Why Isn't Mortal Kombat On Hbo Max

Photograph Courtesy: HBO Max/Warner Media

It's no doubt that HBO Max is enjoying major streaming success. It's currently in the peak five most popular streaming apps today, and if y'all've been post-obit the streaming wars, you know that there's tearing competition amongst many streaming services all vying for your subscription. In 2021, 1 major describe of HBO Max was the impressive number of blockbuster movies that hit HBO the same twenty-four hour period as their theatrical release, or just skipped the theater all together. This decision, internally referred to equally Projection Popcorn, was a major success. The company ended the year with more subscribers than projected and made the list of tiptop 10 about downloaded apps.

Yes indeed, HBO Max seems similar it'southward hither to stay. Simply with a rise in movie theater attendance and many declaring same day streaming releases dead, nosotros're left wondering what HBO Max has up its sleeves to keep people coming dorsum for more. If yous haven't jumped on the bandwagon yet, y'all may be wondering: is HBO Max worth getting? Let'south take a expect at the pros and cons of this buzzworthy streamer.

From the Golden Age of (Cablevision) Idiot box to the Aureate Age of Streaming

Cheers to hits like The Sopranos, The Wire and Sex and the City, HBO is known for ushering in the aureate historic period of television — in fact, the network is synonymous with peak Television set. Even HBO'due south more recent original offerings continue to reel in accolades and ready the bar incredibly loftier.

The Leftovers, a post-apocalyptic slow-burn drama that was co-created past Lost'south Damon Lindelof, has been hailed as 1 of the greatest Television set shows of all fourth dimension; Game of Thrones gave HBO a juggernaut on par with Harry Potter or Star Wars; the Reese Witherspoon- and Nicole Kidman-produced Large Trivial Lies helped usher in a wave of woman-led and -produced prestige dramas (think The Handmaid'south Tale or Lilliputian Fires Everywhere); and Watchmen, which starred Regina Rex and benefited from Lindelof's touch, has literally helped rewrite textbooks. Needless to say, HBO hasn't just remained relevant — HBO has shaped and reshaped swell TV.

It'south no wonder so that the Boob tube giant would take more serious steps to create a directly-to-consumer streaming service that can agree its own non simply with Netflix and Hulu — services with some original content and a lot of licensing agreements — but with Disney+ and NBC'south Peacock, more niche services that gobble up brands, fandoms, and franchises. Take Disney, for case. The company's streaming service offers up animated content, similar The Panthera leo King (1994), and live-action Disney films, like Pirates of the Caribbean area: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003). But it too offers up everything Pixar and Star Wars (and Lucasfilm) as well as The Simpsons (and a bunch of 20th Century Play tricks films!), the Muppets movies, and National Geographic docs.

While HBO Max certainly follows Netflix's model to a caste, information technology's definitely taking Disney+'s mindset into account too. Nonetheless, unlike competitors Disney+ and Apple tree Tv set+, HBO Max isn't just tossing out a scattering of star-studded originals. The platform offers a vast content library of original shows and movies that have inspired dedicated fan bases.

Nosotros've written already about the widespread entreatment of all things dystopian in this current moment. HBO's Station 11 boldly examined the struggle and the dazzler independent inside a postal service-pandemic dystopian near-future, and DMZ, a testify virtually a mod-twenty-four hours American ceremonious war from esteemed filmmaker Ava DuVernay is attempting to follow in its footsteps. A number of original documentaries have made waves as well. Heaven's Gate and The Fashion Down both continue to ride the cult craze of the moment, and for good reason.

But that's not all. Unlike competitors Disney+ and Apple Tv+, HBO Max isn't just tossing out a handful of star-studded originals. Here are a few more than of HBO Max'south biggest draws:

House of Dragon: A Game of Thrones prequel series.
Tokyo Vice: Ansel Elgort stars in a prove about American journalist Jake Adelstein'due south life as a police reporter in Nippon.
Dune: The Sisterhood: A spin-off of the upcoming Dune flick, also directed by Denis Villeneuve. (Well, the pilot will be, at least.)
Raised by Wolves: Ridley Scott produced this series most ii androids raising a kid.
Gremlins: An animated series based on the '80s cult archetype movie of the same proper noun.
Higher Girls: Mindy Kaling does teen drama.
Rap Sh*t: A Miami-based all-women rap group strives for fame.
Search Party: TNT's overlooked drama moves to HBO for its inferior and senior seasons.
Made for Love: An adaptation of Alissa Nutting's novel of the same name.
Generation: A Lena Dunham-produced testify.
(At Least) Three Original Movies: ane) Superintelligence , starring Oscar nominee Melissa McCarthy, 2) legal comedy Bobbie Sue and 3) Steven Soderbergh'south Permit Them All Talk .
Gossip Girl: Kristen Bell is back to voice the titular character in this reboot. XOXO.

All of the Big-Name Backdrop Bachelor on HBO Max

If all of that new, original content isn't enough, WarnerMedia has also fabricated sure to snag a bunch of corking streaming deals. Big-name properties offered on HBO Max include: Friends (plus Friends: The Reunion), The OC, The Big Blindside Theory, Risk Time (and a whole lot of Cartoon Network and Developed Swim content), Rick and Morty, South Park, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, The Office, Luther and Doctor Who (serial ane-11).

Additionally, pre-existing DC Universe shows, like Harley Quinn, Doom Patrol, and Titans are also available on Max. And, if that animated content excites you, this news might as well: A pick of anime offerings, curated by Crunchyroll, will rotate quarterly on the WarnerMedia-backed platform.

And, y'all know, all of those HBO originals you lot've known and loved for almost iii decades. Plus, annihilation WarnerMedia owns will eventually stop up on HBO Max. The CW's newer showsKaty Keene and Batwoman, were available from the leap, while older shows, like Riverdale and Supergirl, will show up once pre-existing licensing agreements run out.

As far as large-name movies go, HBO Max offers a few primal franchises, including: the Matrix trilogy, The Conjuring movies (and all those spin-offs), The Lord of the Rings trilogy, The LEGO movies, Gremlins movies, Joker, The Wizard of Oz (and other MGM classics), every Batman and Superman movie from the concluding four decades and Studio Ghibli's consummate library. The magic does end there: Afterward Universal's exclusive streaming rights to the Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts films expire in 2025, HBO Max hopes to be the new domicile of the Warner Bros. property.

Recently, Discovery announced a merger with Warner Brothers, meaning that in the virtually future the entire Discovery+ content library will also be part of an HBO Max subscription. The exact timing of this is unclear, and it's likely that the two libraries will be first offered as a package earlier they're fully combined. Merely it's a big move for HBO Max that will likely atomic number 82 to more subscribers and possibly justify a higher monthly toll tag.

What Does a Subscription Toll and How Tin can You Sentry?

All of this highly sought-after content comes with two price tags; the ad-gratis version of HBO Max costs $14.99 a calendar month. Conversely, the ad-supported version of this streaming service costs $9.99. Both subscriptions come with savings if you're willing to pay for a full year up front.

HBO Max (Ad-Free): This direct-to-consumer streaming service lets HBO cut out the middleman. HBO Max's ad-free version costs $14.99 a month and offers the post-obit goods:

All of HBO'due south original shows (Game of Thrones, Large Fiddling Lies), tons of movies, beloved non-HBO shows (Friends, Sesame Street, Looney Tunes), and shows from Cartoon Network and the CW.
Parental controls
Streaming profiles for up to 5 users
Offline viewing
4K UHD video quality for select films.

HBO Max (Ad-Supported): A less plush alternative that still has a lot to offer. For $9.99 a month, subscribers however have v profiles at their disposal, as well as parental controls and thousands of hours of content. However, Advertizement-Supported viewers:

Exercise NOT take the option to spotter films at 4K UHD
CANNOT download content to scout offline

HBO Max is available on a wide variety of devices, including Amazon Burn, Apple TV, Playstation, Roku, and Google Chromebooks. You can find an exhaustive list of all supported devices on their site, just the principal takeaway here is that accessing HBO Max isn't likely to be a challenge.

Need-to-Know Nuts Well-nigh HBO Max

If that's not enough data to satisfy your HBO Max marvel, nosotros do accept a few more nuggets to share. Commencement of all, you tin can stream HBO Max on upwards to 3 devices concurrently. 2d, the platform presents content in brand-based "hubs," a la Disney+. Third, the landing page features picks from notable HBO-aligned stars. Ever wonder what Barry star Bill Hader's vibing with on HBO? Wonder no longer.

With tech and entertainment giants launching their ain streaming platforms and subscription-based services, it'due south not surprising that a monolith similar HBO got in on the activeness. Even so, we've seen anybody from Disney to Apple tree to Quibi endeavour and go a piece of Netflix's 209 meg worldwide subscribers. "In the game of thrones, you win or you die." In the game of streaming services, there may be some middle ground.

The Great Streaming Wars (patent awaiting) already has a few casualties (Quibi, we hardly knew ye). However, despite a higher toll-point, HBO Max manages to hold its own.