HBO Max has quietly removed several movies from its roster, including some that were streaming-exclusive Warner Bros. productions.
According to Variety, the move appears to be part of the Warner Bros. Discovery to cut costs. In recent weeks, at least six Warner Bros. have been removed from the HBO Max catalog, all bearing the “Max Originals” seal.
These include “Our Dreams From Mars,” a science fiction film starring Lana Condor and Cole Sprouse; “Superintelligence,” a dystopian comedy starring Melissa McCarthy; the remake of “The Witches Convention” with Anne Hathaway, Octavia Spencer, Stanley Tucci and Chris Rock; the Seth Rogen comedy “An American Pickle”; “Confinement” with Anne Hathaway and Chiwetel Ejiofor; and “Charm City Kings,” by director Angel Manuel Soto.
The removal of the films was reported by Reddit users, in a forum where they discussed the cancellation of the film “Batgirl”, also by Warner Bros., which, although entirely shot and in post-production, will not even be released in the sale, HBO Max or any other platform.
Additionally, the reboot of LeBron James and Maverick Carter’s comedy SpringHill was due out July 28 on HBO Max, but was removed from the release schedule.
While streaming platforms are constantly removing and adding content, it’s not that common that Warner Bros. Discovery hasn’t announced the removal of six movies from Warner Bros. exclusively for streaming from the HBO Max catalog.
Now, the films are only available on rental platforms and “Our Dreams from Mars” entered the platform about 3 months ago. It is possible that the removal of these movies is part of a Warner Bros. Discovery strategy to achieve streaming content payment obligations for lower performing content.
On the other hand, an unreleased movie like the remake of “House Party”, called “House Party”, can only be considered as a tax break, which is what Warner Bros. Discovery does with “Batgirl” and ” Scoob: Holiday Haunt “, animation that was also shelved by the company.
Warner Bros. Discovery has yet to comment on the removal of the movies from the HBO Max catalog.
The HBO post Max removes movies with the Max Originals seal from its catalog first appeared on Olhar Digital.
Source: Olhar Digital
Emily Jhon is a product and service reviewer at Gossipify, known for her honest evaluations and thorough analysis. With a background in marketing and consumer research, she offers valuable insights to readers. She has been writing for Gossipify for several years and has a degree in Marketing and Consumer Research from the University of Oxford.
