HBO Max Will Host A Collection Of Classic Movies Curated By TCM
Most of the biggest streaming platforms are frequently — and rightly — criticized for rarely featuring films that were made before the 1980s. The race for new original content has drowned out the century of classic movies that have built up cinema to what it is today. But WarnerMedia's forthcoming service HBO Max could, at least partially, remedy that with its curated collection of classic movies.
During WarnerMedia's big presentation of its new streaming service last night, the company announced that the HBO Max classic movies collection will be curated by TCM, with films like Casablanca, Citizen Kane, The Shining, and A Star is Born, Singin' in the Rain, and 2001: A Space Odyssey among the featured titles. With this collection, this could make HBO Max the major streaming service with the most in-depth collection of classic movies, outside of more niche services like the Criterion Channel.
The curated classics collection spans genres and decades, including award-winners Casablanca, Citizen Kane, The Shining, and A Star is Born, Singin' in the Rain, 2001: A Space Odyssey – and many more.
— Max (@StreamOnMax) October 29, 2019
It was expected that HBO Max would play host to a fair amount of classics, as WarnerMedia reportedly intended to feature its 100-year movie archive from its Warner Bros. and New Line, both of which have a rich cinematic history. The Warner archive films were initially featured on the beloved streaming service FilmStruck, which featured an expansive breadth of films before it shuttered last year. While it's a little disappointing that HBO Max won't offer the entirety of WarnerMedia's deep library of classic films, it's a start.
The curated HBO Max classic movies collection will be part of the "10,000 hours of curated premium content" available on the service upon its launch in spring 2020. In addition to classic movies, subscribers will be able to access library content from DC, CNN, TNT, TBS, truTV, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, Crunchyroll, Rooster Teeth, Looney Tunes and more. HBO Max is clearly trying to appease as many demographics as possible, and the classic movie cinephile community probably doesn't have as much sway as the families and superhero fanatics. But perhaps with more classics easily available to HBO Max subscribers, a Strange Adventures watcher could find their way over to Singin' in the Rain.
HBO Max launches in May 2020.