3 best movies to watch first on HBO Max UK

HBO Max is finally available in the UK – via apps for a wide selection of connected and smart devices, plus the likes of Sky TV (where you get free access) and Virgin Media.

It brings with a wide selection of new shows and films too, including some huge award winners and box office favourites. Indeed, there are three movies available on the streaming service from today that are must-see.

Here there are my three movie picks to watch first on the all-new, UK edition of HBO Max.

Sinners | Official Trailer - YouTube

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Sinners

Winner of four Oscars and numerous other awards, Sinners is a stunning period drama that surprisingly twists into a clever vampire movie.

Directed by Ryan Coogler (Creed, Black Panther) it has an incredible cast, lead by Michael B. Jordan who plays twins – and won the Best Actor Academy Award in the process.

Set in the 1930s, it follows the brothers as they return to their homeland in the Mississippi Delta only to find an ancient evil awaiting them.

There's good reason why it also won the Oscar for Best Cinematography – it is a truly beautiful film with depth and a surprising art style for a horror. It is an absolute must-watch and now included with a HBO Max subscription.

One Battle After Another

Paul Thomas Anderson snagged the Best Director Oscar for his adaption of the book Vineland, with the movie also winning a further five, including Best Picture.

Starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Benicio del Toro, it is an action-thriller of sorts, but with plenty of dark humour and clever set pieces.

It also sees Sean Penn return to our screens, who won the Best Supporting Actor gong, beating del Toro in the process.

Of course, awards aren't always an indicator as to whether you'll like a movie, but as it also has 94% on Rotten Tomatoes, you can be sure that this specific Oscar winner is well worth queuing up.

Superman | Official Trailer | DC - YouTube

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Superman

Superman returned in the summer of last year to great aplomb and now you can find out why.

James Gunn's version of the Man of Steel sets the stall for the expanding DC Universe, which will soon include the Supergirl film and Lanterns TV show (based on the Green Lantern and related comic books).

David Corensweet stepped into the blue lycra this time, with Rachel Brosnahan taking on the Lois Lane role. But undoubtedly the star of the film is Krypto the Superdog (or at least he is for me).

We'll likely be seeing more of the super-powered canine in forthcoming adventures soon.

HBO Max: UK price and availability

HBO Max launched in the UK on Thursday 26 March 2026, having been available in the US and other regions for several years.

It can be accessed on multiple devices, including iOS, Android, PC, Mac, Amazon Fire TV Sticks and televisions, Roku, Google TV, Apple TV, EE TV, PlayStation, Xbox, and numerous Smart TV models.

You can also get it via Sky and Virgin Media, with the former offering a Basic with Ads subscription for free.

There are four subscription tiers – Basic with Ads, Standard with Ads, Standard, and Premium.

Basic with Ads costs £4.99 per month for 1080p streaming and 5.1 audio. You don't get offline viewing with this tier, and all content is ad-supported. There's a limit on the amount of devices that can stream simultaneously – two.

Standard with Ads is a pound more at £5.99 per month. This is the same as the Basic with Ads tier but you can also download up to 30 shows or movies at a time.

Standard removes the adverts, but is essentially the same in all other ways. It costs £9.99 per month.

Then there's HBO Max Premium. This is priced at £14.99 per month but offers the best picture and sound quality – 4K HDR (Dolby Vision) and Dolby Atmos. You get 100 downloads, and streaming on up to four devices simultaneously.

If you are a Sky Ultimate TV customer with Sky Glass or Sky Stream, or a Sky Q subscriber you get HBO Max Basic with Ads for free as part of your existing TV plan. However, if you want to upgrade to a higher tier, you still get a £4.99 discount on the final price. So, Premium will cost you £10 per month, for example.

It's also worth noting that to get the discount on Sky you must set up your HBO Max account through your Sky device and pay via your TV account.

Now and Sky+ customers also get HBO Basic with Ads content at no extra cost.

Sky Ultimate TV currently costs £22 per month and also includes Netflix, Disney+ and (soon) Hayu, with the price rising to £24 per month from 1 April.

All other HBO Max subscriptions are available via hbomax.com.