Despite fans’ outcry for more DC content due to multiple films getting the ax and Cartoon Network shows getting pulled from the streaming platform, HBO Max announced that more content will enter their library. And no, it’s not what fans wanted. Instead of cool superhero films that could compete with Marvel and animations that were well-loved by fans, it’s going to be multiple holiday films.
In a report made by Deadline, four holiday films will be released on HBO Max from Nov. 17 to Dec 1. Those films are A Christmas Story Christmas – a sequel to Christmas Story, starring Peter Billingsley and will be released on Nov 17. Next are three films from ESX Entertainment. Holiday Harmony starring Annelise Cepero and Jeremy Sumpter, and A Christmas Mystery, starring Violet McGraw, will be released on Nov 24. And A Hollywood Christmas, featuring Jessika Van and Josh Swickard, will be out on Dec. 1.
It was also reported that the new WBD-HBO Max plan doesn’t include “spending millions” on direct-to-streaming movies. The streaming service plans to also focus on event-based, budget-sized movies.
It was announced recently that HBO Max was set to merge with Discovery Plus before the end of 2023. And since then, the cancellation of DC’s Batgirl was all part of an “aggressive cost-cutting scheme”. But it’s not just Batgirl, it was also reported that plenty of HBO’s original content has been cut, which led to an outcry by fans. It was also revealed that HBO Max will lean towards a male audience while Discovery Plus will attempt to target a female audience and those outside HBO Max’s target.