HBO Max , after a bumpy launch, has been building momentum. One of the biggest boosts has been its decision to stream new, theatrically released …
HBO Max, after a bumpy launch, has been building momentum. One of the biggest boosts has been its decision to stream new, theatrically released movies at no extra charge at the same time they first hit theaters. The latest is Space Jam: A New Legacy, the mashup live-action/cartoon sequel, which landed on the service and in cinemas last weekend. (But you can’t stream Old or Snake Eyes, this weekends’s biggest new releases, on HBO Max or anywhere else for now.) HBO Max is also the only place to stream two comedies that racked up a pile of Emmy nominations last week: The Flight Attendant and Hacks. As the main streaming destination for anything on HBO, it’s also where you can stream regular HBO nominees as well, like Lovecraft Country and Mare of Easttown. And the service recently began releasing episodes of its Gossip Girl reboot, an original that’s only on Max, and premiered buzzy HBO series The White Lotus. Keep in mind: HBO Max has killed its weeklong free trial, and those same-day movies, like Space Jam, are available only on its higher-priced tier. That means if you want to watch absolutely everything on HBO Max, including same-day Warner Bros. movies like Matrix 4 or Dune later this year, 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. Here are answers to the latest big questions about HBO Max. 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.) Some people who already have an existing subscription to HBO are able to unlock HBO Max at no extra cost, but not everyone. About 33,000 regular HBO subscribers in the US aren’t eligible for an HBO Max upgrade; it all depends on which company provides your regular HBO subscription. But many HBO Max distributors unlock an HBO Max upgrade at no extra cost for current HBO and legacy HBO Now customers, thanks to deals HBO Max struck with them. You qualify for the HBO Max upgrade at no extra cost if you already pay for HBO through the following: HBO also has a full listing with additional providers that offer the upgrade to Max. If you previously paid for an HBO streaming subscription through Roku (that is, through The Roku Channel), you need to cancel that subscription and then sign up for HBO Max itself to be able to access Max. 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., is also offering a complicated matrix of promos for HBO Max for its own customers. Some AT&T customers get Max at no extra cost, while others qualify for a one-month, three-month or one-year free trial. Your best shot at figuring out whether you qualify is to check your account or the my AT&T app, but CNET also lists AT&T’s qualification terms for its HBO Max promos. Compared with rival streaming services, HBO Max’s ad-free $15-a-month pricing may feel steep. Disney Plus is $8 a month, and Apple TV Plus is $5, though it keeps extending free trials for anyone who’s bought a new Apple gadget. But HBO Max’s price is close to Netflix’s most popular plan, which is $14. Space Jam 2 will be available to stream on HBO Max until 11:59 p.m. PT on Aug.15. Note that only people who are subscribed to HBO Max’s premium, ad-free tier can watch these same-day movies. If you’re on HBO Max’s ad-supported, cheaper tier, these are the only things on HBO Max that you can’t watch. 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. Several movies have already come and gone, including Mortal Kombat most recently. 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 already back on HBO Max to stream, after it left the service in January during its theatrical window. But it looks like 2021 will be the only year for this phenomenon of streaming new big-screen movies on HBO Max as soon as they hit theaters. Warner Bros.‘ recent deals with theaters suggest this so-called „day-and-date“ release strategy — when a movie premieres in theaters and on HBO Max on the same day — won’t continue into 2022. For example, Warner Bros.‘ deal with Regal Cinema’s parent company arranged for a 45-day theaters-only „window“ starting in 2022, which means theaters will get at least a month and a half to screen new movies without any competition from a streaming service. 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 timing for other movies may vary, depending on when the first cinematic screenings take place at theaters.
