HBO Max launched on Wednesday with hundreds of titles and a big surprise for “Harry Potter” fans: All eight films in the popular franchise as well as “Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald” can be streamed on WarnerMedia’s own platform.
Yes, you now have the opportunity to stream the entire Daniel Radcliffe-led franchise based on the popular series of novels by JK Rowling in one place, including: Harry Potter and the Philosopher’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 significant because, until yesterday, the Harry Potter films were not among the offerings that HBO Max had promoted as part of its Day 1 schedule, and WarnerMedia did not have the streaming rights to the films – but that was not because the company had not tried.
Read also: Here are the TV shows and movies that will be available on HBO Max at launch
In 2016, NBCUniversal acquired the exclusive on-air and digital rights to the Warner Bros-produced Harry Potter films – and the then-unreleased Fantastic Beasts films – as part of a groundbreaking deal that would run from summer 2018 to 2025 and also included franchise rights for use in theme parks.
On Tuesday, Kevin Reilly, HBO Max’s chief content officer, said in an interview with Business Insider that “active discussions are underway” to secure the streaming rights to the “Harry Potter” films for HBO Max before the far-off date of 2025.
“The market is changing because of the impact of COVID and different companies launching different services, and that creates a lot of opportunities for horse-trading,” Reilly said, alluding to the upcoming nationwide launch of NBCUniversal’s own streaming service Peacock. “We’re seeing that across the board.”
For a list of all other titles available on HBO Max at the time of publication on Wednesday, readers can find it here.
Read the original story “HBO Max Adds All Eight ‘Harry Potter’ Movies at Launch at TheWrap”
