Alexander Skarsgård‘s upcoming BDSM drama Pillion has set its release date on HBO Max. The film premiered at last year’s Cannes Film Festival to critical acclaim. It was later released in U.S. theaters, expanding to more screens over time.
When is the Pillion HBO Max release date?
Pillion will be released on HBO Max on Friday, June 5, 2026. The movie will then air on HBO linear on June 6, 2026, at 8:00 p.m. ET. A24 also revealed that an unrated version will be available to stream on HBO Max the same day.
The film follows Colin (Harry Melling), a timid young man, as he falls for the handsome biker Ray (Skarsgård), who takes him as his submissive. It is based on the 2020 novel Box Hill by Adam Mars-Jones.
During its theatrical release window, Skarsgård spoke with ComingSoon about how well its sex scenes propel character dynamics instead of only being explicit for the audience.
“That excited me about the story and about those scenes, the fact that they’re explicit, but they also propel the story forward,” said Skarsgård. “You learn a lot about Ray and even more about Colin in those scenes. They’re again pivotal moments in Colin’s development. So, that’s why I was genuinely excited about shooting them. They didn’t feel like Harry [Lighton] put them in the movie to just like, get attention or to kind of shock or be provocative.”
Pillion received praise from critics for Melling and Skarsgård’s performances, particularly noting it as the former’s breakthrough role. Melling is most well known for portraying Dudley Dursley in the Harry Potter films, and has expanded his repertoire with dramas like The Queen’s Gambit, Wolf Hall, and The Tragedy of Macbeth. Skarsgård received praise for his performance in The Northman, Succession, and Apple TV’s Murderbot.
Pillion is written and directed by Harry Lighton. The film is produced by Ed Guiney, Andrew Lowe, Emma Norton, and Lee Groombridge.
