Three months after HBO Max launched with all eight “Harry Potter” movies, the octet of titles about the Boy Who Lived will be rolling off the WarnerMedia service next month.
Fans of Harry Potter’s Wizarding World have only about a month left to binge on the eight films based on J.K. Rowling’s novels on HBO Max, with the titles expiring on Aug. 25, WarnerMedia announced Monday.
At the same time, HBO Max in August also will be adding films including the slate of DC’s Batman movies — including the 1989 “Batman,” “Batman & Robin,” “Batman Begins,” “Batman Forever,” “Batman Returns,” and “The Dark Knight” — as well as “Blade Runner: The Final Cut,” “Elf,” “Kung Fu Panda,” “Ocean’s Eleven,” “Wedding Crashers,” “Jojo Rabbit,” and “Richard Jewell.”
HBO Max also is launching “Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn)” on Aug. 15, as well as “Harley Quinn” seasons 1 and 2 on Aug. 1.
Rowling has recently become embroiled in a firestorm over her comments regarding transgender identity. A source familiar with the status of the Harry Potter films on HBO Max told Variety that the removal of the movies from streaming service stems form routine licensing terms unrelated to the controversy.
As of Aug. 25, the following movies will no longer be on HBO Max: “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone,” “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets,” “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban,” “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire,” “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix,” “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince,” and “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” Parts 1 and 2.
When HBO Max launched May 27, it featured the surprise inclusion of the “Harry Potter” movies from Warner Bros. NBCUniversal in 2016 originally inked a deal locking up TV and digital rights to the fantasy movies that also incorporated content for Universal theme parks. The “Harry Potter” films, released between 2001 and 2011, rank as the highest-grossing movie franchise in history with a worldwide haul of more than $7 billion.
Meanwhile, other titles rolling off HBO Max next month include as of Aug. 28 “Mr. & Mrs. Smith” and as of Aug. 31, “Dumb & Dumber,” “Full Metal Jacket,” “Good Will Hunting,” “Love Actually,” Quentin Tarantino’s”Kill Bill: Volume 1″ and “Kill Bill: Volume 2,” and the 2004’s “The Spongebob Squarepants Movie.”