The $9.99-a-month version of HBO Max is here, with advertising in tow. But as we've also found out, that less-expensive option also comes with a few major caveats.
The biggest discrepancy between the $9.99 and $14.99 version of HBO Max arguably is this: You won't get any content in 4K resolution unless you're paying for the ad-free version. That means no ultra-high definition movies — everything tops out a mere HD.
That said HBO Max currently has a scant number of films available in 4K. Three, to be precise. Wonder Woman 1984 was the first when it premiered over Christmas 2020 as part of the same-day release scheme. Zack Snyder's Justice League — the extended directors cut that didn't do much to fix a not-great film — was the second. And the new Angelina Jolie film Those Who Wish Me Dead makes up the third film streamed in 4K.
That's it. Not even the much-heralded Tenet — another visually stunning Christopher Nolan film that set off a bit of a skirmish between the director and the studios — is only available in HD resolution.
Other differences between the ad-supported version of HBO Max and the full version are the inability to download movies and shows for offline viewing, and the loss of being able to watch same-day releases of 2021 Warner Bros. movies.
Upcoming same-day releases include:
- The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It (June 4)
- In the Heights (June 10
- Space Jam: A New Legacy (July 16)
- The Suicide Squad (Aug. 6)
- Reminiscence (Aug. 20
- Malignant (Sept. 10)
- The Many Saints of Newark (Sept. 24)
- Dune (Oct. 1
- Cry Macho (Oct. 22)
- King Richard (Nov. 19)
- The Matrix 4 (Dec. 22)
