Now that HBO Max has rebranded as Max, it’s the right time to get acquainted with all of the great movies to watch on the streaming service. In addition to large portions of the Warner Bros. catalog, it also has tons of seminal, classic films, as well as plenty of foreign releases. Because the catalog is so big and rich, there are about 250 titles that could go on this list. There’s a wealth of options to choose from whether you’re into action movies or comedies, and you shouldn’t feel limited by the selection below.
Instead, you should treat it as a jumping-off point of HBO Max movies, one that will hopefully allow you to explore many of the titles that didn’t quite make the cut. Max has great movies in every genre and from every period of film history. This is just a sampling of the best movies on Max. And if you’re looking for more Max content, we’ve rounded up the best shows on Max to watch right now.
Barbarian (2022)
103m
Genre
Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Stars
Georgina Campbell, Bill Skarsgård, Justin Long
Directed by
Zach Cregger
A delightful horror movie that will keep you guessing from beginning to end, Barbarian tells the story of a girl who finds that the Airbnb she rented out has been double booked. After she decides to stay with a strange man over night, she begins to wonder whether he’s going to do something sinister. Where the movie goes from there is best experienced without any spoilers, but Barbarian is a deeply confident, often hilarious horror movie about how terrible men are and have always been. It’s depraved in ways even great horror movies rarely are, and worth your time even if you’ve already seen it six times.
Casablanca (1942)
102m
Genre
Drama, Romance
Stars
Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, Paul Henreid
Directed by
Michael Curtiz
What really needs to be said about Casablanca? It’s widely regarded as one of the best films of all time, and it lives up to that billing. The movie follows Rick (Humphrey Bogart) and Ilsa (Ingrid Bergman), former lovers who run into each other after Ilsa has become linked to a hero of the French resistance during World War II. Casablanca is a tragic love story, but it’s also a story about hope set during a time when there wasn’t much reason for it. Rick does the right thing for the world, and it comes at great personal cost to him, and it’s his sacrifice that makes the movie transcendent.
The Dark Knight (2008)
152m
Genre
Drama, Action, Crime, Thriller
Stars
Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Michael Caine
Directed by
Christopher Nolan
Even after more than a decade of superhero dominance, The Dark Knight still feels like the single best piece of comic book entertainment available. The movie was an enormous phenomenon when it premiered in 2008, thanks in no small part to Heath Ledger’s Oscar-winning performance as the Joker. The Dark Knight is a crime thriller, but it also has some of the most electrifying set pieces in any superhero film. Christopher Nolan has made plenty of great films in and out of the superhero genre, but The Dark Knight is still one of his crowning achievements.
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
179m
Genre
Adventure, Fantasy, Action
Stars
Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Viggo Mortensen
Directed by
Peter Jackson
The entire Lord of the Rings trilogy is available on Max, and it’s worth taking a day to watch all three films. They’re three of the best movies on Max. With every passing day, the trilogy feels more and more like a miracle. Adapted from J.R. Tolkien’s work of the same name, the trilogy tells the story of a band of warriors from a variety of fantastical races who come together to defeat a great evil. It’s a work of high fantasy that is both dorky and incredibly cool. There is no one too smart or sophisticated for Lord of the Rings, even if it’s one of the nerdiest things in the world. A great movie can make even niche material hugely popular, and that’s exactly what these films did.
Tokyo Story (1953)
137m
Genre
Drama
Stars
Chishū Ryū, Chieko Higashiyama, Setsuko Hara
Directed by
Yasujirō Ozu
Tokyo Story is as quiet and reflective as movies get, but it’s also one of the most beautiful films ever made. The film is one of the defining works of Japanese director Yasujirō Ozu, and tells the story of a mother and father who come to visit their children in Tokyo but find that their children no longer have time for them. It’s a still movie, but one that ultimately depicts the tragedy of a generation of children who don’t feel that they owe their parents anything. Tokyo Story is a movie about the profound loneliness of growing old and watching the world leave you behind. The movie is widely regarded as one of the best ever made, and with good reason. It’s basically perfect.
Deadwood: The Movie (2019)
110m
Genre
TV Movie, Western
Stars
Timothy Olyphant, Ian McShane, Molly Parker
Directed by
Daniel Minahan
Deadwood remains on the Mount Rushmore of many HBO show rankings, and for good reason. The Western series was a dense and well-acted saga of a small town and the sacrifices it took to create respect in the 1800s in the U.S. The series was canceled after only three seasons, so this movie is a must-watch apology to the diehards of the series who never got to see where the characters ended up. All of the main ones are back, such as Al Swearengen and Seth Bullock.
Predator (1987)
107m
Genre
Science Fiction, Action, Adventure, Thriller
Stars
Arnold Schwarzenegger, Carl Weathers, Elpidia Carrillo
Directed by
John McTiernan
Arnold Schwarzenegger is more kick-ass here than in any other film playing a rescue soldier who spars with an otherworldly alien presence in the middle of the jungle. Predator is now one of the most iconic sci-fi franchises of all time, and this first film is the best in the series.
Edge of Tomorrow (2014)
114m
Genre
Action, Science Fiction
Stars
Tom Cruise, Emily Blunt, Bill Paxton
Directed by
Doug Liman
Tom Cruise is one of the great action stars of his or any generation, and Edge of Tomorrow may just be his crowning achievement. Co-starring Emily Blunt, the movie follows Cruise as he and the rest of humanity battle an alien invader, and is sent back in time over and over until he finally finds a way to defeat it. Cruise and Blunt have incredible chemistry in the movie, which also somehow manages to be one of the funniest performances Cruise has delivered in a long time. The whole thing is sharp, smart, and way better than it has any right being.
Spirited Away (2001)
125m
Genre
Animation, Family, Fantasy
Stars
Rumi Hiiragi, Miyu Irino, Mari Natsuki
Directed by
Hayao Miyazaki
Every Studio Ghibli is available on Max, but if you have to watch just one, Spirited Away is probably the one. The movie follows a young girl who finds herself transported into a mystical spirit world and has to work her way back to the real world. Spirited Away is not a linear movie, but it’s one that follows a pretty intuitive emotional logic. It’s also filled with beautiful animation, and the kind of vivid imagery that few movies, live-action or animated, possess.
Moonlight (2016)
111m
Genre
Drama
Stars
Trevante Rhodes, André Holland, Janelle Monáe
Directed by
Barry Jenkins
Telling the story of a young, queer boy living in Florida across three distinct time periods, Moonlight was a hugely influential and important movie told on an almost shockingly intimate scale. The movie’s clear three-act structure allowed a variety of different actors to inhabit these roles, and also gave breathing room for standout supporting performances from actors like Mahershala Ali and Janelle Monae. When it won Best Picture in 2017, many were shocked, but not because the movie didn’t wholeheartedly deserve to be named the best film of the year.
What movies are leaving Max in December?
December 9
- Nightcrawler (2014)
December 15
- Entourage (2015)
December 16
- Beah: A Black Woman Speaks (HBO Original) (2003)
December 20
- Beautiful Creatures (2013)
December 21
- Spotlight (2015)
December 26
- The Man From U.N.C.L.E. (2015)
December 27
- The Oslo Diaries (HBO Original) (2018)
December 31
- The Adventures of Pinocchio (1996)
- The Age of Adaline (2015)
- All About the Benjamins (2002)
- The Amazing Panda Adventure (1995)
- American Ultra (2015)
- Animal Kingdom (2010)
- Annabelle (2014)
- Annabelle Comes Home (2019)
- Annabelle: Creation (2017)
- The Ant Bully (2006)
- Arthur Christmas (2011)
- The Artist (2011)
- At Middleton (2014)
- The Avengers (1998)
- The Bachelor (1999)
- The Bad and the Beautiful (1952)
- Ballet 422 (2014)
- Batman (1966)
- Before Midnight (2013)
- Bells are Ringing (1960)
- Beyond the Reach (2015)
- Black Beauty (1994)
- Blade Runner 2049 (2017)
- The Book of Life (2014)
- Boys’ Night Out (1962)
- Brigadoon (1954)
- The Bronze (2015)
- Bulworth (1998)
- Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)
- Child’s Play (1988)
- A Christmas Carol (1938)
- Christmas in Connecticut (1945)
- A Christmas Story (1983)
- A Christmas Story 2 (2012)
- A Cinderella Story (2004)
- The Circle (2017)
- The Comedian (2016)
- The Company Men (2010)
- Compliance (2012)
- The Conjuring 2 (2016)
- Constantine: City of Demons (2018)
- Crocodile Dundee (1986)
- Crocodile Dundee II (1988)
- Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles (2001)
- Cunningham (2019)
- The Curse of La Llorona (2019)
- Daphne & Velma (2018)
- DC Super Hero Girls: Hero of the Year (2016)
- DC Super Hero Girls: Intergalactic Games (2017)
- DC Super Hero Girls: Legends of Atlantis (2018)
- Deathstroke: Knights & Dragons (2020)
- Defending Your Life (1991)
- Dennis the Menace (1993)
- A Dennis the Menace Christmas (2007)
- Detour (2017)
- Dim Sum Funeral (2008)
- Diner (1982)
- Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead (1991)
- Dude, Where’s My Car? (2000)
- Elf (2003)
- Elizabethtown (2005)
- Enter The Warrior’s Gate (2017)
- Every Secret Thing (2014)
- Fast Color (2019)
- Final Destination (2000)
- Final Destination 2 (2003)
- Final Destination 3 (2006)
- Final Destination 5 (2011)
- The Final Destination (2009)
- Flashpoint (1984)
- Flawless (2008)
- Fool’s Gold (2008)
- Four Christmases (2008)
- Frank Miller’s Sin City (2005)
- Fred Claus (2007)
- From Here to Eternity (1953)
- The Full Monty (1997)
- Funny Farm (1988)
- Garden State (2004)
- Get Carter (1971)
- Ginger & Rosa (2013)
- The Golden Compass (2007)
- The Good Heart (2010)
- Happy Feet (2006)
- Happy Feet Two (2011)
- The Haunting (1999)
- Headhunters (2012)
- Hearts in Atlantis (2001)
- Heaven Help Us (1985)
- Holiday Affair (1949)
- The Hollars (2016)
- Hotel Artemis (2018)
- The House (2017)
- The Illusionist (2010)
- In The Heart of The Sea (2015)
- Infinitely Polar Bear (2015)
- Inside Job (2010)
- Insidious: Chapter 2 (2013)
- The Iron Lady (2011)
- Jack Frost (1998)
- The Jellies
- Jumanji (1995)
- Kill Your Darlings (2013)
- Law Abiding Citizen (2009)
- Lean on Me (1989)
- Leatherface: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre III (1990)
- LEGO DC Super Hero Girls: Brain Drain (2017)
- LEGO DC Super Hero Girls: Super-Villain High (2018)
- LEGO Justice League: Cosmic Clash (2016)
- LEGO Justice League: Gotham City Breakout (2016)
- The LEGO Movie (2014)
- The Letter (1940)
- Looney Tunes: Back in Action (2003)
- The Lost Boys (1987)
- Lost in America (1985)
- Love Is Strange (2014)
- Love Jones (1997)
- Luce (2019)
- Lucy, The Daughter of the Devil
- Maggie’s Plan (2016)
- The Man Who Came to Dinner (1942)
- Marley & Me (2008)
- The Master (2012)
- Misery (1990)
- Music Within (2007)
- Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase (2019)
- Napoleon Dynamite (2004)
- National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989)
- The Neverending Story (1984)
- New Year’s Eve (2011)
- Nico, 1988 (2018)
- Nine (2009)
- Out of the Past (1947)
- Paddington 2 (2017)
- The Phantom of the Opera (2004)
- The Pirate (1948)
- Pleasantville (1998)
- The Polar Express (2004)
- Precious (2009)
- The Prince and the Pauper (1937)
- Prince Avalanche (2013)
- Quartet (2012)
- Real Life Nightmare
- Restless (2011)
- Rock of Ages (2012)
- Roger & Me (1989)
- Room for One More (1952)
- The Rover (2014)
- Running on Empty (1988)
- Running Scared (2006)
- Sarah’s Key (2011)
- Scooby-Doo (2002)
- Scooby-Doo! The Sword and the Scoob! (2021)
- Scream (1996)
- Scream 2 (1997)
- Scream 3 (2000)
- The Seagull (2018)
- Searching for Sugar Man (2012)
- The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2015)
- Shanghai (2010)
- She’s Funny That Way (2015)
- Shivering Truth
- The Shop Around the Corner (1940)
- Shoplifters (2018)
- Snitch (2013)
- So I Married an Axe Murderer (1993)
- Son of the Mask (2005)
- Song of the Thin Man (1947)
- Spartan (2004)
- Speedway (1968)
- Spinout (1966)
- Stan & Ollie (2018)
- Step Up All In (2014)
- Step Up Revolution (2012)
- Stephen King’s Graveyard Shift (1990)
- Stephen King’s Silver Bullet (1985)
- Stephen King’s Thinner (1996)
- Straight Outta Nowhere: Scooby-Doo! Meets Courage the Cowardly Dog (2022)
- Take Shelter (2011)
- The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974)
- Teen Titans Go! & DC Super Hero Girls: Mayhem in the Multiverse (Cartoon Network) (2022)
- Teen Titans Go! See Space Jam (Cartoon Network) (2021)
- Teen Witch (1989)
- The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003)
- The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning (2006)
- Three Godfathers (1936)
- Tom & Jerry: The Movie (1993)
- Tom and Jerry: A Nutcracker Tale (2007)
- Tom And Jerry: Santa’s Little Helpers (2014)
- Trick ‘r Treat (2009)
- Tricky Dick
- The Trouble with Spies (1987)
- The Turning Point (1977)
- The Two Mrs. Carrolls (1947)
- Tyrel (2018)
- Under the Same Moon (2007)
- Urge (2016)
- Uss Indianapolis: Men of Courage (2016)
- A Very Harold & Kumar 3-D Christmas (2011)
- Volunteers (1985)
- Warm Bodies (2013)
- The Wash (2001)
- What’s Up, Doc? (1972)
- Where the Boys Are (1960)
- White Chicks (2004)
- The Whole Ten Yards (2004)
- Winter’s Tale (2014)
- Wonder Woman: Bloodlines (2019)
- You’re Next (2013)
What movies are coming to Max in December?
December 1
- 9 (2009)
- Anna and the King (1999)
- Behind Enemy Lines (2001)
- The Biggest Little Farm (2019)
- Bill and Ted’s Bogus Journey (1991)
- Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure (1989)
- The Box (2009)
- Clear and Present Danger (1994)
- The Color Purple (1985)
- Curse of the Pink Panther (1983)
- Cut Bank (2015)
- Denial (2016)
- Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star (2003)
- Die Another Day (2002)
- Doomsday (2008)
- Elektra (2005)
- Eye in the Sky (2016)
- Flipped (2010)
- For Your Eyes Only (1981)
- From Russia with Love (1964)
- Goldfinger (1965)
- Hereafter (2010)
- Hitman: Agent 47 (2015)
- How To Eat Fried Worms (2006)
- The Hunt For Red October (1990)
- The Informant! (2009)
- Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (2014)
- Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa (2013)
- Jurassic World (2015)
- License to Kill (1989)
- Live and Let Die (1973)
- The Longest Ride (2015)
- Love in the Time of Cholera (2007)
- The Lovers (2017)
- Low Tide (2019)
- Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)
- Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials (2015)
- Naked Lunch (1991)
- Necessary Roughness (1991)
- Notes on a Scandal (2007)
- On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969)
- Over Her Dead Body (2008)
- Paranormal Activity (2009)
- Paranormal Activity 2 (2010)
- Paranormal Activity 3 (2011)
- Paranormal Activity 4 (2012)
- Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones (2014)
- Patriot Games (1992)
- The Pink Panther Strikes Again (1976)
- The Pink Panther (1964)
- Prancer: A Christmas Tale (2022)
- Ramona and Beezus (2010)
- Red Dawn (1984)
- Return of the Pink Panther (1975)
- Revenge of the Pink Panther (1978)
- Semi-Pro (2008)
- Sergio Leone: The Italian Who Invented America (2022)
- A Shot In The Dark (1964)
- Skyfall (2012)
- Son of the Pink Panther (1993)
- The Souvenir (2019)
- The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)
- The Strangers: Prey at Night (2018)
- The Sum of All Fears (2002)
- Timeline (2003)
- Trail of the Pink Panther (1982)
- Trainwreck (2015)
- A View To Kill (1985)
- Villeneuve Pironi: Racing’s Untold Tragedy (2022)
- The Women (2008)
- The World is Not Enough (1999)
December 3
- OWN Holiday Movie: A Christmas Serenade (OWN) (2023)
- Teen Titans Go!: Great Holiday Escape & Christmas Magic (Cartoon Network)
December 10
- OWN Holiday Movie: A Christmas of Yes (OWN) (2023)
- White House Christmas (2023) (HGTV)
December 12
- Trees and Other Entanglements (HBO Original) (2023)
December 15
- The Giver (2014)
December 17
- OWN Holiday Movie: The Christmas Detective (OWN) (2023)
December 20
- American Masters: Leonard Bernstein: Reaching for the Note (1998)
- Daniel (HBO Original) (2023)
December 21
- Gary Gulman: Born on 3rd Base (Max Original)
December 24
- OWN Holiday Movie: Christmas Revisited (OWN) (2023)
- Spirited Away: Live On Stage (2023)
December 25
- Scooby-Doo! and Krypto, Too! (2023)
December 28
- Oprah and The Color Purple Journey (Max Original) (2023)
December 30
- Amina’s Way (OWN)
- Time Bomb Y2K (HBO Original) (2023)
Editors' Recommendations
- Oppenheimer, Midsommar, Black Widow, and more of the best Florence Pugh Movies (so far)
- The 11 best action movies on Amazon Prime that will blow you away
- Everything we know about the Mad Max prequel, Furiosa, starring Anya Taylor-Joy and Chris Hemsworth
- The best shows on Paramount Plus to watch in December
- Amazing shows you need to watch on Max in December
