Max subscribers danced the night away with Barbie, and now Peacock subs are gaining the other inescapable movie of the summer: Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer.

Oppenheimer stars Cillian Murphy as J. Robert Oppenheimer, often referred to as the "father of the atomic bomb," and it's set to start streaming on Peacock in mid-February. In addition to the three-hour thriller, fans of Nolan films can watch Inception, Dunkirk, The Dark Knight Trilogy and Memento on Peacock right now.

Oppenheimer initially hit theaters in July (on the same day as Greta Gerwig's doll-themed comedy) and has grossed more than $950 million worldwide. Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, Robert Downey Jr. and Florence Pugh are also in the cast, and the movie won five Golden Globes, including Best Motion Picture Drama. Here's when you can watch the film, plus how a VPN could assist with streaming.

When to watch 'Oppenheimer' on Peacock

Viewers in the US can start watching the movie as early as 5 a.m. ET/2 a.m. PT on Feb. 16.

Don't have Peacock? You can subscribe to ad-supported Peacock Premium for $6 a month or mostly ad-free Peacock Premium for $12 a month. You may be eligible to get Peacock for free or at a discount if you're a student or a Spectrum, Xfinity internet or Instacart customer. Oppenheimer won't be on the free tier of Peacock, so you'll need to upgrade if that's the version of Peacock you currently use.

If you want to watch Oppenheimer now, you can rent it for $6 from services like Amazon and Vudu.

Know you want to watch Peacock for at least a year? You can opt to pay an annual price up front. Peacock Premium is $60 a year and Premium Plus is $120, and both save some money over paying monthly for the same period of time.

How to watch 'Oppenheimer' from anywhere with a VPN

Perhaps you're traveling abroad and want to stream Peacock while away from home. With a VPN, you're able to virtually change your location on your phone, tablet or laptop to get access to the movie from anywhere in the world. There are other good reasons to use a VPN for streaming too.

A VPN is the best way to encrypt your traffic to stop your ISP from throttling your speeds. Using a VPN is also a great idea if you're traveling, find yourself connected to a Wi-Fi network and want to add an extra layer of privacy for your devices and logins. Streaming TV can be a bit smoother with a reliable, quality VPN that's passed our tests and security standards.

You can use a VPN to stream content legally as long as VPNs are allowed in your country and you have a valid subscription to the streaming service you're using. The US and Canada are among the countries where VPNs are legal, but we advise against streaming or downloading content on illegal torrent sites. We recommend ExpressVPN, but you may opt for another provider from our best list, such as Surfshark or NordVPN. 

If you're looking for a secure and dependable VPN, check out our Editors' Choice: ExpressVPN. It's fast, works on multiple devices, and provides stable streams. It's normally $13 a month, but it currently costs less overall to go for a 12-month subscription, where each month shakes out to $8.32.

ExpressVPN offers a 30-day money-back guarantee. Read our review of ExpressVPN.

Follow the VPN provider's instructions for installation, and choose a country where Oppenheimer will be streaming on Peacock. Before you open the streaming app, make sure you're connected to your VPN using your selected region. If you want to stream Oppenheimer on more than one device, it's possible you'll need to configure each one to ensure you're signed in. Go to settings and check your network connections to verify you're logged in and connected to your VPN account. Now you're ready to open Peacock to stream. 

If you run into issues with streaming, first make sure your VPN is up and running on its encrypted IP address. Double-check that you've followed installation instructions correctly and you've picked the right geographical area for viewing. If you still encounter connection problems, you may need to reboot your device. Close all apps and windows, restart your device and connect to your VPN first. Note that some streaming services have restrictions on VPN access.