HBO Max streams new movies from Warner Bros. the same day they’re released in theaters.
Angela Lang/CNET

This year, all year, HBO Max is streaming new, theatrically released movies at no extra charge the same day each film hits US theaters. But this weekend’s top releases — The Green Knight, Stillwater and Jungle Cruise — aren’t available to stream on HBO Max. (Jungle Cruise, however, is available over at Disney Plus, for a price.)

That’s because HBO Max is streaming only Warner Bros. movies the same day. You’ll have to wait until Thursday for the next of these, Suicide Squad.

HBO Max made waves last year when it announced that it would stream new, theatrically released movies from the studio Warner Bros. at no extra charge the same day they hit the big screen during 2021. That includes Space Jam: A New Legacy, and upcoming releases The Suicide Squad, Dune and The Matrix 4. But it also means other movies from any other studio won’t.

That’s 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 at no extra charge.

The hybrid release strategy is so aggressive, in fact, that WarnerMedia is ending it after 2021. Starting in 2022, Warner Bros. movies are expected to have a 45-day window 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.

Is Stillwater streaming on HBO Max?

No. Stillwater is distributed by Focus Features, part of Universal Pictures. It’s available only in theaters for now.

Is The Green Knight streaming?

Nope, The Green Knight is distributed by A24, and it’s another theatrical exclusive. Earlier in the pandemic, A24 did hold some virtual screenings at the same time as physical ones for its film Minari, which was an Oscar contender. But A24 hasn’t experimented with virtual screenings for any other titles.

Is Jungle Cruise available to stream on HBO Max?

No again. But! It’s available to stream over on Disney Plus. As part of Disney Plus’ Premier Access model, Jungle Cruise (and Black Widow, for that matter) are available for Disney Plus members to stream if they pay an extra $30 fee on top of the regular cost of their subscriptions.

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

Available through Aug. 15: Space Jam: A New Legacy.Aug. 5: The Suicide Squad.Aug. 20: Reminiscence.Sept. 10: Malignant.Sept. 17: Cry Macho.Oct. 1: The Many Saints of Newark.Oct. 22: Dune.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.

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. Suicide Squad, for example, is an exception: It’ll become available to stream at 4 p.m. PT on Thursday.

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.