Once touted as one of the best streaming services, the future of HBO Max now seems uncertain due to a series of drastic cuts and cancellations that have caused confusion in fans of many Warner Bros properties - but what exactly is going on? Due to corporate restructuring, major changes will be coming to HBO Max shortly, and it seems uncertain whether the streaming service even has a long-term future. While this is still a developing story, there are a few major questions that can be answered.
HBO Max was originally launched in 2020 as Warner Bros' entry into the streaming wars. While the name is similar to HBO-specific on-demand services like HBO Now and HBO Go, HBO Max was designed to encom the entire Warner Bros. media conglomerate, including the studio's decades of films and TV channels ranging from Cartoon Network to Cinemax and major properties like the Friends reunion.
However, all of this seems to have changed since the acquisition of Warner Bros. by cable powerhouse Discovery. Discovery CEO David Zaslav is now the head of the media conglomerate and has immediately implemented the same cost-cutting measures he became famous for at Discovery and its associated networks, which focused on low-cost reality programming. This has already had major impacts on Warner-owned networks like TNT and the CW, which have had swathes of scripted programming canceled, including TNT's Snowpiercer before the premiere of its fourth season and the possible end of the CW's long-running Arrowverse superhero franchise. This is far from the first time that corporate mergers have changed the creative direction of studios. The modern Warner Bros corporation itself was created through the acquisition of Turner Broadcasting System in 1996 and a short-lived merger in AOL, which led to the end of Turner staples like World Championship Wrestling. But Warner Bros Discovery's rapid cancellations and shifts are shocking even in Hollywood. For instance, after acquiring Fox's film division, Disney have continued to release many of the Fox projects that were in development, whereas it seems HBO Max titles that were already mostly finished won't see the light of day. Here's everything we know about what is going on with HBO Max.
Why Did WB Cancel Planned HBO Max Movies Like Batgirl?
The most headline-grabbing change to HBO Max's future is Scoob was also canceled, and there are rumors that more cancellations could be on the way.
Warner Bros. Discovery has suggested that the cancellations were due to the films not being good enough to release, although executives have been at pains to confirm that Grace's performance was not the reason for the cancellation. It's also been reported that the move will save the corporation $15-20 million in tax dollars and emphasize a new focus on DCEU movies as major theatrical events. Some have also speculated about the future of DCEU's long-delayed The Flash, given star Ezra Miller's numerous legal issues and the allegations of abuse surrounding the actor. However, none of these reasons alone would generally be seen as sufficient reason to cancel an already-completed movie. It may be that the cancellation was designed as a symbolic move to cement the new leadership's different vision for HBO Max.
Why Is HBO Max Removing So Many Movies & Shows?
Several previously-released HBO Max original movies have also disappeared from the service, including Seth Rogen's comedy Charm City Kings. These were titles that were released as exclusive to the platform but were seen as not performing well. The studio could potentially license these movies to other streaming services or platforms.
HBO Max has regularly rotated the back cata and out, but this will be little comfort for creators of the removed titles, and there are slated to be many more HBO Max removals in the coming months. Streaming services have often promised creators and fans that their original titles will be up on the service forever, but that no longer seems guaranteed, and without physical media releases major titles could become utterly unavailable by legal means. In addition to cutting costs, the removal of HBO Max originals could also be trimming down the cata preparation for a merger with the Discovery+ streaming service.
Why Is HBO Max Stopping Scripted Shows?
As part of the new HBO Max direction and possible merger, the streaming service may The Righteous Gemstones, don't seem to be in danger, but it seems likely that HBO Max's original series will gradually be canceled or moved to different platforms over the near future.
The real reason behind these changes is likely the desire to cut costs. Warner Brothers Discovery, according to Netflix's recent problems, it's become clear that nobody is really sure how to make a streaming service profitable while delivering regular content, and an executive focusing on the bottom line could easily see a service like HBO Max as a liability.
Is HBO Max Going To Be Scrapped?
The report from The Wrap suggests that HBO Max will ultimately be merged with Discovery+ to avoid the redundancy of the same company having two competing streaming services. The new service may have a new name or still just be called HBO Max, considering that it has almost triple Discovery+'s subscribers. However, given recent cost-cutting measures, it seems likely that the combined service won't have the same kind of ambitious original content that HBO Max is known for. While there's a long tradition of high-quality HBO documentaries like The Vow, the new non-scripted programming will probably more closely resemble Discovery-style reality shows. A story from The Hollywood Reporter suggests that the two services are planning to stay separate for the near future, but HBO Max is already adding Discovery-owned content like the home renovation show Fixer Upper
Over the past several years, Warner Bros. has been known for being inconsistent in its creative decisions, especially regarding the DCEU, so the current move towards cost-cutting could end up being short-term. But, as it stands, the future of HBO Max as a home for original content is looking grim. HBO Max established a positive reputation over the past two years, but under new management, the focus is on profit margins instead of creative ambition, which is bad news for HBO Max subscribers, fans of the DCEU, other Warner properties, and lovers of movie and TV in general.