HBO Max is delivering one of its strongest July lineups in years, a Stephen King thriller, two A24 films, House of the Dragon returning, and a Zendaya-Robert Pattinson dark comedy landing today. Here are 10 confirmed picks across horror, drama, thriller, comedy, and documentary, all streaming on HBO Max this July.
1. The Drama (A24/Dark Comedy)
The most talked-about A24 release of the year lands on HBO Max this Friday. Zendaya and Robert Pattinson play Emma and Charlie, a seemingly perfect couple days away from their wedding, until a drunken game of confessions leads to a shocking revelation that sends everything off the rails. Sharp, uncomfortable, and deliberately provocative, it’s been polarising audiences since its festival run in exactly the way great films should.
Best for- fans of A24’s more daring work, and anyone who likes their romantic comedies with a cynical, unsettling edge.
2. The Long Walk (Dystopian Thriller)
Set in a dystopian version of the 1970s, hundred boys enter an annual televised walking contest, they must walk nonstop for days maintaining a pace of three miles per hour, or die. Directed by Francis Lawrence (The Hunger Games) and starring Cooper Hoffman, David Jonsson, and Mark Hamill as the chilling Major, it’s one of the best Stephen King adaptations in years.
Best for- fans of The Hunger Games and Squid Game, tense, relentless, and impossible to look away from.
3. House of the Dragon- Season 3 (Fantasy Series)
The battle for the Iron Throne rages on. Season 3 picks up with the Dance of the Dragons in full swing, alliances are crumbling, dragons are dying, and the Targaryen civil war is entering its most brutal phase. If you’ve fallen behind, now is the time to catch up before the finale.
Best for- Game of Thrones fans and fantasy lovers who want something with genuine weight and consequence.
4. The Mummy Trilogy (Horror/Adventure)
All three Brendan Fraser classics, The Mummy, The Mummy Returns, and The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, landed on HBO Max this month, making it the perfect time for a nostalgic binge. The original remains one of the most purely fun adventure films of the ‘90s, Fraser and Rachel Weisz have irresistible chemistry, and Arnold Vosloo’s Imhotep is one of cinema’s most underrated villains.
Best for- anyone who wants a fun, action-packed watch that holds up better than you’d expect.
5. Stuart Fails to Save the Universe (Comedy Series)
The Big Bang Theory spin-off nobody expected, and the one that’s actually working. Kevin Sussman’s comic book store owner Stuart accidentally gets pulled into the multiverse, and the show has a genuinely anarchic energy that sets it apart from its parent series.
Best for- Big Bang Theory fans ready for something weirder, and anyone who loves a low-stakes multiverse comedy.
6. Marc by Sofia (A24/Documentary)
Sofia Coppola makes her documentary debut with an intimate, unconventional portrait of her longtime friend Marc Jacobs, one of fashion’s most singular and complicated creative minds. Shot over several years and full of candid, unguarded moments, it’s the kind of documentary that works even if you know nothing about fashion.
Best for- fans of Coppola’s filmmaking, fashion lovers, and anyone who enjoys intimate portrait documentaries.
7. Hereditary (Horror)
Ari Aster’s debut film, and still one of the scariest movies made this decade, is now on HBO Max. When a family begins to unravel after the death of their secretive grandmother, something deeply sinister surfaces. Toni Collette gives one of the great horror performances ever committed to film.
Best for- horror fans who want something that genuinely disturbs rather than just startles, watch this one with the lights on.
8. Deadpool 2 (Action/Comedy)
Wade Wilson is back, this time forming the X-Force to protect a young mutant from the time-travelling soldier Cable (Josh Brolin). Funnier and more emotionally surprising than the first film, with a mid-credits sequence that remains one of the most joyful things the superhero genre has ever produced.
Best for- Deadpool fans, and anyone who wants a superhero film that genuinely doesn’t take itself seriously.
9. The Evil Dead (1983) + Evil Dead II (1987)
Both Sam Raimi classics landed on HBO Max this month, perfectly timed ahead of Evil Dead Burn hitting theatres this week. The original is pure lo-fi horror brilliance; the sequel is somehow both funnier and scarier. Watch them back to back.
Best for- horror fans who want to understand where one of the genre’s great franchises began, and anyone who wants a double bill that goes from genuinely terrifying to gleefully unhinged.
10. Ocean’s Eight (Heist/Comedy)
Sandra Bullock, Cate Blanchett, Anne Hathaway, Mindy Kaling, Helena Bonham Carter, Rihanna, Sarah Paulson, and Awkwafina pull off an audacious heist at the Met Gala. Stylish, funny, and endlessly rewatchable, the ensemble chemistry is the whole show.
Best for- a feel-good weekend watch when you want something fun, glossy, and completely effortless.
