Dune (1984) film adaptation, written and directed by David Lynch and based on the 1965 science fiction novel by American author Frank Herbert, bombed at the box office, grossing a lowly $30.9m from a $40m budget. The critics weren’t too kind, either. The late Roger Ebert called Dune (1984) “a real mess” that was both “ugly” and “incomprehensible”.
Since then, an army of sci-fi fans have embraced the movie, hailing it as the “the anti-Star Wars“. Now considered a cult classic, Dune (1984) is spoken about in the same breath as the likes of Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey.
You can buy Dune (1984) to watch and own in the UK in 4K HDR on both Apple TV and Amazon Prime Video for the bargain price of just £4.99 (Amazon / iTunes). Well worth it. Go the Apple route and you’ll get the Dolby Vision version.
Sadly, those in the States can only buy the HD version and it’s seriously expensive too at $14.99. Renting for $3.99 seems a better option, there.
Set in the distant future, the Dune (1984) movie chronicles the conflict between rival noble families as they battle for control of the desert planet Arrakis, or ‘Dune’. The planet is the only source of the fictional drug Spice, which allows awareness and is vital to space travel.
So, is it worth watching Dune (1984)? It certainly does a good job of easing viewers into the weird and wonderful Dune universe, but director Denis Villeneuve (Blade Runner 2049) intended his take on Dune to stand on its own – and capture a whole new audience.
If you’d like to take things even further, then there’s also the Dune miniseries from 2000 called Frank Herbert’s Dune. The story here focuses deeper on the rise of the young Paul Atreides before his arrival on Arrakis. It’s a three-parter available in HD on both iTunes and Amazon for approximately £6.99 in the UK.
It’s harder to get hold of in the States, so UK citizens travelling abroad will need to use a VPN to access Frank Herbert’s Dune online.
Lastly, if you really want to go deep, then there is one more piece of the Dune oeuvre that you really ought to sample. Dune 1984 was not the first time that a film adaptation of the Frank Herbet novel was attempted. In the mid-70s, cult film director Alejandro Jodorowsky also had a go. It didn’t turn out so well.
Jodorowsky’s Dune is a 2013 documentary detailing this aborted effort. You can stream this critically acclaimed, award-winning, 90-minute movie on most services for £3.49/$3.99. Again, well worth a watch.
Dune book
But to go deepest of all into Dune, then it’s the Dune book series that you’ll need. As well as the original Dune novel, Frank Herbert followed it up with five very good sequels which explore the lengths and breadths of the universe he created for the first story.
Try the original Dune book and see how you get on or dive straight in with the Dune book boxset. It’s £29.99 in the UK and $77.70 in the US. Enjoy.
Dune trailer
Watch Dune on HBO Max
HBO Max, HBO’s streaming service, is the place to find Dune. The movie is available to stream for 31 days from Thursday 21st October 2021 at 6pm ET / 3pm PT / midnight BST (Fri) / 8am (Fri) AEST .
Subscription to HBO Max costs just $14.99 a month. There’s no contract and you can cancel at any time. (You can’t access the movie via HBO’s $9.99 ad-supported plan). Hulu subscribers can get a 7-day free trial of HBO Max.
Dune won’t be out on Blu-ray for a few months yet, so unless you want to wait – and nobody wants to wait – you’ll need to subscribe to HBO Max.
Today’s cheapest HBO Max deal
HBO Max is currently only available in the US, so you’ll need to use a VPN to access your account when travelling away and outside the States. Details below.
How to watch HBO Max from anywhere
US citizen stuck outside the United States? No problem. You can access HBO Max from anywhere in the world using a VPN (Virtual Private Network). We typically recommend ExpressVPN since it offers a risk-free 30-day money-back guarantee.
With a good VPN, you can sign into your HBO Max account (or even create a new one) and watch Dune as if you were in the States. Good to know, right?
Using a VPN is incredibly simple.
1. Install the VPN of your choice. ExpressVPN is the one we recommend.
2. Open up the VPN app and choose the location of the service you wish to access. For the HBO Max, you should ‘USA’ (or a US city such).
3. Then head over to HBO Max on your browser or device and stream Dune.
If, for whatever reason, you can’t get it working, then do remember that you have the comfort of a 30-day money back guarantee with ExpressVPN. You could also try NordVPN, which also comes with a 30-day money back guarantee.
Do I need a US credit card?
Don’t have a US credit card? You can also use PayPal, when you sign up via the iOS or Android HBO Max app on your iPhone/iPad or Android mobile device. Here’s a step-by-step guide…
Sign up to HBO Max without a US credit card:
1. Launch your VPN and select United States as your country.
2. Create a new Apple ID/Google account remembering to pick United States as your country. (Apple users should be able to use a UK phone number, but should head to the Apple ID website to sign up, rather than using an app on their device).
3. Now use your shiny new Apple ID/Google account to access the US Apple App Store or US Google Play Store and download the HBO Max app.
4. Subscribe to HBO Max through the HBO Max app, using PayPal (you should be able to use a UK PayPal account as your method of payment).
5. You should now be able to sign in to your HBO Max account from any device and watch Dune from anywhere in the world.
How can I get the HBO Max app?
Very easily. You’ll find the HBO Max app on a wide range of smart TVs, games consoles and streaming devices including:
- Roku TV and Roku devices (OS 9.3 and above)
- Chromecast
- Amazon Fire tablets (4th gen or later), Amazon Fire TV, Amazon Fire TV Stick, Amazon Fire TV Cube and Amazon Fire TV Edition smart TVs
- Samsung TVs (2016 or later)
- LG TVs (2018 or later)
- Android TV (OS 5+)
- Apple TV box (4th gen or later)
- Computers running Mac OSX, Windows or Chrome OS
- Android smartphones and tablets (with Android OS 5 or later)
- iPhone, iPad, and other Apple iOS 12.2 or later devices
- Sony PS4, PS5
- Microsoft Xbox One X and Xbox Series X and S
Can I watch Dune in 4K Ultra HD?
Yes. Every Warner Bros. theatrical release coming to HBO Max, including Dune, will stream in 4K Ultra HD.
The films will be available in Dolby Vision HDR, but Dolby Atmos support depends on how each film was produced.
To enjoy HBO Max content in 4K HDR you will need:
1. 4K TV with support for HDR (Dolby Vision or HDR10).
2. Supported 4K HDR streaming device (Amazon Fire TV stick 4K and Fire TV Cube, Android TVs, Apple TV 4K, Google Chromecast Ultra/with Google TV, Roku Ultra 4800x, Roku 4k TVs, Roku Premiere, and Roku Streaming Stick+).
3. Broadband connection – over 25Mbps ideally.
Is Dune on Netflix?
Short answer: no.
Dune is currently exclusive to HBO, along with a number of other Warner Bros. pictures such as the The Matrix trilogy, which is available in Dolby Vision and with Dolby Atmos surround sound.
What else can I watch on HBO Max?
The HBO Max app offers access to the complete HBO catalogue, including every episode of The Sopranos, The Wire, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Veep, Westworld and South Park.
You also also get access to WarnerMedia’s vast library of movies and TV shows stretching back 100 years, from Casablanca and Citizen Kane to Braveheart and the Harry Potter films.
Selected Warner titles – such as Dune and The Many Saints of Newark – will be available on HBO Max for 31 days, so you can play (and pause) them from the comfort of your couch. These ‘same day premieres’ will end in 2022, sign up now if you want to make the most of them.
Prefer Japanese anime? HBO Max is the only streaming service that provides access to content from the legendary Japanese film studio Studio Ghibli in the US. Fan of 90s sitcoms? HBO Max is the place to see the (unscripted) Friends and Fresh Prince of Bel Air reunions.
Will there be a Dune sequel?
Dune is technically called Dune: Part One so you won’t be surprised to hear that fans are already talking about Dune: Part Two.
“Will we have a sequel to Dune? If you watch the movie you see how it ends,” said WarnerMedia CEO Ann Sarnoff on the day that Part One debuted in US theaters. “I think you pretty much know the answer to that.”
But, although Warner Bros. has agreed to director Denis Villeneuve’s two-movie plan, there’s still no official confirmation that the second film will ever be made. Most analysts believe it all depends on how Dune does at the box office, and how many people stream it on HBO Max and elsewhere.
So if you want to see Villeneuve’s vision fulfilled, make a beeline for HBO Max (or your local cinema/IMAX screen).
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