The Best Movies Leaving HBO Max In August (And Also All The 'Harry Potter' Films)

There are a bunch of movies leaving HBO Max in August 2020, including all eight of the original Harry Potter movies. This piece highlights five of the best movies leaving the service, and it does not include any Harry Potter movies, because you've all probably seen them a few times by now. But just so you know: you only have a few weeks left to stream them on HBO Max.

Anyway, let's leave ol' Harry in the dust and break down a few great films you should catch up with before they disappear from HBO Max.

One of the best Stephen King adaptations ever made, Rob Reiner's Misery features a powerhouse performance from Kathy Bates as Annie Wilkes, a deranged fan with a misplaced sense of entitlement over a franchise she loves. I don't think there's ever been a movie that details the dark side of fandom as well as Misery. Pour one out for James Caan's ankles.

No other movie vanishing from HBO Max in August features a lengthy knife fight in which John Wick (Keanu Reeves) dispatches of several mercenaries in an antique shop, or a motorcycle chase involving swords at high speeds. Therefore, John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum deserves special attention. I will brook no argument on this point.

The movie that turned writers Matt Damon and Ben Affleck from struggling actors into Oscar-winning Hollywood wonder boys, Good Will Hunting overcomes any of its shortcomings through terrific lead performances from Damon and the late Robin Williams. It's one of the most mythologized films on this entire list for good reason: it's the launchpad for at least two major careers, but it's also an emotionally gripping piece of work about friendship, love, and regret. It holds up.

In the halls of the Peak Moron Cinema pantheon, there's a huge shrine devoted to Dumb & Dumber, the Farrelly brothers' 1993 paean to hilarity and idiocy. Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels are absolutely incredible in the lead roles – so much so, that even if this was the only movie Carrey made in 1994, it would still have gone down as an all-timer. The fact that he also starred in both Ace Ventura: Pet Detective and The Mask in the same year is just icing on the cake.

Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan made rom-coms look easy. Of course, it helps that this delightful remake of Ernst Lubitsch's 1940 movie The Shop Around the Corner was written and directed by Nora Ephron, an undeniable queen of the genre. If 2020 has you down and you're looking for a movie that will actually make you feel good inside for a while, fire up your old AOL account and give this movie a shot.LAST CHANCE TO CATCH: SELECT TITLES LEAVING HBO MAX IN AUGUSTAugust 25:

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1, 2010

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, 2011

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, 2005

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, 2009

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, 2007

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, 2004

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, 2001

August 28:

Mr. & Mrs. Smith (Director's Cut), 2005 (HBO)

August 31:

42nd Street, 1933

A Perfect World, 1993

Adam's Rib, 1949

Along Came Polly, 2004 (HBO)

Cabaret, 1972

Dumb & Dumber, 1994

Full Metal Jacket, 1987

Good Will Hunting, 1997

How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, 2003 (HBO)

John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum, 2019 (HBO)

Kill Bill: Volume 1, 2003

Kill Bill: Volume 2, 2004

Love Actually, 2003 (HBO)

Magic Mike, 2012

Megamind, 2010

Misery, 1990

Monsters Vs. Aliens, 2009

Mystic River, 2003

National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, 1989

Pee-wee's Big Adventure, 1985

Sesame Street Presents: Follow That Bird , 1985

The Adjustment Bureau, 2011 (HBO)

The Spongebob Squarepants Movie, 2004 (HBO)

Tim Burton's Corpse Bride, 2005

Unforgiven, 1992

Veronica Mars, 2014

You've Got Mail, 1998