HBO Max is getting ready to launch some fireworks with their exciting slate of movies arriving on the service this July. From the recent blockbuster hit Sinners to the latest star-studded flicks from A24, you won’t have to look far to find something to watch, especially if that July heat is just too much.
‘Mortal Kombat’ (2021)
Available on: Tuesday, July 1
Ahead of the sequel’s release this October, Mortal Kombat returns to HBO Max this July.
MMA fighter Cole Young is thrust into a dangerous and violent world when he is targeted by the mythical assassin Sub-Zero, who knows the truth about his family lineage. Wanting to protect his family, Cole meets up with a crew of other skilled fighters, including Sonya Blade, Jax, Kano, Liu Kang, Kung Lao, and Raiden, and is sent out to defend the Earthrealm from the dangers of the Outworld.
Simon McQuoid made his directorial debut with the film, which starred Lewis Tan (Cobra Kai), Jessica McNamee (The Meg), Josh Lawson (St. Denis Medical), Tadanobu Asano (Shōgun), Mehcad Brooks (Law & Order), Ludi Lin (Power Rangers), Chin Han (Marco Polo), Joe Taslim (Warrior), and Hiroyuki Sanada (Shōgun).
‘Batman Ninja vs. Yakuza League’
Available on: Thursday, July 3
The hit 2018 anime film Batman Ninja is finally getting a sequel with Batman Ninja vs. Yakuza League.
Taking place a mere day after returning to present-day Gotham City, Batman and his team come to the realization that their world has changed since they left it. Not only does the Justice League not exist, but neither does the entire country of Japan. When an alternate yakuza-style version of the Justice League begins literally raining from the sky, Batman and his family must save Gotham once more, even if it’s not the same one they left behind.
The film sees Junpei Mizusaki return to direct, alongside Shinji Takagi.
‘On Becoming a Guinea Fowl’
Available on: Friday, July 4
One of the most highly acclaimed movies of the year is making its way to HBO Max this month.
On Becoming A Guinea Fowl follows Shua, a young woman who, while driving on an empty road one night, discovers the corpse of her uncle. As the funeral gets underway, Shua’s relatives unearth some shocking secrets about her family.
The film is directed by Runagno Nyoni (I Am Not a Witch) and stars Susan Chardy, Elizabeth Chisela, and Henry B.J. Phiri.
- Release Date
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October 3, 2024
- Runtime
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95 minutes
- Director
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Rungano Nyoni
- Writers
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Rungano Nyoni
- Producers
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Ed Guiney, Olivia Sleiter, Tim Cole, Andrew Lowe, Eva Yates
‘Sinners’
Available on: Friday, July 4
From Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Ryan Coogler, the writer-director behind Black Panther, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Creed, and Fruitvale Station, comes the tense, soulful, and bloody vampire film, Sinners.
Set in 1932, identical twins Smoke and Stack return to their childhood home of Clarksdale, Mississippi, after spending the last several years after World War I, working for the mafia in Chicago. With money they stole from gangsters, Smoke and Stack purchase a sawmill with plans to convert it into a juke joint. They recruit their young cousin, Sammie, an aspiring blues’ musician, drunken pianist Delta Slim, Chinese shopkeepers Grace and Bo Chow, field worker Cornbread, and Smoke’s estranged wife Annie to assist them, with Stack’s white-passing ex-girlfriend, Mary, also joining the fray. On opening night, Sammy’s music is so infectious, it summons spirits of the past and the future, but unfortunately, it also summons Remmick, an Irish immigrant vampire, who believes Sammy’s music is the key to his idea of a better life: turning everybody into immortal vampires.
Related
‘Sinners’ Review: As a Coogler Fan, I’m Amazed — as a Horror Lover, I Wanted More
Coogler is a master, but not of every genre.
After working with Coogler on his previous four films, Michael B. Jordan takes on the roles of both Smoke and Stack. He leads a talented ensemble cast that also includes Academy Award nominee Hailee Steinfeld (The Edge of Seventeen), newcomer Miles Caton, Jack O’Connell (28 Years Later), Wunmi Mosaku (Loki), Jayme Lawson (The Batman), Omar Miller (CSI: Miami), Li Jun Li (Babylon), and Delroy Lindo (Da 5 Bloods).
‘Opus’
Available on: Friday, July 11
Ayo Edebiri (The Bear) takes on her first leading role in a horror film in Opus, the supernatural thriller from A24.
Young, rising music journalist Ariel Ecton is shocked when she and her boss receive an invitation to travel to an exclusive listening party for the new album of the mysterious 90s pop star Alfred Moretti, who has come out of hiding. Upon her arrival at the compound, Ariel begins to notice the bizarre cult-like behavior of Moretti and his followers, before putting the pieces together and learning the horrible truth.
Opus marks the directorial debut of Mark Anthony Green and also stars Academy Award nominee John Malkovich (The Fantastic Four: First Steps), Academy Award nominee Juliette Lewis (Yellowjackets), Murray Bartlett (The White Lotus), Amber Midthunder (Prey), Stephanie Suganami, Young Mazino (The Last of Us), and Tatanka Means (Killers of the Flower Moon).
- Release Date
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March 14, 2025
- Runtime
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103 minutes
- Director
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Mark Anthony Green
- Writers
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Mark Anthony Green
- Producers
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Nile Rodgers, Charles D. King, Joshua Bachove, The-Dream, Brad Weston, Poppy Hanks
‘I Love You Forever’
Available on: Friday, July 18
What starts as your typical quirky romantic comedy morphs into something far more dark and serious in I Love You Forever.
25-year-old Mackenzie has been struggling to find true love, with her love life primarily consisting of regrettable hookups and one-night stands. That is, until she meets Finn, a handsome and seemingly mature journalist, who initially seems to be the man of Mackenzie’s dreams. However, as their relationship grows deeper, Finn begins to show an alarming number of red flags, leading Mackenzie to realize that she is trapped in an emotionally abusive relationship.
Cazzie David (who also stars in a supporting role) and Elisa Kalani make their directorial debut with the movie, which stars Sofia Black-D’Elia (Single Drunk Female), Ray Nicholson (Novocaine), Jon Rudnitsky (Red One), Raymond Cham Jr. (The Idea of You), and Oliver Cooper (Project X).
- Release Date
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March 9, 2024
- Runtime
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89 Minutes
- Director
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Cazzie David, Elisa Kalani
- Writers
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Cazzie David, Elisa Kalani
- Producers
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Evan Silverberg, Billy Mulligan, Diablo Cody
‘Death of a Unicorn’
Available on: Friday, July 25
What if you cross Jurassic Park with Cocaine Bear, but replace dinosaurs and drug-addicted bears with bloodthirsty unicorns? That’s what you get with the monster-comedy Death of a Unicorn.
In an attempt to bond with his teenage daughter after his wife’s passing, Elliot Kintner brings his teenage daughter, Ridley, along for a weekend at the remote and expansive estate of his boss, Odell Leopold. On their way, Elliot accidentally hits and kills a baby unicorn, leading to him and Ridley hiding the body in the trunk of their car. Upon their arrival, Ridley is immediately disgusted by the Leopold family, but also realizes that the unicorn blood has somehow cleaned away her acne. Once the Leopolds find out the father and daughter’s magical secret, they seek to exploit the unicorn corpse. But it doesn’t take long until the unicorn’s parents find the estate and wreak bloody havoc.
Alex Scharfman makes his directorial debut with the film, which stars Paul Rudd (Ant-Man), Jenna Ortega (Wednesday), Will Poulter (Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3), Anthony Carrigan (Barry), Sunita Mani (GLOW), Jessica Hynes (Shaun of the Dead), Stephen Park (Asteroid City), with Téa Leoni (Bad Boys), and Academy Award nominee Richard E. Grant (Can You Ever Forgive Me?).
