Last Updated on August 5, 2021
The streaming wars continue! With Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime having cornered the market for years, the new wave of services ranging from CBS All Access and Peacock have struggled to find their footing with exclusives that make them destination viewing and worth the cost. Disney+ was the most successful as the exclusive home for the House of Mouse and their subsidiaries like Marvel and Pixar. Now, the next big player to hit will be the HBO Max streaming service and we have the answers to all of your questions.
What is the new HBO Max streaming service?
Even if you don't know exactly what HBO MAX is, you probably know what HBO is. One of, if not the most, famous cable networks, HBO is a household name thanks to series ranging from Tales from the Crypt and The Sopranos to The Wire, Game of Thrones, Westworld and more. Several years ago, HBO spawned HBO GO, a mobile platform for cable viewers as well as HBO NOW, a standalone platform for cord-cutters. HBO Max brings all of those together along with an extensive library of Warner Bros feature films and television series coupled with HBO's catalog of shows and original films.
When (and Where) will it be available?
On May 27, HBO Max will be availabe in the United States. Versions of the platform for Latin American and European countries where HBO directly operates are slated for launch in 2021. Networks like HBO Asia and Canadian network Crave will air some of HBO Max's exclusive content on their existing channels, but this excludes co-productions and library content licensed to other distributors.
How much does it cost?
The short answer is $15 a month. The long answer is a bit more complicated. Subscribers to HBO Now will get Max for free as the cost matches that of the previous service. If you have HBO (and therefore HBO Go) via your existing cable provider, you would have to pay the additional cost for HBO Max in it's entirety. That is unless you get it as a free upgrade which only applies to subscribers of AT&T, Charter/Spectrum, YouTubeTV, Google, Apple, Hulu, Altice USA, Verizon, Cox, or NCTC cable providers. Everyone else has to pony up.
How does it compare to other streaming services?
That depends. Already the most expensive streaming platform (Netflix is as low as $9, Disney+ is $7 and AppleTV+ is $5 and Peacock can be free with ads), it depends on what you want to watch. Certain things like the recently announced Snyder Cut of JUSTICE LEAGUE and various exclusive deals with creators like Seth Rogen and J.J. Abrams make HBO Max very enticing. Plus, it has the biggest slate of shows and movies of any of the new streaming services at launch.
How can I watch it?
HBO Max will be available on Apple and Android enabled devices includes phones and tablets. It will also work on newer models of Apple TVs. It will also be available via a native app for Playstation 4, Xbox ONe, and Samsung smart TVs made after 2016.
What is coming to the service?
There is a lot coming to HBO Max. On top of every season of South Park and a long desired Friends reunion, HBO Max has a lot of original properties ranging from J.J. Abrams' Justice League Dark, THE SHINING prequel series Overlook, Denis Villeneuve's DUNE spin-off The Sisterhood, the Ridley Scott produced series Raised by Wolves, Seth Rogen's AN AMERICAN PICKLE, and Arrow creator Greg Berlanti's live action Green Lantern series. There are also series like DC Super Hero High, the GREASE series Rydell High and the post-apocalyptic Station Eleven. Joe Dante's GREMLINS will be adapted as the series Secrets of the Mogwai while The Boondocks and Adventure Time will get revivials.
HBO Max also has a ton in development invluding NATIONAL LAMPOON'S VACATION series The Griswolds, a revival of Head of the Class, and long anticipated adaptations of 80s horror books Point Horror and the novel Snow Crash. Original films coming include Melissa McCarthy's SUPERINTELLIGENCE, indie darling CHARM CITY KINGS, and a lot more.
What have we seen so far?
At the time of launch on May 27, co-productions like the BBC series Ghosts, Home , Stath Lets Flats, and Trigonometry will be the big titles along with reality series Craftopia, vogueing series Legendary, the kids talk show The Not-Too-Late Show with Elmo will be on the slate. Two series were made available for review. Here is a quick rundown of what we got the chance to take a look at.
Love Life – Debuts May 27th
Starring Anna Kendrick, Love Life is an anthology style series that follows the romantic relationships of Darby Carter, a young woman whose life is narrated almost like a nature documentary. Kendrick's bubbly personality shines in this story that is a millennial take on Sex and the City. It has the feel and tone you would expect from an HBO series and could have easily premiered on the cable channel. For HBO Max, it is a little under the radar, especially for a launch title but does feature some recognizable actors like Scoot McNairy, John Gallagher, and Lesley Manville. Produced by Kendrick and Paul Feig, Love Life certainly doesn't carry the same weight as some of the marquee titles that helped launch AppleTV+ and Disney+, but it certainly shows the range that HBO Max will be capable of.
Looney Tunes Cartoons – Debuts May 27th
It has been a long time since Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, and their wacky crew have been headliners. With SPACE JAM 2 on the horizon, Warner Bros presents a brand new batch of adventures for the Merry Melodies characters. With updated animations, the new Looney Tunes harkens back to the classic slapstick of the original short films. With voices that feel right out of their heyday, these new Looney Tunes are fun and great for a new generation to get introduced to these characters. The violence is definitely less, well, violent than the classic cartoons and the animation is closer to Spongebob or Ren & Stimpy, but the voices and sound effects will fill you with nostalgia as you watch them.
What is coming next?
At launch, HBO Max has so much that there is not enough room to list it all, but take a look at the massive list of what is premiering in June.
June 1:
4th & Forever: Muck City, Season One
Adventures In Babysitting, 1987 (HBO)
Amelie, 2001 (HBO)
An American Werewolf in London, 1981 (HBO)
The American, 2010 (HBO)
Another Cinderella Story, 2008
Beautiful Girls, 1996 (HBO)
Black Beauty, 1994
Bridget Jones's Baby, 2016
The Bucket List, 2007
Cabaret, 1972
The Champ, 1979
Chicago, 2002
A Cinderella Story, 2004
A Cinderella Story: Once Upon a Song, 2011
Clash Of The Titans, 2010
Cradle 2 the Grave, 2003
Crash, 2005 (Director's Cut) (HBO)
Doubt, 2008 (HBO)
Dreaming Of Joseph Lees, 1999 (HBO)
Drop Dead Gorgeous, 1999
Dune, 1984 (HBO)
Elf, 2003
Enter The Dragon, 1973
Far and Away, 1992 (HBO)
Final Destination, 2000
Final Destination 2, 2003
Final Destination 3, 2006
The Final Destination, 2009
Firewall, 2006
Flipped, 2010
Forces of Nature, 1999 (HBO)
The Fountain, 2006 (HBO)
Frantic, 1988
From Dusk Til Dawn, 1996
Full Metal Jacket, 1987
Gente De Zona: En Letra De Otro, 2018 (HBO)
The Good Son, 1993 (HBO)
The Goonies, 1985
Hanna, 2011 (HBO)
Havana, 1990 (HBO)
He Got Game, 1998 (HBO)
Heaven Can Wait, 1978
Heidi, 2006
Hello Again, 1987 (HBO)
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, 2012
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, 2013
The Hunger, 1983
In Her Shoes, 2005 (HBO)
In Like Flint, 1967 (HBO)
The Iron Giant, 1999
It Takes Two, 1995
Juice, 1992
The Last Mimzy, 2007
License To Wed, 2007
Life, 1999 (HBO)
Lifeforce, 1985 (HBO)
Lights Out, 2016 (HBO)
Like Water For Chocolate, 1993 (HBO)
Looney Tunes: Back in Action, 2003
The Losers, 2010
Love Jones, 1997
Lucy, 2020 (HBO)
Magic Mike, 2012
McCabe and Mrs. Miller, 1971
Misery, 1990
Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day, 2008 (HBO)
A Monster Calls, 2016 (HBO)
Mr. Wonderful, 1993 (HBO)
Must Love Dogs, 2005
My Dog Skip, 2000
Mystic River, 2003
The Neverending Story II: The Next Chapter, 1991
The Neverending Story, 1984
New York Minute, 2004
Nights In Rodanthe, 2008
No Reservations, 2007
Ordinary People, 1980
Our Man Flint, 1966 (HBO)
The Parallax View, 1974
Patch Adams, 1998 (HBO)
A Perfect World, 1993
Pedro Capo: En Letra Otro, 2017 (HBO)
Personal Best, 1982
Presumed Innocent, 1990
Ray, 2004 (HBO)
Richie Rich (Movie), 1994
Rosewood, 1997
Rugrats Go Wild, 2003
Running on Empty, 1988
Secondhand Lions, 2003
She's The Man, 2006 (HBO)
Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, 2011 (HBO)
Space Cowboys, 2000
Speed Racer, 2008
Splendor in the Grass, 1961
The Stepfather, 1987 (HBO)
Summer Catch, 2001
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, 1990
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2, 1991
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 3, 1993
Tess, 1980 (HBO)
Tim Burton's Corpse Bride, 2005
The Time Traveler's Wife, 2009
Titanic, 1997
TMNT, 2007
Torch Song Trilogy, 1988
Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie, 1997 (HBO)
Tweety's High-Flying Adventures, 2000
U-571, 2000 (HBO)
U.S. Marshals, 1998
Unaccompanied Minors, 2006
Uncle Buck, 1989 (HBO)
Veronica Mars, 2014
Walking and Talking, 1996 (HBO)
We Are Marshall, 2006
Weird Science, 1985 (HBO)
When Harry Met Sally, 1989
Wild Wild West, 1999
Wonder, 2019 (HBO)
X-Men: First Class, 2011 (HBO)
You’ve Got Mail, 1998
June 2:
Inside Carbonaro, Season One (TruTV)
June 4:
HBO First Look: The King of Staten Island (HBO)
We’re Here, Season Finale (HBO)
June 5:
Betty, Season Finale (HBO)
June 6:
Ad Astra, 2019 (HBO)
Yvonne Orji: Momma, I Made It! (HBO)
June 7:
I May Destroy You, Series Premiere (HBO)
June 10:
Infinity Train, Season 2 Premiere
June 12:
El asesino de los caprichos (AKA The Goya Murders), 2020 (HBO)
June 13:
The Good Liar, 2019 (HBO)
June 14:
I Know This Much Is True, Limited Series Finale (HBO)
Insecure, Season 4 Finale (HBO)
June 16:
#GeorgeWashington, 2017
Age of Big Cats, Season One
Ancient Earth, Season One
Apocalypse: WWI, Season One
Big World in A Small Garden, 2016
The Celts: Blood, Iron & Sacrifice, Season One
Cornfield Shipwreck, 2019
The Daunting Fortress of Richard the Lionheart, 2019
David Attenborough's Ant Mountain, 2016
David Attenbourough’s Light on Earth, 2016
DeBugged, 2018
Digits, Season One
Dragons & Damsels, 2019
Ebony: The Last Years of The Atlantic Slave Trade, 2016
Expedition: Black Sea Wrecks, Season One
First Man, 2017
Going Nuts: Tales from Squirrel World, 2019
Hack the Moon: Unsung Heroes of Apollo, 2019
The History of Food, Season One
Hurricane the Anatomy, Season One, 2018
Into the Lost Crystal Caves, 2016
Jason Silva: Transhumanism, 2016
King: A Filmed Record… Montgomery to Memphis (Part 1 & Part 2), Season One
Knuckleball!, 2019
Leonardo: The Mystery of The Lost Portrait, 2018
Looney Tunes (Batch 2) (6/22), Season One
Man’s First Friend, 2018
Penguin Central, 2019
Pompeii: Disaster Street, 2020
Popeye (Batch 2) (6/22), Season One
Pyramids Builders: New Clues, 2019
Realm of the Volga, Season One
Sacred Spaces, Season One
Scandalous: The Untold Story of the National Enquirer, Documentary Premiere (CNN)
Scanning the Pyramids, 2018
Science vs. Terrorism, Season One
The Secret Lives of Big Cats, Season One
Secret Life of Lakes, Season One
Secret Life Underground, Season One
Secrets of the Solar System, Season One
Space Probes!, Season One
Speed, Season One
Spies of War , Season One
Tales of Nature, Season One
Tsunamis: Facing a Global Threat, 2020
Versailles Rediscovered: The Sun King’s Vanished Palace, 2019
Viking Women, Season One
Vitamania, 2018
Whale Wisdom, 2019
The Woodstock Bus, 2019
June 18:
Summer Camp Island, Season 2 Premiere
Karma, Series Premiere
June 19:
Bully. Coward. Victim. The Story of Roy Cohn, Documentary Premiere (HBO)
Entre Nos: The Winners (HBO)
Bajo el mismo techo (AKA Under the Same Roof), 2020 (HBO)
June 20:
Ford V. Ferrari, 2020 (HBO)
June 21:
Perry Mason, Limited Series Premiere (HBO)
June 22:
Hard, Series Finale (HBO)
June 24:
South Park, Seasons 1-23
Transhood, Documentary Premiere (HBO)
June 25:
Adventure Time Distant Lands: BMO, Special PremiereDoom Patrol, Season 2 Premiere
Esme & Roy, Season 2A Premiere
Search Party, Season 3 Premiere
June 26:
Hormigas (AKA The Awakening of the Ants), 2020
June 27:
Doctor Sleep (Director’s Cut), 2020 (HBO)
June 28:
I’ll Be Gone in the Dark, Docuseries Premiere (HBO)
June 30:
Welcome to Chechnya, Documentary Premiere (HBO)
So, is it worth adding another subscription to my monthly bills?
While the vast majority of the films and series at launch have been available for a while on other services, there is a lot to digest here. There are not enough brand new series or films out of the gate to make it worth shelling out for unless you are looking forward to HBO series already set to premiere this summer. Still, it may be worth it to see JUSTICE LEAGUE next year alone and there is more than enough in the coming years that HBO Max may be your best bet to subscribe to after Disney+.
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