How to watch Dune (2021) in Australia

Like many big-ticket movies that were supposed to be released last year, the latest iteration of Dune was delayed out of 2020… by a full year. Originally slated for an October 2020 release, this first chapter of an epic sci-fi yarn from acclaimed writer/director Denis Villeneuve is finally enjoying acclaim.

And while patient cinemagoers in Australia can see it on the big screen later this year or off in the future via digital rental or, potentially, an Australian streaming service, those who aren’t as patient can check it out sooner. Here’s how.

With double vaccinations in vogue, Australia’s more populous places are finally starting to open again which means, unlike The Suicide Squad, heading to the cinema is actually a viable option again for most Aussies hanging out to see Dune. But if you do want to see Dune on the big screen, you’ll have to wait until 2 December 2021.

There is a chance you can check it out sooner as part of the Sydney Film Festival, but you’ll need to be in Sydney in November, plus tickets are selling out at an incredible clip. Thankfully, there’s another way.

You can watch the latest iteration of Dune right now with the right combination of virtual private network (VPN) and access to an HBO Max subscription. Before we get too far ahead, it’s worth flagging that streaming services tend to dislike the use of VPNs to access their services, so you are at risk of falling afoul of HBO Max’s user agreement, which could lead to your account being banned.

Not deterred? Let’s power on.

The first thing you need before you can even access HBO Max from Australia is a VPN service that can bypass the US streaming service’s geoblocking. Bear in mind that streaming services like HBO Max and Netflix US tend to do regular VPN server blocking sweeps, which means they may be temporarily unavailable. If this happens, try switching between US servers. Below are the six VPN services that we’d recommend pairing with HBO Max for the best results when streaming from Australia:

• NordVPN
• Hotspot Shield
• PureVPN
• Windscribe VPN
• TunnelBear
• ExpressVPN

If you’re fortunate to have friends, family members or work colleagues that live in the USA—the kind of legends who don’t mind sharing login details for US-specific streaming services—then your next step is to politely convince them to get you on their HBO Max account. HBO Max allows three users to stream simultaneously, meaning all you have to do is use a VPN to connect to a US server, then use the generously provided HBO Max account details to start streaming.

If you don’t have easy access to an HBO Max account, the next step is to pay for it yourself, which is a trick in and of itself. What you need is either gift cards or a US virtual credit card, the latter of which is a painful process to set up.

That leaves gift cards. While scoring HBO gift cards used to be a cinch, it’s tricker these days since the shift to HBO Max. You can try your luck at backdooring HBO Max via the easier-to-access Hulu, another US streaming service, which offers HBO Max as an add-on. That said, HBO Max may not show up as one of the extras. The good news is that Hulu offers a one-month free trial to test those waters, plus there’s usually a seven-day trial for add-on channels, including HBO Max. Head to an online retailer like MyGiftCardSupply to nab a Hulu gift card, then redeem it via the corresponding Hulu page.

Remember to use your VPN, connected to a US server, when interacting with Hulu so it functions as it should. You can hopefully find HBO Max and other channel add-ons via the ‘Manage add-ons’ section of your account page.

This is the most convoluted way to watch Dune and any other content that tickles your fancy on HBO Max, but it’s one that worked in our tests. Sign up for HBO Max via the App Store on iOS devices or Google Play Store on Android gadgets. Full disclosure: we haven’t tested the iOS option.

The Android approach necessitates the installation of a VPN on your Android device (all of the VPNs listed above have Android apps) to interact with HBO Max. You want to type something along the lines of ‘HBO Max download apk’ into a search engine to find a raw app installer (apk) for HBO Max. This is because you won’t find it by searching for it on the Google Play Store as it’s geoblocked.

Installing apk files is technically an advanced step, so we wouldn’t advise it for most Android users unless you know what you’re doing. Once downloaded, install the HBO Max apk file, then connect to a US server on your VPN of choice. What you want to do then is set up a recurring payment subscription via Google Play as a payment method, rather than other options (either monthly or annually). It may not work with certain payment methods, but you can try others if you have more than one.

Once that works, you’re free to use a VPN on any supported device to access HBO Max content, including Dune.