New HBO Max movies: April 28, 2023 update
Tom Power, entertainment reporter
Our last April 2023 update sees David Bowie docufilm Moonage Daydream added to our new HBO Max movies list. We’ve also included a section at the bottom of this article, which shows some of the best films ever that are joining the streamer in May 2023.
Welcome to our new HBO Max movies article. In this guide, you’ll find a selection of the newest films to arrive on Warner Bros Discovery’s (WBD) primary streamer. No matter what genre you prefer, you’ll find something worth checking out below.
HBO Max‘s movie back catalog is regularly updated with great (and not so great) films, which is good news for us and you. We get to update this article every week with new entries, and you get to come here every Friday and read all about them. Truly, HBO Max is one of the best streaming services for your movie needs.
It’s worth noting that you won’t find any films in this guide that joined HBO Max’s library before February 2023. For a more comprehensive list, you’ll need to read our best HBO Max movies guide. Additionally, from May 23, HBO Max is evolving into Max (read our Max explainer article for more details), WBD’s new super streamer, which is a combined service that includes all content on HBO Max and Discovery Plus.
After that date, we’ll update this article to reflect the change. For now, though, read on to find out more about the new HBO Max movies to join the service in April.
New HBO Max movies: April 2023
Moonage Daydream
HBO Max release date: April 29
It’s high time someone produced a docufilm centered on David Bowie, the iconic singer, songwriter, performer, and all-round creatively inspiring artist. Thankfully, Moonage Daydream, which has been written, directed and edited by Brett Morgen (Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck) fills that void.
Comprising previously unseen footage from Bowie’s personal archives, including live concert material – all of which was authorized by the Bowie estate for the first time ever – Moonage Daydream is a delightful audiovisual treat for Bowie fanatics, as well as music and documentary lovers alike. It’s a trippy, visual feast for the eyes that captures the trailblazing artist at his captivating, humorous, and down-to-earth best. A must-see docufilm and worthy inclusion on our new HBO Max movies list.
Coraline
HBO Max release date: April 1
Based on Neil Gaiman’s novella of the same name, Coraline is a wonderfully entertaining and somewhat scary stop-motion film that deserved more attention than it received upon initial release.
It tells the story of Coraline Jones (Dakota Fanning), who discovers a seemingly idyllic parallel universe behind a secret door in her home. Unbeknownst to Coraline, though, this apparent utopia hides a dark secret that could spell danger for the realm she hails from.
A spooky, thrilling, and highly enjoyable animated movie, Coraline is packed with nightmare-fuelled imagery for kids and plenty of contemplative themes for adults to muse over long after the credits have rolled. The saying ‘be careful what you wish for’ has never felt so apt.
Ghost
HBO Max release date: April 1
If you haven’t seen Ghost – and, let’s be clear, you’re not a true cinephile if you haven’t – you’ll definitely have seen that pottery scene. It’s too iconic for you to have missed in the 33 years since the romantic fantasy movie – one that saw millions fall in love with Patrick Swayze all over again – debuted in theaters.
The premise of Ghost is a simple one: banker Sam West (Swayze) is murdered, but his ghost cannot pass to the other side until he saves his still-living girlfriend Molly Jensen (Demi Moore) from the individual who killed him. Unable to communicate with Molly – you know, because he’s a spirit – Sam enlists the help of paranormal psychic Oda Mae Brown (the brilliant Whoopi Goldberg) to ‘speak’ to Molly.
Its visuals look dated now and, for some film aficionados, Ghost doesn’t tug at the heartstrings or do anything that other ghost-based movies have done before or since. Even so, its blend of comedy, horror, and mystery, coupled with some great performances from its primary cast, make it worth including on our new HBO Max movies list.
Valkyrie
HBO Max release date: April 1
It’s hard to believe this historical war thriller, which is inspired by a true story, is 15 years old this year. Even so, Valkyrie holds up as a politically-charged, suspense-filled war film that’ll leave you on the edge of your seat throughout its two-hour runtime.
Top Gun: Maverick and Mission: Impossible star Tom Cruise plays Colonel Claus von Staffenberg, a German army officer who led the July 1944 plot to try and assassinate Adolf Hitler in a bid to end the Second World War, and implement the Operation Valkyrie national emergency plan once the deed is done. As history proved, though, von Staffenberg and his fellow conspirators weren’t successful in their mission.
That doesn’t make Valkyrie any less tense as a film, mind you. Its all-star cast – including, but not limited to, Cruise, Kenneth Branagh, Bill Nighy, Terence Stamp, Carice van Houten, Eddie Izzard, David Bamber, Tom Hollander, and Bernard Hill – are all on good-to-great form. Add in your typical “horrors of war” aesthetic and anxiety-laden scenes, and Valkyrie is a must-watch for history movie lovers. Just try to look past the Americanization of it all.
New HBO Max movies: March 2023 and earlier
Valkyrie
Mortal Kombat
HBO Max release date: March 8
It’s about time 2021’s Mortal Kombat movie *ahem* got over here. The R-rated action flick, which is based on the iconic video game series of the same name, has finally made its way back onto HBO Max. That’s after it initially debuted with a day-and-date launch on the streamer and in theaters on March 8, 2021.
Mortal Kombat follows Cole Young (Shadow and Bone season 2‘s Lewis Tan), a washed-up martial arts fighter who eventually finds himself wrapped up in a universe-spanning battle to protect Earth – also known as Earthrealm – from Outworld and its champions. Will Cole and his allies succeed? Only if they win the tournament known as – yep, you guessed it – Mortal Kombat.
The game series’ latest film adaptation received mixed reviews from critics upon release, but it faired far better among general cinephiles. Considering the movie industry’s previous attempts to make a good Mortal Kombat film, the 2021 revival is nothing to be sniffed at, with its gruesome action, stunning martial arts-based sequences, and endearingly corny humor making it well worth a watch.
Mortal Kombat
House Party
HBO Max release date: March 3
It only debuted in theaters this January, but the 2023 remake of the 1990 cult classic House Party has already made its way onto HBO Max.
Considering this Tosin Cole and Jacob Latimore-starring comedy made little to no waves at the box office – it only made $9.2 million globally, and has been critically panned online – that won’t come as a surprise. Still, if Black comedies are the kind of films you enjoy, particularly ones with cameos from plenty of household names – LeBron James, Snoop Dogg, Tristan Thompson, and Kid Cudi to name just four – this might be worth your time.
Bloodsport
HBO Max release date: March 1
A product of the ’80s-era US-based martial arts scene, Bloodsport provides enthralling action and hackneyed stereotypes in equal measure. A sign of the times almost 40 years ago, then.
Iconic action star Jean-Claude Van Damme stars as US Army Captain (and prodigious ninjitsu practitioner) Frank Dux, who competes in an illegal martial arts tournament – known as the Kumite – in Hong Kong for, well, some reason.
It’s all very clichéd, with a derivative plot, characters who make perplexing decisions, and a movie lacking in style and substance. Still, its close-quarters combat was ahead of its time, and many observers claim Bloodsport wound up influencing the early days of UFC and – funnily enough, considering one of its movie adaptations appears on this list – the legendary video game series Mortal Kombat.
I Love You, Man
HBO Max release date: March 1
It’s weird to think we lived in a world where the word “bromance” wasn’t really a thing. But, thanks in part to 2009’s I Love You, Man, it’s become part of our everyday vocabulary.
The, well, bromantic comedy stars Paul Rudd (Ant-Man) as Peter, a friendless guy who seeks a best man for his upcoming wedding. He soon bumps into Syndey Fife (Jason Segel), an investor who shares Paul’s affinity for the rock band Rush. They become best friends but, just when Peter thinks he’s found “the one” – not that one – Syndey inadvertently begins to strain Peter’s relationship with wife-to-be Zooey (Rashida Jones), throwing their nupitals into jeopardy.
It’s a simple premise for a rom-com movie. But, thanks to Rudd and Segel’s chemistry, plus a wave of adult jokes and other brilliantly cringe-inducing material, I Love You, Man is a hilarious, heartfelt comedy about standing by your buddy – even if you’ve just met them.