“If adventure has a name, it’s Indiana Jones!” For over four decades, Harrison Ford has portrayed Dr. Henry “Indiana” Jones, Jr. on the big screen. This week, after a 15-year hiatus, Ford is back in his trademark Fedora for Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. This time, Indy’s a much older man who is trying to adjust to the changing times in 1969. But when some of his old Nazi foes reemerge, Indiana Jones will once again step up to save the world.
Since Steven Spielberg helmed the first four films, Director James Mangold is stepping into some pretty big shoes. This film’s legacy extends back to 1981’s Raiders of the Lost Ark, and Ford isn’t the only one reprising his role from that movie. John Rhys-Davies is back as Sallah, and Karen Allen will appear as Marion Ravenwood. Newcomers to the franchise include Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Antonio Banderas, Toby Jones, Boyd Holbrook, Ethann Isidore, and Mads Mikkelsen.
Now, we’ll answer your burning question about whether The Dial of Destiny is available to stream.
Is Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny streaming?
No, not yet. And if the film’s budget is really $295 million, as previously reported, then Disney and Lucasfilm need to keep The Dial of Destiny in theaters for as long as possible to recoup that cost. Disney has learned its lesson from the Black Widow day-and-date theatrical and streaming debacle.
Releasing a big-budget movie on streaming platforms on the same day that it opens in theaters almost always results in disaster at the box office. Even so, it’s going to take several weeks of repeat moviegoers to make Indy’s final movie into a profitable sequel.
Will Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny be available to stream at home?
Yes, and it will be streaming on Disney+. Unlike the first four movies in the franchise, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny is being distributed by Disney instead of Paramount.
That means Disney has the rights to put it on Disney+. However, Paramount and Disney recently announced a deal that brought the first four Indiana Jones films to Disney+ alongside The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones. It’s possible that Disney may share streaming access to The Dial of Destiny with Paramount+ as part of that deal.
Is this the end of the Indiana Jones franchise?
Even if The Dial of Destiny is a massive flop, we would bet against it being the end of Indiana Jones. Harrison Ford has been pretty adamant about this being his final outing as Indy. But that doesn’t preclude Phoebe Waller-Bridge from continuing to have adventures as Indy’s goddaughter, Helena Shaw, if her character is warmly embraced by moviegoers. It’s really too soon to tell on that front.
But the reason why we believe Indiana Jones will live on is that he is an iconic character, and icons always return in some form. At some point in the future, someone will take another stab at making an Indiana Jones story, either as a film or as a Disney+ series. Bethesda Softworks has already announced a new Indiana Jones video game is in development, and it won’t be the last. The medium may change, but Indy will forever be finding some new treasures to discover.