A Quiet Place Part 2 will hit theaters Friday.
Paramount

A Quiet Place Part 2 and Cruella hit theaters Friday to kick off the Memorial Day weekend in the US. But only Cruella
is available to stream now, and not on HBO Max. (A Quiet Place Part 2 will be available to stream in about a month and a half but, again, not on Max.)

HBO Max made waves last year when it announced that it would stream new, theatrically released movies at no extra charge the same day each film hits US cinemas in 2021 — but only if they’re distributed by the studio Warner Bros. That means every Warner Bros. movie this year will be released both on HBO Max and in cinemas at the same time, including In the Heights, Space Jam: A New Legacy, The Suicide Squad, Dune and The Matrix 4 to come.

But it also means movies from any other studio won’t.

This so-called hybrid release strategy for Warner Bros. and HBO Max is unprecedented, but it’s also sparking some misguided hope among moviegoers when any new movie hits theaters. Without knowing the studio distributing that new flick, lots of people get curious that maybe it’s one of the movies available on HBO Max too.

Warner Bros. movies have the direct pipeline to Max because HBO Max and Warner Bros. are both owned and operated by AT&T‘s WarnerMedia. They’re siblings, essentially.

But it’s worth noting that this hybrid strategy is unique to Warner Bros. and HBO. No other Hollywood studios are being this aggressive in putting this many movies (including megabudget blockbusters) on a streaming service immediately.

The hybrid release strategy is so aggressive, in fact, WarnerMedia is ending it after 2021. Starting in 2022, Warner Bros. movies are expected to have a window of time exclusively in theaters before moving to other formats like online rentals and HBO Max. However, that theatrical window will be much shorter than it was before the pandemic.

Can I stream A Quiet Place Part 2 on HBO Max?

No. The sequel to horror hit A Quiet Place (distributed by Paramount Pictures) is scheduled for release Friday in theaters only.

But! A Quiet Place Part 2 will be available on streaming service Paramount Plus 45 days later, on July 12. That’s much faster than theatrically released movies would have made it to a streaming service before the pandemic.

Cruella is out this weekend too. Can I stream that on HBO Max?

Nope. Cruella, as a Disney movie, is destined for the company’s own streaming service, Disney Plus.

But Cruella will be available to stream Friday on Disney Plus at the same time it’s available in theaters — for a price. Cruella will require Disney Plus subscribers to pay an extra $30 fee to unlock it. This is what Disney calls Premier Access, and it is how Disney Plus already released Raya and the Last Dragon and how it will release Marvel’s Black Widow on July 9.

Cruella will be available to stream at no added cost to all regular Disney Plus subscribers on Aug. 27.

What about Spiral? Is that on HBO Max?

No again. Spiral, the latest Saw franchise horror film, stars Chris Rock and was released in theaters May 13. But it’s distributed by Lionsgate, which means it isn’t available on HBO Max.

Lionsgate’s movies do end up on streaming service Hulu and cable channel FX eventually, after a period in theaters. Watch there for Spiral potentially becoming available, but it’ll take a few months at least.

OK, so what new movies can I stream on HBO Max when they’re in theaters?

Here you go:

Currently available through June 13: Those Who Wish Me Dead.June 4: The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It.June 11: In the Heights.July 16: Space Jam: A New Legacy.Aug. 6: The Suicide Squad.Aug. 20: Reminiscence.Date TBD: Malignant.Sept. 24: The Many Saints of Newark.Oct. 1: Dune.Oct. 22: Cry Macho.Nov. 19: King Richard.Dec. 22: The Matrix 4.

All these titles will be available on HBO Max the same day they hit US theaters.

Any title listed with a “TBD” doesn’t have a confirmed release date yet, but it’s placed on the list in loose chronological order for when it’s expected.

Generally, most of the new Warner Bros. movies become available to stream on Max at 12:01 a.m. PT/3:01 a.m. ET on the day of their release. But the timing for other movies may vary, depending on when the first cinematic screenings take place at theaters. Wonder Woman 1984, for example, became available at 9 a.m. PT/noon ET on Dec. 25 because that was the earliest theaters were open that day.

The movies will be available to stream on HBO Max for 31 days. They’re generally expected to be removed from the service at 11:59 p.m. PT on that 31st day.