HBO Max Has Bad News For Superhero Fans
When HBO's new streaming service HBO Max prepared to drop, it gave fans of the DC Extended Universe a lot of reasons to be hopeful. The streamer's launch library contained a massive catalog of DC superhero movies, including recent blockbusters like Wonder Woman, and old favorites such as Tim Burton's Batman trilogy. On top of that, HBO Max announced that it was giving a platform to the now-infamous Snyder Cut of Justice League, officially known as Zack Snyder's Justice League. It appeared that HBO Max was positioning itself to be for DC fans what Disney+ had become for Marvel aficionados.
That was until June 9, when ComicBook.com confirmed some upsetting news for anyone who signed up for the new service specifically for its DC movies. Even though the streaming service launched at the end of May, as of July 1, a large portion of the DC library will be leaving HBO Max.
This news is likely to come as a huge disappointment to many. However, the devil is always in the details, and there are a lot to parse through when it comes to the transient nature of HBO Max's DC movie catalog.
The DC superhero films leaving HBO Max, and why they're being removed
The report by ComicBook.com came after people noticed that a number of DC titles were listed under the "Last Chance" category on HBO Max, meaning they would soon be leaving the service. The outlet reached out to HBO, and a spokesperson confirmed the early departure and explained the company's process: "We have a collection of DC films that will rotate on the platform. We have a new batch coming in July and then another batch coming in August."
"Explained" is maybe the wrong word, as the clarification leaves some questions unanswered. Why are these films rotating in and out? Will the ones that are leaving be coming back soon? Does this mean Man of Steel and other missing DC films are coming soon? Unfortunately, at the time of writing, HBO Max hasn't offered many details about the carousel nature of its DC catalog.
When ComicBook.com reported the story, the list of movies noted as being marked for removal on July 1 included Batman, Batman & Robin, Batman v Superman, Jonah Hex, Suicide Squad, The Losers, and Wonder Woman. However, in an updated report, io9 checked back in on the "Last Chance" category and found that the initial list now only contained the following DC films: Batman Forever, Batman Returns, Catwoman, Justice League, and The LEGO Batman Movie.
It's still unclear exactly which DC films will be leaving, and when they will be rotating back in, but if there's something you've been itching to watch, it seems best to get in now before it vanishes.