HBO Max , after a bumpy launch, has been gaining momentum. The subscription-only streaming service has everything you can watch on regular HBO. But one …
HBO Max, after a bumpy launch, has been gaining momentum. The subscription-only streaming service has everything you can watch on regular HBO. But one of its biggest boosts in interest has been driven by a strategy to stream new, theatrically released movies at no extra charge at the same time they hit theaters. The latest is The Suicide Squad, the DC villain free-for-all, and Reminisce, a mystery thriller about a private investigator of memories. (But not Candyman, sorry.) Keep in mind: HBO Max has killed its weeklong free trial. And the same-day movies are available only on Max’s higher-priced, $15-a-month tier. That means anyone who subscribes to the cheaper, $10-a-month tier supported by ads. If you want to watch absolutely everything on HBO Max, including same-day Warner Bros. movies, you’ll either need to pay for a full-price Max subscription or figure out if your regular HBO subscription includes a free upgrade to a Max account. (Keep reading below.) All the details on HBO Max are below. The Suicide Squad and Reminiscence, like all the same-day movies, are part of the standard catalog for all subscribers to HBO Max’s ad-free, pricier plan. For these subscribers, all the same-day films are available to stream at no added cost — in other words, it feels like free if you’re already paying for the service anyway. Movies like The Suicide Squad and the other same-day releases are also available to subscribers who activate an HBO Max account as part of a subscription to regular HBO or with certain AT&T mobile plans. If you already have HBO from a TV provider or a tech company, you may be able to upgrade to Max at no added cost. It depends whether HBO Max has struck a deal with your specific provider, and at this stage, most providers have. And some AT&T customers may get Max included as part of their mobile service plans. For more details, see the section on “How do I get HBO Max if I already pay for HBO?” But if you’re on HBO Max’s cheaper tier with advertising, you can’t access the same-day movies; you’ll have to upgrade to unlock The Suicide Squad. Warner Bros.’ 2021 movies are set to hit theaters and HBO Max on the following release dates: All these titles will be available on HBO Max the same day they hit theaters in the US. Generally, most of the new Warner Bros. movies become available to stream on Max at 12:01 a.m. PT/3:01 a.m. ET on the day of their release. But the arrival timing for other movies may vary, depending on when the first cinematic screenings take place at theaters. Wonder Woman 1984, for example, became available at 9 a.m. PT/noon ET on Dec.25 because that was the earliest theaters were open that day. The Suicide Squad is in the same boat, arriving on the service at an atypical time. All Warner Bros. movies released in this “hybrid” model on HBO Max will be available to watch in 4K Ultra HD resolution and HDR image quality, even though those formats aren’t yet standard for the full Max library. These movies are available to stream on HBO Max for 31 days. Typically, they are removed from the service at 11:59 p.m. PT on the last day of availability. But these Warner Bros. movies also return to HBO Max relatively quickly, usually about five months after their original premieres in theaters and on Max. Several movies have already come and gone, including Mortal Kombat and Godzilla vs. Kong. But all these Warner Bros. movies will return to HBO Max to stream a few months after their release. Wonder Woman 1984, for example, is back on HBO Max to stream, after it left the service in January during its theatrical window. But 2021 is planned to be the only year for this phenomenon of streaming new big-screen movies on HBO Max as soon as they hit theaters. Warner Bros. has said that 10 movies produced by the studio will go directly to HBO Max in 2022, but big franchise movies will have 45 days in theaters exclusively without any streaming option during that time starting next year. Not anymore. HBO Max eliminated its standard one-week free trial in December. But it does occasionally offer promotions and bundling deals. (See the next section.) HBO Max is $15 a month without advertising or $10 a month supported by ads. It doesn’t have a free trial, but the company occasionally offers discounts if you prepay for an extended period of time. For example, before launch, people who preordered the service at HBOMax.com unlocked a discount deal that lowered the price to $13 a month for the first year. Some customers can also hunt out specialized free trials, sometimes linked to the purchase of a television or other tech product. AT&T, the parent company of both HBO Max and Warner Bros.
