Olivia Cavallaro Culture 08.04.2022 04:Aug AM EDT

Why is HBO Max Quietly Removing Some Max Original Films From the Streaming Service?

A number of original movies are no longer available on the streaming service, causing viewers to scratch their heads in confusion.

HBO Max, the streaming service owned by Warner Bros. Discovery has been quietly removing some Max Original films from its platform in what may be an effort to reduce costs. At least six Warner Bros. movies have been taken down the streaming platform in the last few weeks.

Variety reported that six Warner Bros. movies were taken off HBO Max, including the sci-fi rom-com "Moonshot," which stars Lana Condor and Cole Sprouse and was just released in March, the Melissa McCarthy-led AI dystopian comedy "Superintelligence," and Robert Zemeckis' 2020 remake of "The Witches," which featured Anne Hathaway, Octavia Spencer, Stanley Tucci and Chris Rock.

Also off HBO Max are Seth Rogen's comedy, "An American Pickle," Doug Liman's "Locked Down," and director Angel Manuel Soto's Charm City Kings." All six films were labeled "Max Originals."

Internet Users First Discover Missing HBO Max Films

The quiet removal of several Warner Bros. films on HBO Max were first reported by Reddit users in a discussion of the film studio's decision to scrap "Batgirl," a $90 million film that they said would no longer be released in the theater, on HBO Max, or any other platform.

Also off HBO Max's release calendar is the film "House Party," which comes from LeBron James and Maverick Carter's SpringHill. It was supposed to be released on July 28.

Normally, streaming platforms such as HBO Max, Netflix, Hulu, and others add and remove content from their respective platforms every month. But the platform nor parent company Warner Bros. Discovery failed to announce the removal of these movies, most peculiarly "Moonshot," which was released less than six months ago.

Warner Bros. Discovery Attempts to Cut Costs By Removing Films from HBO Max

Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav previously announced a $43 billion plan to merge Discovery and WarnerMedia and with it a promise to find $3 billion in annual cost savings, Vanity Fair reported. The outlet added that it appears HBO Max is just where he will find the savings, as it is quietly removing some films to cut down on costs.

Despite the films being produced by Warner Bros. Studios, HBO Max must still pay to license the films for its streaming service. These fees can add up, which is why the company may have decided to remove some low-performing media content on its platform.

Moreover, insiders at Warner Bros. Discovery have spoken out about the consolidation of HBO Max and Discovery+, which many believe will cause major layoffs and removal of content at HBO Max, which viewers are already witnessing. AV Club reported that the merger may drive an even bigger wedge between Warner Bros. unscripted and scripted divisions.

Details of the merger are expected to be disclosed by Zaslav ahead of Warner Bros. Discovery's upcoming quarterly earnings report, which is highly anticipated given that this is the first time that Warner Bros. has ranked as the world's second biggest entertainment giant. But the removal of the six films from HBO Max appears to be just the beginning for Warner Bros. Discovery, which is keen on removing content in search of tax write-offs, shuttering productions like "Batgirl" and consolidating a lot of their digital content.