These are our picks for the best streaming services for movie lovers. HBO stands for Home Box Office, and HBO Max really delivers on that name by offering the most reliable catalog of quality films from the past and the present while catering to the broadest range of audiences in terms of age and genres. Whatever your age or interests are, there will be a movie for you on HBO Max. That’s why when I’m in the mood for a movie I haven’t seen before, I almost always start with HBO Max first. HBO Max’s biggest edge might be its selection of new and prestige movies. If you’re waiting for the latest blockbuster to appear on a streaming service, chances are it’s going to be on HBO Max. HBO Max includes a variety of hubs, and I think movie lovers will especially want to check out the Turner Classic Movies (TCM) hub. Like its name suggests, TCM provides a rotating lineup of films that are universally regarded as classics. This is where you’ll find your film noirs, musicals, and westerns, even some silent movies, but it’s also the hub for newer classics like The Da Vinci Code. (Yes, The Da Vinci Code is considered a classic, and that doesn’t make me feel old AT ALL.) HBO Max is also the Batcave of streaming services—it’s the digital home of Batman and the rest of the DC Extended Universe. While recent DC movies like Joker, Justice League, and The Batman have rightfully earned a reputation for a more adult-focused approach to superhero movies, it’s worth remembering that DC has a substantial catalog of kid-friendly animated movies too. HBO lists these main service providers who include free HBO Max access with certain plans:
AT&T Cox DIRECTV Hulu Optimum Spectrum Verizon Fios Xfinity YouTube TV
If you are a subscriber of one of the services above, double-check with them to see if you get HBO as part of your package. There are lots of other ways you might already have access HBO Max without signing up for a subscription. Check out this complete list of HBO Max providers from the HBO Max help center to learn more. If you picked just one streaming service for movies, Disney+ would be a solid choice simply because of these five mega franchises. In fact, if the majority of your household movie lovers are actually minors, then we might recommend Disney+ over HBO Max as the top choice. But its greatest strength could also be its greatest drawback. Outside of these five cinematic universes, there just aren’t a lot of great movie options in the Disney+ catalog. You’ll need to switch over to its sibling service Hulu if you want a more diverse selection of films. But what it offers that HBO Max and Hulu don’t is a free plan. More on that in a second. Peacock is the streaming home of Universal films, so if you’re a blockbuster hunter, then there are two T Rexes here: the Jurassic Park (now World) and The Fast and the Furious properties live on Peacock. But you’ll need to pony up for one of the premium plans to stream the newest releases. Universal is streaming its new films on Peacock 45 days after the theatrical release (again, you’ll need the premium plans to watch them). I’m on the ad-free plan, but if you’re just looking for a basic ad-based streaming service that’s free AND had a ton of movies, Peacock is the way to go. There are limitations with the free Peacock plan, but I believe the quality and selection of the films is better than the other free movie services. When I started poking around Hulu’s movie library, it gave me a real sense of nostalgia for the old-school video shop experience. Like a Blockbuster Video, the movie selection here is vast but very mainstream. Hulu stocks crowd-pleasers, eminently rewatchable movies. Everything boasts bright packaging and familiar stars. The first thing I noticed (and liked) was the number of movies available. That’s key for movie lovers—we’ve seen a lot of movies already, so we need a broad selection to make a streaming service worth it. The next thing I noticed was the breadth and depth of the library. Like HBO Max, there are movies for every age range and from every genre. If you’re looking to watch movies with the whole family, Hulu has plenty to choose from. Hulu is the streaming home of 20th Century Fox Studios, so you’ll see a fair amount of prestige films in the mix here too. Of course, that means a lot of Oscar-worthy fare:
Slumdog Millionaire Black Swan Little Miss Sunshine The Shape of Water Sideways
So if there are so many great movies on Hulu, why didn’t I put this at the top of the list? Well, the blockbusters are a wee bit lackluster. They feel like the kinds of movies I used to see in actual video shops back in the day. The major franchises you’ll find on Hulu are Alien, Predator, and Die Hard. I grew up in the ’80s, so I love those movies, but it remains to be seen if they remain relevant with today’s crowd. Hulu really shines if you like offbeat, indie comedies like Palm Springs or Fire Island. If those sound like your jam, then Hulu’s Original films might be right up your alley. These are the types of mid- to low-budget comedies that we rarely see in the theaters anymore. If you’re watching a movie, the ad experience is pretty mild—usually just 120 seconds before the film starts. Sadly, no previews. Just bear that ad experience in mind when considering that the Basic Plan is just $7 per month and Hulu Premium is $12.99 per month. For those who haven’t heard about it, the Criterion catalog of films (known as the Criterion Collection among movie nerds) is … well, I’ll let them describe it: It’s probably my personal favorite streaming service for watching movies because it has everything you would need to watch to qualify for an advanced degree in film history. I especially love all the French and Japanese films. These are just a few of the world cinema classics that even casual movie lovers may have heard of:
Seven Samurai House Breathless Paris, Texas The Seventh Seal Yojimbo Stalker Solaris Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me
But it can be overwhelming. If we think of streaming services as ski runs, this one is definitely a black diamond—for experts only. That’s why I put it at the bottom of the list—it’s awesome as it is, it caters to a very specific taste. The Paramount back catalog includes crown jewels like the Indiana Jones and Star Trek franchises and most of Martin Scorsese’s films. Paramount+ will also be the streaming home for new Paramount productions like Top Gun: Maverick and the fifth Indiana Jones film. This is a streaming service that movie lovers should keep their eye on.
