What's Coming to HBO Max in October 2020

HBO Max is still not available on Roku or Amazon Fire Stick. Just wanted to get that out of the way, because I know a lot of people are still mad about it—and with good cause, because the legal skirmishes between the streamer and hosting platforms is obscuring the fact that Max is easily one of the best paid services around for movie fans, and has been slowly building its inventory of exclusive series and special presentations.

Case in point: October’s HBO Max-exclusive lineup includes The West Wing reunion, awkwardly titled A West Wing Special to Benefit When We All Vote, which will reunite the surviving cast members of that magical liberal fantasy saga (plus a special appearance by Barack Obama) for an ode to the chill and totally relaxed political landscape of the early aughts.

If you’ve had your fill of even fictional politics but still want to be inspired, Equal is a new documentary series shining a light on the LGBTQ movement in America, traveling back to the pre-Stonewall days. Conversely, A World of Calm sounds like visual Ambien—it’s billed as a combination of “mesmeric imagery” and “narration by A-list stars.”

There are also a ton of movies coming to the service that you won’t be able to watch if you just have “regular HBO,” including a few classics I’ve recommended elsewhere. (Personally, I’ll be comparing and contrasting John Waters’ Hairspray and the later musical adaptation with John Travolta, and maybe indulging in a nostalgic rewatch of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movies from the early ‘90s.)

Still, even if you don’t have Max (or have it but can’t watch it on your Roku), there’s a lot of good stuff coming to HBO Regular too, including David Byrne’s American Utopia, a filmed version of the Talking Heads frontman’s Broadway hit directed by Spike Lee that should excite anyone who has ever seen Stop Making Sense. There’s also The Undoing, a limited series event starring Nicole Kidman and Hugh Grant as a once-happy couple dealing with the upheaval caused by “a violent death and a chain of terrible revelations.” You can also catch the season finales of Lovecraft Country, The Vow, and Room 104.

HBO is also adding a bunch of recent theatrical releases, including the 2019 instant camp classic Cats, which is news worthy of its own paragraph.

Here’s everything coming to HBO and HBO Max in October. Titles with (HBO) next to them are available on all HBO services. Everything else is exclusive to HBO Max.

Streaming in October, date TBA

• Chelsea Handler: Evolution — HBO Max Original Special premiere
• Gomorrah, Seasons 1 & 2 (Dubbed & Subtitled)
• The Monster at the End of This Story — HBO Max Original premiere

October 1

• A World of Calm — Documentary series premiere
• Akeelah and the Bee, 2006 (HBO)
• All-Star Superman, 2011
• American Dynasties: The Kennedys, 2018
• American Reunion, 2012 (HBO)
• Analyze This, 1999
• Analyze That, 2002
• The Angriest Man In Brooklyn, 2014 (HBO)
• Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery, 1997
• Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, 1999
• Ball of Fire, 1941
• Beavis and Butt-Head Do America, 1996 (HBO)
• Beef (HBO)
• Beginners, 2011 (HBO)
• Best in Show, 2000
• Blow, 2001
• Bombshell, 1933
• Boogie Nights, 1997
• Boomerang, 1992
• The Bush Years: Family. Duty. Power., 2019
• The Butterfly Effect, 2004
• Cats & Dogs, 2001
• Catwoman, 2004
• Cellular, 2004
• Cheech & Chong’s Up In Smoke, 1978
• The Chronicles of Riddick, 2004 (Director’s Cut) (HBO)
• City Slickers 2: The Legend of Curly’s Gold, 1994
• Clean and Sober, 1988
• The Client, 1994
• Collateral Beauty, 2016 (HBO)
• The Color Purple, 1985
• Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, 2003 (HBO)
• Constantine, 2005
• Cradle 2 the Grave, 2003
• Critters 2, 1988
• Critters 4, 1992
• The Curse of Frankenstein, 1957
• Day of the Dead, 1985 (HBO)
• Death Sentence, 2007 (Extended Version) (HBO)
• Deerskin, 2020 (HBO)
• Dirty Dancing, 1987 (HBO)
• Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights, 2004 (HBO)
• Deliverance, 1972
• Dracula Has Risen from the Grave, 1969
• Dreamcatcher, 2003
• Edge of Darkness, 2010
• Empire of the Sun, 1987
• The End: Inside The Last Days of the Obama White House, 2017
• Endings, Beginnings, 2020 (HBO)
• Enter the Dragon, 1973
• Eraser, 1996
• Firewall, 2006
• Frantic, 1988
• Frequency, 2000 (HBO)
• Friday, 1995
• The Friday After Next, 2002
• Galaxy Quest, 1999
• The Golden Compass, 2007
• Gothika, 2003
• Grudge Match, 2013 (HBO)
• Hairspray (Original), 1988
• Hairspray (Musical), 2007
• Harina (Flour) (HBO)
• The Haunting, 1999
• The Hills Have Eyes, 2006 (Extended Version) (HBO)
• The Hills Have Eyes II, 2007 (Extended Version) (HBO)
• Horror of Dracula, 1958
• The Hunting Ground, 2015
• I Am Sam, 2002
• Infamous, 2006
• The Informer, 1935
• The Invisible War, 2012
• Jonah Hex, 2010
• The Last Kiss, 2006 (HBO)
• The Last Mimzy, 2007
• Laws of Attraction, 2004
• Lethal Weapon, 1987
• Lethal Weapon 2, 1989
• Lethal Weapon 3, 1992
• Lethal Weapon 4, 1998
• Libeled Lady, 1936
• Life as We Know It, 2010
• Little Baby Bum, 2011
• Little Big League, 1994
• Madea’s Big Happy Family, 2011
• Malcolm X, 1992
• Man of Steel, 2013
• Marie: A True Story, 1985
• The Matrix Reloaded, 2003
• The Matrix Revolutions, 2003
• The Matrix, 1999
• Million Dollar Baby, 2004
• Miracle of Morgan’s Creek, 1944
• Mister Roberts, 1955
• Monsters Vs. Aliens, 2009
• The Mummy, 1959
• Mutiny on the Bounty, 1935
• Next Friday, 2000
• Never, Rarely, Sometimes, Always, 2020 (HBO)
• Nothing Sacred, 1937
• Open Water, 2004 (HBO)
• Open Water 2: Adrift, 2007 (HBO)
• Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures, 2013
• The Pelican Brief, 1993
• A Perfect Murder, 1998
• The Perfect Storm, 2000
• The Phantom of the Opera, 2004
• Presumed Innocent, 1990
• Race for the White House, Season 1
• Raised By Wolves, Season 1 finale
• Revolutionary Road, 2008 (HBO)
• Roger & Me, 1989
• Sands of Iwo Jima, 1950
• Scanners, 1981 (HBO)
• Scooby-Doo! Haunted Holidays, 2012
• Se7en, 1995
• Semi-Pro, 2008
• Sesame Street Presents Follow That Bird, 1985
• Shame, 2011 (HBO)
• Sherlock Holmes, 2009
• Sleight, 2017 (HBO)
• Son of Batman, 2014
• South Park: The Pandemic Special
• Steel, 1997
• Superman vs. the Elite, 2012
• Superman/Batman: Apocalypse, 2010
• Superman/Batman: Public Enemies, 2009
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, 1990
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2, 1991
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 3, 1993
• They Were Expendable, 1945
• A Thin Line Between Love and Hate, 1996
• The Thin Man, 1934
• The Thing, 2011 (HBO)
• A Time to Kill, 1996
• Tin Cup, 1996
• TMNT, 2007
• Training Day, 2001
• Tricky Dick, 2019
• Turistas, 2006 (Extended Version) (HBO)
• U.S. Marshals, 1998
• Us, 2019 (HBO)
• Vampire in Brooklyn, 1995
• A Very Brady Sequel, 1996
• We Will Rise: Michelle Obama’s Mission to Educate Girls Around the World, 2016
• What You Gonna Do When the World’s on Fire?, 2018
• When Harry Met Sally, 1989
• Where the Wild Things Are, 2009
• The Whole Ten Yards, 2004 (HBO)
• The Wings of Eagles, 1957
• You’ve Got Mail, 1998

October 2

October 3

• The ABCs of Back to School: A CNN/Sesame Street Town Hall for Families, 2020
• Downhill, 2020 (HBO)

October 6

• Siempre, Luis — Documentary premiere (HBO)

October 7

• Wild Card: The Downfall Of A Radio Loudmouth (HBO)

October 8

October 9

• Entre Nos Presents: Shayla Rivera: It’S Not Rocket Science (HBO)
• Room 104 — Series finale (HBO)

October 10

October 12

October 15

• Detention Adventure, Season 2
• A West Wing Special to Benefit When We All Vote — HBO Max Original Premiere

October 16

• La Odisea De Los Giles (Heroic Losers) (HBO)
• The Perfect Weapon — Documentary special premiere (HBO)

October 17

• David Byrne’s American Utopia — Special event premiere (HBO)

October 18

October 20

October 21

• 537 Votes — Documentary premiere (HBO)

October 22

• Equal — HBO Max Original Documentary Series premiere

October 23

• How To With John Wilson, Season 1 — HBO Original

October 24

October 25

• The Undoing — Series premiere (HBO)

October 27

• Ghosts, Season 2
• It: Chapter Two, 2017 (HBO)
• John Lewis: Good Trouble, 2020
• The Soul of America — Documentary premiere (HBO)

October 28

• Burning Ojai: Our Fire Story (HBO)

October 29

October 30

• Mano De Obra (Workforce) (HBO)

October 31

• Black Christmas, 2019 (HBO)

What’s leaving HBO Max and HBO in October 2020

October 8

October 11

October 20

October 31

• A Cinderella Story, 2004
• A Cinderella Story: Once Upon a Song, 2011
• A Very Brady Sequel, 1996
• Amelie, 2001 (HBO)
• American History X, 1998
• Barefoot in the Park, 1967
• Batman Beyond: The Return of the Joker, 2000
• Batman vs. Robin, 2015
• Batman: Gotham Knight, 2008
• Batman: The Dark Knight Returns Part 1, 2012
• Batman: The Dark Knight Returns Part 2, 2013
• Beautiful Creatures, 2013
• Blade Runner: The Final Cut, 2007
• Blood Diamond, 2006
• Cop Out, 2010
• Crazy, Stupid, Love, 2011 (HBO)
• Dangerous Liaisons, 1988
• DEVIL, 2010 (HBO)
• Driving Miss Daisy, 1989
• El Norte, 1984 (HBO)
• Green Lantern (2011)
• Gremlins 2: The New Batch, 1990
• Home Alone, 1990 (HBO)
• House Party, 1990
• Kung Fu Panda 2, 2011
• Kung Fu Panda, 2008
• Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, 2003
• Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, 2002
• Ocean’s Eleven, 2001
• Paul (Extended Version), 2011 (HBO)
• Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, 1987
• Raising Arizona, 1987 (HBO)
• Serendipity, 2001
• Soldier, 1998
• Spies Like Us, 1985
• Star Trek, 2009
• Swing Time, 1936
• The Adventures of Pinocchio, 1996
• The First Wives Club, 1996
• The Others, 2001 (HBO)
• The Outsiders, 1983
• The Replacements, 2000
• This Means War (Extended Version), 2012 (HBO)
• Three Kings, 1999
• Top Hat, 1935
• V for Vendetta, 2006
• Woodstock (Director’s Cut), 1994
• Yesterday, 2019 (HBO)