'Downton Abbey' Movie Isn't Streaming Yet, Sorry

Downton Abbey: A New Era, the latest feature-length film drawn from the popular period drama series, hit US theaters Friday. But fans who want to take it in from the comfort of home will need to wait a while before it's available on a streaming service. 

Last year, an unprecedented number of new theatrical movies streamed online the same day they hit cinemas. But this year, as COVID-19 restrictions have eased and audiences have returned to cinemas, the practice has nearly vanished. Pretty much all movies now get at least a month and a half in theaters exclusively -- often longer. 

Where is Downton Abbey: A New Era streaming?

For now, nowhere. The latest Downton Abbey movie is being released exclusively in theaters at first. 

But it'll stream on Peacock eventually. The Downton Abbey movie is being distributed in the US by Focus Features, which is owned by NBCUniversal. Peacock is owned by the same company, and the service has a deal to be the first place to stream movies distributed by Focus. 

Where can I stream the original Downton Abbey show and its 2019 theatrical film? 

If you want to catch up on Downton Abbey's past, all six seasons of the show are currently streaming on both Peacock and Amazon Prime Video in the US, and Peacock is also streaming the 2019 Downton Abbey movie. 

When will Downton Abbey: A New Era start streaming? 

Peacock hasn't confirmed the streaming release date for the movie yet. But the publicly announced terms of Peacock's deal to stream movies like A New Era gives us a timeframe to expect it. Downtown Abbey is likely to start streaming sometime after it has 45 days in theaters but before hitting four months since its theatrical release. 

If the Downton Abbey movie hit Peacock exactly after the 45-day period, then it would become available to stream there on or around July 5. 

But if it takes nearly the full four months before landing on Peacock, then the movie would start streaming sometime in mid- to late September. 

Will Downton Abbey be free to stream on Peacock? 

No, Peacock routinely puts new movies like Downton Abbey: A New Era behind its paywall. 

If you don't already have a premium Peacock subscription, you'll need to sign up for a $5-a-month or a $10-a-month premium tier if you want to watch A New Era or any of Peacock's other paywalled programming (like Yellowstone, Premier League matches, WWE, The Office and other popular stuff.)

Peacock has some deals that could reduce -- or even eliminate -- your cost of being a premium member.  

But the movie is expected to be available to Peacock premium subscribers without any additional fee. So if you're already a premium subscriber to Peacock, then you'll be able to stream Downton Abbey just like anything else on the service. 

How long will Downtown Abbey: A New Era be on Peacock? 

Once the Downton Abbey movie arrives on Peacock, it's expected to stay there for four months.