HBO Max movies lead the charge, a year after platform launch
The youngest contender in the ongoing streaming wars, HBO Max, has had a bumpy year since its launch back in May of last year; a pandemic, branding troubles, world economic downturn, legal battles galore, all while facing off against streaming powerhouses such as Disney+ and Netflix gripping the streaming service market by the belt.
Arguably, it was also the perfect time since more people found themselves staring at black screens for much longer.
In any case, their journey has been at the epicenter of Hollywood’s transformation, and their launch exactly one year ago was a success with over three million new users and over 4.1 million activations – or people who already had HBO accounts but subscribed to the streaming service.
The real question isn’t whether HBO Max is successful or not – their profits are actually among the highest in the streaming business – but rather how it gives customers enough reasons to stick around.
The kind of customer loyalty that keeps people coming back to Netflix every night and telling their friends about Disney+ is what HBO Max needs, and what it is currently lacking.
Using Warner Media connections and around $200 million in background deals, HBO Max movies release in theatre on the same day as they do on HBO Max.
No doubt a jab to the theatre industry but also a great added value to the streaming service.
According to a study by JustWatch, among the top ten shows, The Flights Attendant was the only HBO Max original on the list. The other spots were not surprisingly taken by cult classics such as Doctor Who, Game of Thrones, and The Wire.
Among the top ten movie films were Godzilla vs Kong, Wonder Woman 1984, and Mortal Kombat helped maintain HBO Max’ customers around longer and keep them from turning to other services.
Godzilla vs Kong broke the record for the highest grossing film released during the pandemic, reaching $60 million at the domestic box office. Still HBO Max movies are set to have a great year ahead of them.
Titles available on HBO Max include:
- Space Jam: A New Legacy to release on the 16th of July
- The many Saints of Newark on September 24th
- Dune on the first of October
- The Matrix 4 on the 22nd of December
Wonder Woman became the second most popular movie on the platform. Interestingly, but perhaps unsurprisingly, two Studio Ghibli movies made the top ten list, Howl’s Moving Castle and Spirited Away.
With a new $43 billion deal struck between AT&T’s Warner Media and Discovery to form the apply named “Warner Bros. Discovery”.
“We love the new company’s name because it represents the combination of Warner Bros.′ fabled hundred-year legacy of creative, authentic storytelling and taking bold risks to bring the most amazing stories to life, with Discovery’s global brand that has always stood brightly for integrity, innovation and inspiration,” said Discovery CEO, David Zaslav.
With Zaslav at the helm, the streaming service may witness a major shift in strategy as it enters its second year of existence. Thousands more hours of HBO Max movies and shows will have to continue hitting the screens to have a chance at competing.
Much remains unknown about how exactly this deal will affect customers, but with giants like Netflix, Disney+, Hulu, and Amazon also gaining their own respective grounds, the merger serves to grow both companies as one.