If there’s an unsolved murder under bizarre circumstances, you’d probably want Sherlock Holmes on the case. But if we can’t have the great detective, Agatha Christie‘s Hercule Poirot is a more than adequate substitute. Since 2017, director and actor Kenneth Branagh has helmed and starred in three films as Poirot, starting with Murder on the Orient Express, which was followed by Death on the Nile in 2022. This week, Branagh is back in theaters with A Haunting in Venice, which was one of our picks for the three movies you need to watch in September. This time, Christie’s mystery may also be a ghost story.
The film takes place in 1947 after Poirot has retired and moved to Venice. Despite a desire for the quiet life, Poirot is roped into investigating a murder at a séance, and there doesn’t seem to be any shortage of suspects. The cast for the film includes Kyle Allen as Maxime Gerard, Camille Cottin as Olga Seminoff, Jamie Dornan as Dr. Leslie Ferrier, Tina Fey as Ariadne Oliver, Jude Hill as Leopold Ferrier, Ali Khan as Nicholas Holland, Emma Laird as Desdemona Holland, Kelly Reilly as Rowena Drake, Riccardo Scamarcio as Vitale Portfoglio, and Michelle Yeoh as Joyce Reynolds.
If you want to know who the killer is, you’ll have to see the movie. But what we can tell you right now is whether A Haunting in Venice is available on a streaming service near you.,
Is A Haunting in Venice streaming?
No, not yet. But A Haunting in Venice may only be a modest player at the box office. Frankly, it’s amazing that Branagh has been able to star in and direct three Agatha Christie movie adaptations considering that Christie’s style of detective fiction has largely been out of favor with modern audiences. Given the niche appeal of the subject matter, a streaming premiere might have been a better option for this older-skewing movie.
Having said that, it’s always possible that A Haunting in Venice may put on a stronger performance than expected during its opening weekend in theaters. But blockbuster status seems out of the question, and it will likely be out of most movie theaters by its third or fourth week.
Will A Haunting in Venice be available to stream at home?
Yes, and perhaps even as soon as the end of December. In theory, 20th Century Studios’ parent company, Disney, could even bring A Haunting in Venice to Hulu on October 31, which would be 45 days after its theatrical premiere. But that would be a particularly accelerated timeline, and Disney doesn’t often take that course of action unless the movie in question is a box office bomb. Take Strange World, for example. When that animated flick cratered last fall, Disney didn’t waste much time getting Strange World up on Disney+. We predict a better fate for A Haunting in Venice, but we can’t rule out a worst-case scenario.
For now, we’ll stick with our best estimate that A Haunting in Venice will stream in December, or even January 2024 at the latest.
A Haunting in Venice is now playing in theaters.
