HBO Max’s next big movie arrives July 12 — and it has 87% on Rotten Tomatoes

If you want to check out The Bob’s Burgers Movie, but haven’t been able to get yourself to a theater, then you’re in luck: HBO Max has announced that the feature-film spin-off of the long-running animated show will be available to stream on July 12 (opens in new tab).

For those keeping count, that’s 45 days after the movie’s May 27 release date. That means The Bob’s Burgers Movie will be following the example led by the MCU and other blockbusters, and jumping to streaming in the shortest possible time.

What’s The Bob’s Burgers Movie about? 

The main plot of The Bob’s Burgers Movie is the Belcher family grappling with the fact a giant sinkhole has opened up right outside their restaurant’s front door. Bob and Linda have to contend with its effect on business, and the looming deadline of their business loan repayment. 

The Belcher kids all have their own problems to deal with, as much as kids can have problems, and end up kickstarting a murder investigation. Naturally they end up trying to solve it themselves, after the police arrest their friend Mickey the carny — who insists on his innocence.

Believe it or not, that’s all pretty standard for the family.

What are critics saying about The Bob’s Burgers Movie? 

The Bob’s Burgers Movie currently has an 87% rating on Rotten Tomatoes (opens in new tab), based on 137 critic reviews — making it certified “Fresh.” Audiences seem to agree, with an 89% score based on over 1,000 verified ratings. It holds a 7.4/10 rating on IMDB (opens in new tab).

According to the critical blurb, The Bob’s Burgers Movie “offers all the heart, humor, and clever callbacks that fans of the show will be looking for while remaining an entertaining entry point for the unconverted.” Meanwhile, the Audience summary declares that the movie is “fun for newcomers, and it definitely won’t disappoint fans of the show.”

Why is The Bob’s Burgers Movie coming to HBO Max?

What’s most interesting about this news is the choice of streaming service. Bob’s Burgers was developed by Fox, which later became 20th Century Studios after the studio’s merger with Disney in 2019. That’s why you’ll find all 12 seasons of the show on Hulu in the United States, and Disney Plus elsewhere.

The Warner Bros Discovery-owned HBO Max, as best as we can tell, wasn’t involved, making the movie’s debut on the service a little confusing, especially since Disney generally prefers to keep everything it owns pretty close to its chest. 

The only explanation we can think of is either some pre-existing contract that has to be honored, or the streaming rights were sold off the way any other movie might be. Either way it’s kind of annoying for Bob’s Burgers fans, who will need two subscriptions to watch the show in its entirety. Hulu pricing starts at $7 a month with ads and $13 a month without, while HBO Max costs $15 a month.

Should you watch The Bob’s Burgers Movie? 

If you like Bob’s Burgers as a show, then you’ll probably love The Bob’s Burgers Movie. According to one Tom’s Guide staff member, the whole thing is like an extended episode of the show. So you have absolutely nothing to worry about.

For people who haven’t seen the show before, the movie may well be as good an entry point as any. Bob’s Burgers is not the kind of show to involve long overarching plots that will be confusing to first-time viewers. The movie’s extended run time should also give you the chance to understand all the various characters, and their many, many quirks.

The Audience blurb from Rotten Tomatoes puts it best, claiming the movie is fun for newcomers and won’t disappoint fans of the show. So the only people who shouldn’t watch it are the ones that already figured out they don’t like Bob’s Burgers.