It seems like every couple of days we get news about HBO Max scooping up the rights to a popular sitcom or franchise. Well, in addition to Sesame Street and Grease: Rydell High, the streaming service can now add Studio Ghibli to the list.
HBO Max announced that it would be bringing the Japanese animation studio’s entire slate to its service in 2020. Here’s the complete list of films that will be available to stream:
- Castle in the Sky
- The Cat Returns
- From Up On Poppy Hill
- Howl’s Moving Castle
- Kiki’s Delivery Service
- My Neighbor Totoro
- My Neighbors the Yamadas
- Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind
- Ocean Waves
- Only Yesterday
- Pom Poko
- Ponyo
- Porco Rosso
- Princess Mononoke
- The Secret World of Arrietty
- Spirited Away
- The Tale of The Princess Kaguya
- Tales From Earthsea
- When Marnie Was There
- Whisper of the Heart
- The Wind Rises
This is a huge grab for HBO Max, as Studio Ghibli has gone on the record saying it had no intentions on making its films available for streaming. Here’s what Studio Ghibli chairman Koji Hoshino said on the deal:
We are excited to be working with HBO Max to bring the complete collection of Studio Ghibli films to streaming audiences in the US. As a premium content brand, HBO Max is an ideal home for our films, […] Upon launch of the service this spring, existing Ghibli fans will be able enjoy their favorites and delve deeper into the library, while whole new audiences will be able to discover our films for the first time.
HBO Max has also acquired the Melissa McCarthy comedy Superintelligence. It was originally set to hit theaters on December 20, 2019, but will now be one of the service’s first original films.
The movie follows “a woman (McCarthy) who finds herself selected as a test subject by the world’s first superintelligent entity that overtakes her life.”
Kevin Reilly, chief content officer of HBO Max and president of TNT, TBS and truTV, said in a statement:
“This is the perfect high-concept comedy with an artist we all love to work with and shows the top caliber of talent we’re bringing to HBO Max.”
McCarthy and her husband/director Ben Falcone added:
“We used the A.I. from Superintelligence to look at every single platform in the world and then used its superknowledge and big artificial brain-like thing to determine that HBO Max was the right home for our film.”
Honestly, this is probably the best move for all parties involved. McCarthy’s hot streak has died down a lot since she broke out with her supporting role in 2011’s Bridesmaids. Perhaps, HBO Max will become the home of all future McCarthy comedies in a similar way Netflix is the home of Adam Sandler. Let’s all agree that his Netflix deal is making him some serious cow.
Would the entire Studio Ghibli catalogue and an original Melissa McCarthy comedy entice you to subscribe to HBO Max? Or are you still not biting?
