On Aug. 25, HBO Max will purge all eight Harry Potter films from its service. This news comes only two months after the series initial surprise launch on WarnerMedia’s new platform. It’s currently unclear where the Harry Potter series will go, if anywhere.
Months ago, fans woke up to a surprise on HBO Max launch day: all of the Harry Potter movies streaming in once place. This was a tough get for HBO Max, as Warner Bros. released the films originally, but sold the TV rights to NBCUniversal four years ago — a deal that was set to last until 2025. That deal reportedly required a great deal of “horse trading” between Warner and NBC.
Warner did not explain why the Harry Potter series will exit HBO Max so soon after launch. With NBCUniversal still owning the TV rights, it’s possible the films could migrate to NBC’s new service, Peacock. But it’s also possible the series could slip back into the streaming void, with viewers unable to stream them via any subscription service.
Viewers can still watch the Potter series digitally on rental services like Amazon Prime Video and Apple’s iTunes, and will likely still be able to do so after Aug. 25.