HBO Max launched Wednesday with hundreds of titles and one big surprise for “Harry Potter” fans: all eight films from the beloved franchise, plus “Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald,” are available for streaming on the WarnerMedia-owned platform.
Yes, you now have the ability to stream the entire Daniel Radcliffe-led franchise based on the beloved J.K. Rowling novel series in one place, including: “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 Half-Blood Prince” and Parts 1 and 2 of “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.”
This development is a big one because, as of yesterday, the “Harry Potter” movies were not among the offerings HBO Max had promoted as part of its Day 1 lineup, and WarnerMedia did not have the streaming rights to the films — but that wasn’t for lack of trying.
In 2016, NBCUniversal acquired the exclusive on-air and digital rights to the Warner Bros-produced “Harry Potter” films — and the then-yet-to-be-released “Fantastic Beasts” movies — as part of a landmark deal that was supposed to run from the summer of 2018 through 2025, and also included franchise rights for use in theme parks.
On Tuesday, HBO Max’s chief content officer, Kevin Reilly, said in an interview with Business Insider that “there is active engagement around that discussion” to secure the streaming rights to the “Harry Potter” films for HBO Max before that far off 2025 mark.
“The marketplace is shifting, with the impact of COVID and different companies launching different services, and it creates a lot of opportunities for horse-trading,” Reilly said, alluding to NBCUniversal’s upcoming nationwide rollout of its own streaming service, Peacock. “We’re seeing that across the board.”
Readers can find a list of all the other titles HBO Max has available at the time of its Wednesday launch here.
Summer is less than a month away and with everyone staying at home as much as possible to prevent the spread of COVID-19, we’re imagining your plans for June, July and August have more to do with TV listings than usual. Luckily, dozens of new and returning shows are premiering this summer, even though there are fewer than usual due to pandemic-forced production shutdowns. But the list still includes some big titles like “The Twilight Zone” and “The Umbrella Academy,” plus original shows for upcoming streaming services HBO Max and Peacock. Click through TheWrap’s gallery to see which series will be premiering this summer and when.HBO/Disney+/We TV/CBS All AccessSeries: “The Chi” Net: Showtime Premiere: Sunday, June 21 Time: 9 p.m.ShowtimeSeries: “NOS4A2” Net: AMC/BBC America Premiere Date: Sunday, June 21 Time: 9 p.m.AMCSeries: “Perry Mason” Net: HBO Premiere Date: Sunday, June 21 Time: 9 p.m.HBOSeries: “Yellowstone” Net: Paramount Network Premiere Date: Sunday, June 21 Time: 9 p.m.Paramount NetworkSeries: “Greenleaf” Net: OWN Premiere Date: Tuesday, June 23 Time: 9 p.m.OWNSeries: “Doom Patrol” Net: HBO Max/DC Universe Premiere Date: Thursday, June 25 Time: N/ADC UniverseSeries: “Search Party” Net: HBO Max Premiere Date: Thursday, June 25 Time: N/AHBO MaxSeries: “The Twilight Zone” Net: CBS All Access Premiere Date: Thursday, June 25 Time: N/ACBS All AccessSeries: “Black Monday” Net: Showtime Premiere Date: Sunday, June 28 Time: 8 p.m.ShowtimeSeries: “I’ll Be Gone in the Dark” Net: HBO Premiere Date: Sunday, June 28 Time: 10 p.m.HBOSeries: “Marriage Boot Camp” Net: We TV Premiere Date: Thursday, July 2 Time: 9 p.m.We TVSeries: “The Baby-Sitters Club” Net: Netflix Premiere Date: Friday, July 3 Time: N/ANetflixSeries: “Hanna” Net: Amazon Prime Video Premiere Date: Friday, July 3 Time: N/AAmazon Prime VideoSeries: “Outcry” Net: Showtime Premiere Date: Sunday, July 5 Time: 10 p.m.ShowtimeSeries: “Tough as Nails” Net: CBS Premiere Date: Wednesday, July 8 Time: 9 p.m.CBSSeries: “Close Enough” Net: HBO Max Premiere Date: Thursday, July 9 Time: N/AHBO MaxSeries: “Expecting Amy” Net: HBO Max Premiere Date: Thursday, July 9 Time: N/AHBO MaxSeries: “Greatness Code” Net: Apple TV+ Premiere Date: Friday, July 10 Time: N/AApple TV+Series: "Little Voice" Net: Apple TV+ Premiere Date: Friday, July 10 Time: N/AApple TV+Series: “P-Valley” Net: Starz Premiere Date: Sunday, July 12 Time: 8 p.m.StarzSeries: “Brave New World” Net: Peacock PremiereDate: Wednesday, July 15 Time: N/APeacockSeries: “The Capture” Net: Peacock PremiereDate: Wednesday, July 15 Time: N/APeacockSeries: “In Deep With Ryan Lochte” Net: Peacock Premiere Date: Wednesday, July 15 Time: N/APeacockSeries: “Intelligence” Net: Peacock Premiere Date: Wednesday, July 15 Time: N/APeacockSeries: “The House of Ho” Net: HBO Max Premiere Date: Thursday, July 16 Time: N/AHBO MaxSeries: “Room 104” Net: HBO Premiere Date: Friday, July 24 Time: 11 p.m.HBOSeries: "The Alienist: Angel of Darkness" Net: TNT Premiere Date: Sunday, July 26 Time: 9 p.m.TNTSeries: “The Dog House" Net: HBO Max Premiere Date: Thursday, July 30 Time: N/AHBO MaxSeries: “The Frayed” Net: HBO Max Premiere Date: Thursday, July 30 Time: N/AHBO MaxSeries: “Muppets Now” Net: Disney+ Premiere Date: Friday, July 31 Time: N/ADisney+Series: “The Umbrella Academy” Net: Netflix PremiereDate: Friday, July 31 Time: N/ANetflixSeries: "Selling Sunset" Net: Netflix Premiere Date: Friday, Aug. 7 Time: N/ANetflixSeries: “The Good Lord Bird” Net: Showtime Premiere Date: Sunday, Aug. 9 Time: 10 p.m.ShowtimeSeries: “Love Fraud” Net: Showtime Premiere Date: Sunday, Aug. 30 Time: 9 p.m.ShowtimeSummer TV 2020: Premiere Dates for New and Returning Shows (Photos) Here’s when 34 broadcast, cable and streaming series debut and come back View In Gallery
