Arriving in select theaters this month is Anora—the new Sean Baker-directed, Neon-distributed film—which won the coveted Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival this spring. Having since appeared at the Toronto International Film Festival and Telluride Film Festival, Anora is poised to make a critical arrival upon hitting theaters nationwide later this year. The Cinderella story with a strip-club twist features Mikey Madison (Scream, Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood) as its star, and her breakout performance in the film’s leading role has ignited a flurry of Academy Awards speculation as awards season approaches.
Anora follows its titular character, who goes by “Ani,” a brash and magnetic New York City dancer who finds herself entering a whirlwind romance with Vanya (Mark Eidelshtein), the 21-year old son of a Russian oligarch. The two elope impulsively in Vegas, much to the discontent of Vanya’s family, who threaten to come to the states to end their marriage. The film explores themes of power, privilege, class, and control, anchored by Ani, the spitfire tour de force at its center.
Actress Mikey Madison has been absorbing the praise for her revelatory performance with grace, telling Screen Rant, “I’m just so happy people have been loving the film and that it’s going to be shown in a much broader way than I ever could have anticipated.” Writer and director Baker feels similarly, revealing at Cannes that winning the Palme and earning recognition on the world-cinema stage was what he has long considered the aspired “end-all be-all” of his career, per Vanity Fair.
Here’s how to watch what is quickly becoming one of the most beloved and buzzy films of 2024.
Is Anora currently streaming?
As of October 18, Anora is playing in select U.S. theaters. The film is expected to expand its release later this year to a wider range of theaters. However, it is not currently available to watch on any streaming services.
When will Anora be available for streaming?
Neon and FilmNation have yet to confirm an official streaming date for Anora. But because Neon has an existing deal with Hulu, in which all Neon titles exclusively stream on the Disney-owned platform, audiences can expect the film to hit Hulu in the coming months. If Anora follows a similar timeline to other Neon projects, it should land on the streamer sometime in early 2025.
On which streaming services will Anora be available to watch?
Anora will certainly stream as part of Hulu’s subscriber offerings, but fans can also look to purchase or rent the film on-demand on Amazon Prime, Apple TV, and YouTube—perhaps before the end of 2024. Previous Neon titles have hit VOD services around 40 days after their theatrical releases, per Screen Rant, but Anora might follow a different schedule depending on its limited-to-wide theatrical timeline. For now, the only option to watch the movie is in theaters, but trust us: Ani’s story is worth the ticket.
This story will be updated.
Sofia Bianchi is a Business Assistant on the Creative Operations Team at HearstMade and a culture writer covering film, television, and entertainment.