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Max will stream over 1,000 movies and TV episodes in 4K at launch

Max will stream over 1,000 movies and TV episodes in 4K at launch

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HBO Max’s 4K selection left a lot to be desired. Now that it’s putting an even higher premium on the sharper resolution, WBD says subscribers can expect much more this time around.

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Illustration of the Max streaming app logo
Illustration: The Verge

When Max goes live on May 23rd, the new Warner Bros. Discovery streaming service will offer substantially more 4K entertainment than HBO Max ever did. The company issued a press release on Monday with new details on what subscribers on the $19.99 / month “Ultimate” plan can expect. Max will offer “8 times more films and episodes of 4K UHD content than HBO Max, including popular programming such as Game of ThronesThe Last of UsHarry PotterThe Lord of the Rings trilogyThe Dark Knight trilogy, the Matrix films and more,” the company announced.

They’re really doing the thing. They’re taking 4K seriously. Finally. Max will support both Dolby Vision and HDR10 for content where those formats are available, and Dolby Atmos audio will also be included for select movies and shows.

“We understand the value of offering our users a cinematic playback experience and to that end, we’ve implemented more advanced technology workflows that allow us to release more 4K content in a faster, more efficient way,” said Warner Bros. Discovery’s Sudheer Sirivara. “Max will offer more than 1,000 films and episodes in 4K at launch, and we’ll be adding more every month as we move forward.” 

Warner Bros. Discovery has chosen to only offer 4K (and HDR) on its most expensive monthly plan, a decision that isn’t sitting well with everyone. The Ultimate subscription costs more than HBO Max’s outgoing $15.99 / month ad-free plan.

But the 4K catalog on HBO Max was severely underwhelming from the start. Recent high-profile Warner Bros. films often streamed in 4K HDR along with shows like The Last of Us. But considering the breadth of the service’s film vault, it was disappointing to see most of that selection capped at 1080p — especially when those same movies are available in 4K on many other digital services. The company seems aware that it needs to do better this time as it puts an even higher premium on 4K content.

And sure enough, Max will include a large collection of past movies, including A Clockwork Orange, Casablanca, Goodfellas, and many more. Select past HBO series will also stream in 4K alongside recent hits like Succession. “Additionally, all Warner Bros. movies released this year and going forward will be available in 4K UHD when they arrive on Max following their theatrical windows,” the company said.

WBD has promised that HBO Max subscribers will still have access to their current plan features for a minimum of six months following launch, so current customers don’t need to worry about that 4K upcharge just yet. Six months should make for a nice trial of sorts to see whether Max can make good on its 4K potential.

Max will roll out on May 23rd in the United States across all the big platforms that you’d expect. Aside from the Ultimate tier, the service has two lower-priced subscription plans:

  • Max Ultimate Ad Free | $19.99 / month or $199.99 / year: four concurrent streams, up to 4K UHD resolution, 100 offline downloads, Dolby Atmos sound quality
  • Max Ad Free | $15.99 / month or $149.99 / year: two concurrent streams, 1080p resolution, 30 offline downloads, 5.1 surround sound quality
  • Max Ad-Lite | $9.99 / month or $99.99 / year: two concurrent streams, 1080p resolution, no offline downloads, 5.1 surround sound quality 

We’ll have more Max coverage as the service begins rolling out on Tuesday, so stay tuned throughout the week for impressions and additional news. In the meantime, here’s the full list of 4K content that’ll be streaming as of tomorrow:

  • 2001: A Space Odyssey
  • 2nd Annual Ha Festival: The Art of Comedy
  • 8-Bit Christmas
  • A Christmas Mystery
  • A Christmas Story Christmas
  • A Clockwork Orange
  • A Hollywood Christmas
  • Ahir Shah: Dots
  • Aida Rodriguez: Fighting Words
  • Amy
  • And Just Like That... The Documentary
  • And Just Like That...
  • Antlers
  • Aquaman
  • Argo
  • Avenue 5 
  • Bad Education
  • Barbarian
  • Barry (S2, S3) *S1 & S4 will be available on June 23.
  • Batman (1989)
  • Batman & Robin
  • Batman and Harley Quinn
  • Batman Begins
  • Batman Forever
  • Batman Returns
  • Batman v Superman: Ultimate Edition
  • Betty
  • Big Little Lies 
  • Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn)
  • Black Adam
  • Brené Brown: Atlas of the Heart 
  • C.B. Strike
  • Casablanca
  • Catherine the Great 
  • Chernobyl
  • Chris Redd: Why Am I Like This?
  • Coastal Elites
  • Colin Quinn & Friends: A Parking Lot Comedy Show
  • Cry Macho
  • DC League of Super-Pets
  • Death on the Nile
  • DMZ
  • Don’t Worry Darling
  • Dune
  • East of Eden
  • Edge of Tomorrow
  • Elvis
  • Empire of Light
  • Euphoria
  • Euphoria: Trouble Don’t Last Always
  • Expecting Amy
  • Fahrenheit 451
  • Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them
  • Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes Of Grindelwald
  • Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets Of Dumbledore
  • Father of the Bride
  • Free Guy
  • Friends: The Reunion
  • From the Earth to the Moon
  • Game of Thrones
  • Gaming Wall St 
  • Garcia!
  • Giant
  • Godzilla
  • Godzilla vs. Kong
  • Goodfellas
  • Gossip Girl
  • Ha Festival: The Art of Comedy
  • Hacks
  • Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return To Hogwarts
  • Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets
  • Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Part 1
  • Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Part 2
  • Harry Potter And The Goblet of Fire
  • Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince
  • Harry Potter And The Order of The Phoenix
  • Harry Potter And The Prisoner of Azkaban
  • Harry Potter And The Sorcerer’s Stone
  • Heaven’s Gate: The Cult of Cults 
  • His Dark Materials 
  • Holiday Harmony
  • House of the Dragon
  • House Party
  • I Hate Suzie 
  • In the Heights
  • Industry
  • Irma Vep
  • It Chapter Two
  • It’s a Sin 
  • Joker
  • Judas and the Black Messiah
  • Julia
  • Justice League
  • Kimi
  • King Richard
  • Kong: Skull Island
  • Landscapers
  • Lizzo: Live in Concert
  • The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
  • The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (Extended Version)
  • The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
  • The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (Extended Version)
  • The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
  • The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (Extended Version)
  • Love, Lizzo
  • Lovecraft Country
  • Low Country: The Murdaugh Dynasty
  • Magic Mike
  • Malcolm X
  • Malignant
  • Man of Steel
  • Mare of Easttown
  • Marlon Wayans Presents: The Headliners
  • Marlon Wayans: You Know What It Is
  • The Matrix Reloaded
  • The Matrix Resurrections
  • The Matrix Revolutions
  • Menudo: Forever Young
  • Mortal Kombat
  • Mosaic 
  • Moses Storm: Trash White
  • My Brilliant Friend
  • My Gift: A Christmas Special From Carrie Underwood
  • Native Son
  • No Sudden Move
  • Ocean’s Eleven
  • Oslo
  • Our Flag Means Death
  • Peacemaker
  • Pennyworth: The Origin of Batman’s Butler 
  • Perry Mason
  • Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin 
  • Rain Dogs
  • Rap Sh!t 
  • Reminiscence
  • Rio Bravo
  • Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain
  • Rose Matafeo: Horndog
  • Santa Camp
  • Scenes from a Marriage
  • Scoob!
  • See How They Run
  • Selena + Chef
  • Sex and the City
  • Sharp Objects 
  • Shazam: Fury of the Gods
  • Shazam!
  • Singin’ in the Rain
  • Sort Of 
  • Soul of America
  • Space Jam: A New Legacy
  • Starstruck
  • Station Eleven
  • Succession (S1-S3) *S4 will be available on June 30. 
  • Suicide Squad
  • Superman: The Movie
  • Sweet Life: Los Angeles 
  • Take Out with Lisa Ling
  • That Damn Michael Che
  • The Baby
  • The Banshees of Inisherin
  • The Batman
  • The Big Brunch
  • The Big Shot with Bethenny
  • The Bob’s Burgers Movie
  • The Bridge
  • The Captive
  • The Climb
  • The Conjuring
  • The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It
  • The Dark Knight
  • The Dark Knight Rises
  • The Deuce
  • The Fallout
  • The Fastest Woman on Earth
  • The Flight Attendant
  • The Gilded Age
  • The Girl Before
  • The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
  • The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
  • The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
  • The King’s Man
  • The Last of Us
  • The LEGO Movie
  • The Little Things
  • The Man From U.N.C.L.E.
  • The Many Saints of Newark
  • The Matrix
  • The Menu
  • The New Pope
  • The Night House
  • The Nun
  • The Plot Against America
  • The Righteous Gemstones
  • The Sex Lives of College Girls
  • The Soul of America
  • The Staircase
  • The Suicide Squad
  • The Survivor
  • The Third Day
  • The Tourist
  • The Undoing
  • The Way Down: God, Greed, and the Cult of Gwen Shamblin
  • The Weeknd: Live at Sofi Stadium
  • The White Lotus
  • The Wizard of Oz
  • Those Who Wish Me Dead
  • Titans
  • Tom & Jerry
  • Wahl Street
  • Watchmen
  • We Are Who We Are
  • We Own This City
  • West Side Story (2021)
  • White House Plumbers
  • Winning Time: The Rise of The Lakers Dynasty
  • Wonder Woman (2017)
  • Wonder Woman 1984
  • Zack Snyder’s Justice League
  • Zack Snyder’s Justice League: Justice Is Gray