HBO Max launched today and in a twist of unforeseen events, all eight installments in the Harry Potter franchise are available on the new streamer. The addition of these films weren’t announced in HBO Max’s complete list of everything available at launch, so Potterheads are taking this as a special treat.
This comes as even more of a surprise since HBO’s parent company WarnerBros gave full licensing of the franchise to NBCUniversal a few years ago, including digital rights incorporated into Universal Studios theme park material.
Back in January, HBO Max Chief Kevin Reilly hinted that the young wizard would be making an appearance on the streaming platform at some point and that they were in talks with NBCUniversal about making that change happen.
“You know, we did a big deal because, obviously, with Universal and the theme park, that’s been a big part for them, but those discussions will continue on,” Reilly said at the Television Critics Assn. tour in early this year. “Let’s just say, at some point you can’t have our experience without having ‘Harry Potter’ be a part of it.”
It looks like HBO Max made good on that promise early on, which was likely an expensive move on their part.
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