It's been a long wait since the movie's September 1 premiere at the Venice International Film Festival, but is now available to stream on Max. After having a wide theatrical release (complete with a 15-minute intermission), a premium physical release from A24, and a digital version available for purchase, Max subscribers can now access Brady Corbet's American epic. The film has clearly continued to live up to the hype surrounding it, as The Brutalist has reached the top of the Max streaming charts, showing plenty of people are interested in viewing the critically acclaimed movie.

What's most impressive is how The Brutalist only just recently landed on Max. The movie only just landed on the streaming platform on May 16 and became an instant success over the weekend. At the time of this writing, The Brutalist is number 1 in the top 10 movies on Max, beating out several Final Destination movies that are in the other top 4 spots. While it makes sense that the Final Destination films are in the top spot due to the recent release of Final Destination: Bloodlines, The Brutalist becoming one of the most popular films on Max is a bit more perplexing.

One possible reason for the film's popularity could be that its limited run in theaters, paired with its over-three-hour runtime, had discouraged people from immediately seeing the film. The streaming landscape has allowed viewers to experience films at their own leisurely pace, something that The Brutalist would be perfect for viewers to take breaks in watching. Given that the film had a 15-minute intermission in theaters, Corbet's A24 film is best viewed in parts at home.

Another reason for the success of The Brutalist on Max could be the awards recognition the film received earlier this year. The film received 10 Academy Award nominations, including for Best Picture, Director, and Actor. Of the 10, the film would win three: Best Cinematography, Best Score, and Best Actor for Adrien Brody, losing out on the other big nominations to Sean Baker's film, Anora. Despite all the controversies surrounding AI use, the movie has managed to stay relevant and find success.

The Brutalist tells the story of Jewish Hungarian architect László Toth (Adrien Brody), who immigrates to America in search of a better life. The film spans decades as the architect reunites with his wife, Erzsébet (Felicity Jones), and begins an intense working relationship with business magnate Harrison Lee Van Buren (Guy Pearce). Overall, it is a powerful story about the immigrant experience that is worth watching on Max.

Interestingly, the home release version of the film has a shortened intermission. Whether it is viewed on DVD or on Max, The Brutalist's intermission is only a minute-long, as opposed to the 15-minute one that audiences were treated to in theaters. It's exciting to see that a three-and-a-half-hour movie has had such a phenomenal streaming debut, and serves as further proof that HBO's streaming deal with A24 continues to pay off.