Ethan Hawke’s 103-Minute Franchise-Starter Dials Into a New Streamer Next Month

In late 2025, Ethan Hawke returned to his ghastliest role yet when Scott Derrickson finally unveiled Black Phone 2 to audiences around the globe. The hotly anticipated sequel had been in the works almost immediately following the cinematic arrival of the title’s predecessor back in 2021, and audiences turned out in droves to see how the story could possibly continue. Now, with Black Phone 2 arriving on digital and its official streaming home at Peacock, fans are being given the opportunity to pick up the call and dive into the second chapter of Derrickson’s horrifying tale. But, for those who still need to see where the franchise all began, there are a few options available to screen The Black Phone from the comfort of your own home. While purchasing or renting on a digital platform is always a strong option, along with streaming on Peacock, your horizons are officially about to expand, as Netflix will soon answer the call when it adds the supernatural horror flick to its catalog on February 12.

Based on Joe Hill’s 2004 short story of the same name, The Black Phone centers on a small town where children are being picked off the streets by a predator known only as The Grabber (Hawke). The film focuses on Finney (Mason Thames) and his younger sister, Gwen (Madeleine McGraw), who live with their alcoholic and abusive father following the tragic passing of their mother. While on the way home from school, Finney crosses paths with The Grabber and becomes his next kidnapping victim. After being thrown into the psychopath’s basement, Finney endures a cat-and-mouse game with his captor, but soon finds help is just a phone call away thanks to a mysterious black rotary phone that has the power to conjure the dead.

The popularity of The Black Phone took off like wildfire, with Hawke absolutely nailing his role as the sadistic villain. Against an $18 million production budget, the original movie raked in a whopping $161.4 million at the global box office, quickly becoming a top earner for Universal Pictures and landing a sequel order shortly after it began haunting cinemas. In addition to the performances from Hawke and the movie’s young child stars, it also featured the talents of Jeremy Davies (Saving Private Ryan) and the late James Ransone (The Wire).

The Future of ‘The Black Phone’

Now, with Black Phone 2 out of cinemas, all eyes are on Universal and Blumhouse to continue the franchise with a third installment. Hill has shared his hopes that the sequel wouldn’t be the last time The Grabber would be seen on the big screen, as he recently explained,

“One of the things which is fun about Black Phone is the first story is about Finney in danger and his sister trying to save him. He’s the lead, and she’s the key second character. But in this film, there’s a flip where Gwen is the lead character and her brother is trying to save her. To me, the logical thing is if there is a third film, they are dual stars where they’re sitting trying to save each other. Maybe there’s a way to do that, maybe there isn’t… we’ll have to see.”

Head over to Netflix on February 12 to stream The Black Phone.