HBO Max is back with another wave of new releases to keep you entertained throughout August.
This month's batch includes new movies (including one with "The Fantastic Four: First Steps" star Pedro Pascal), plus plenty of library additions, documentaries, live sports and, of course, the very welcome return of a DC star: John Cena.
Yes, after being away from our screens for far too long, "Peacemaker" season 2 is finally returning to the streaming service (after briefly popping up in James Gunn's "Superman"), for what looks to be another blast of fun.
Below, you can find my top picks for the month, plus a comprehensive list of everything new on HBO Max in August 2025. And if you're not seeing much you want to watch, check out our best movies on HBO Max for more top streaming recommendations.
New on HBO Max in August 2025: Top picks
'Freaky Tales'
Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck's "Freaky Tales" is an anthology movie all based on real events and real locations from Oakland, California, in 1987.
Across one night, it sketches four scrappy stories about a variety of colorful characters — including an NBA star, a female rap duo, punk teens, and a career crook who wants to leave his criminal life behind, among others — with a genre movie feel and the odd shock of ultra-violence.
"Freaky Tales" is fun, '80s-inflected stuff that some HBO Max subscribers are going to really get a kick out of.
Stream on HBO Max from August 8
'The Legend of Ochi'
If you're looking for some family entertainment this month, Isaiah Saxon's fantasy adventure "The Legend of Ochi" seems a solid choice.
This wondrous watch from A24 whisks us off to a small village on the island of Carpathia, where we meet Yuri (Helena Zengel), a young girl who is raised to fear creatures known as "the Ochi." When she encounters a lost baby, Ochi, she embarks on a journey to take him back home.
It wasn't universally loved (it's 75% on Rotten Tomatoes) and drew criticism for having a slightness in the character/story departments, but for its impressive visuals and brilliant puppetry values, I think "The Legend of Ochi" warrants a watch.
Stream on HBO Max from August 15
'Peacemaker' season 2
"Peacemaker" exploded onto the scene in 2022 as a raucous action comedy spinoff from James Gunn's pre-DCU 2021 hit, "The Suicide Squad" that gave John Cena's jingoistic antihero the limelight. The result? An utterly hilarious, hugely entertaining blood-soaked romp.
Season 2 sees him discovering an alternate world where life is everything that Chris Smith/Peacemaker could want. The problem is, that discovery also forces him to face his own traumatic past.
Judging by the teaser we've seen, that same winning vibe's been preserved, and then some, and I can't wait to see Peacemaker and his pals back in action.
Stream on HBO Max from August 21
Everything new on HBO Max in August 2025
AUGUST 1
Alien: Covenant
Barbershop (2002)
Barbershop 2: Back in Business
Couples Retreat (2009)
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul
Enter the Warrior’s Gate
Get a Job (2016)
Gremlins 2: The New Batch
House Hunters International: Volume 9, Season 203 (HGTV)
House Hunters: Volume 10, Season 244 (HGTV)
It Happened in Brooklyn
It's Always Fair Weather
Jamboree!
Kung Fu Panda 2
Let’s Go Bananas, Season 1A
Lili
Macao
Madame Bovary (1949)
Madame Curie
Marc Maron: Panicked (HBO Original, 2025)
Martha Marcy May Marlene
Millie
Miss Pinkerton
Mogambo
Mr. Skeffington
Mrs. Miniver (1942)
Mrs. Parkington
My Favorite Wife
Neptune's Daughter (1949)
New Moon (1940)
Pride and Prejudice (1940)
Quo Vadis (1951)
Random Harvest
Roughshod
Rules Don’t Apply
Smarty
Stonewall
Storm over Wyoming
Survive the Night (2020)
The Last Time I Saw Paris
The Life of Vergie Winters
The Long, Long Trailer
The Nun (2018)
The Peanut Butter Falcon
The Racket (1951)
The Reluctant Debutante
The Water Diviner
Three on a Match
Till the End of Time
Two Weeks with Love (1950)
Union Depot
Unlocked (2017)
War on Everyone
Waterloo Bridge (1940)
Where Danger Lives
Yogi Bear (Movie)
You Hurt My Feelings
AUGUST 2
Deadliest Catch, Season 21 (Discovery)
AUGUST 3
The Yogurt Shop Murders (HBO Original)
AUGUST 4
Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile (2020)
The Great Food Truck Race, Season 18 (FOOD Network)
AUGUST 5
Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the Buffalo Bills (HBO Original)
“The Case Against Diddy,” The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper (CNN Original)
“The Idaho Murders,” The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper (CNN Original)
AUGUST 6
Extreme Detailing (Discovery)
Red Bull Soapbox Race, Season 1 (Discovery)
See No Evil, Season 14 (ID)
AUGUST 7
Mysteries of the Abandoned: Hidden America, Season 4 (Discovery)
AUGUST 8
Freaky Tales (Lionsgate)
AUGUST 11
Marooned with Ed Stafford, Season 3 (Discovery)
AUGUST 12
The Bus Driver: Britain's Cocaine King (discovery+, 2025)
AUGUST 13
A Body in the Basement, Season 2 (ID)
Chef Grudge Match, Season 1 (FOOD Network)
The Woman King
AUGUST 14
Hop, Season 1D (Max Original)
Marcial Maciel: The Wolf of God (Max Original)
AUGUST 15
Stand Up To Cancer
The Legend of Ochi (A24)
The Prince, Season 2 (Max Original, Turkey)
AUGUST 17
Mammals, Season 1 (BBC)
The House (HBO, 2017)
The Serial Killer's Apprentice (ID, 2025)
AUGUST 18
Women Wearing Shoulder Pads, Season 1 (Adult Swim)
AUGUST 19
“Climate Change Amplified: Live Music and the Climate Crisis,” The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper (CNN Original)
AUGUST 21
Bargain Block, Season 5 (HGTV)
Peacemaker, Season 2 (Max Original)
Peacemaker: The Official Podcast with James Gunn (Season 2 Companion Podcast)
AUGUST 22
The Heritage, Season 1 (Max Original)
AUGUST 23
Abbott Elementary, Season 4
The Cleaning Lady, Season 4
AUGUST 24
Toad and Friends, Season 1C (Cartoon Network)
AUGUST 28
Bitchin' Rides: Road to Ridler, Season 1
August 29
Horses & Hangmen (Max Original)
Silly Sundays, Season 1C (Cartoon Network)
August 31
Iyanu, Season 1B (Cartoon Network)
Sports schedule
MLB
AUGUST 5
Cincinnati Reds vs Chicago Cubs, 8 p.m. ET
AUGUST 12, 19, 25
TBD vs TBD @ TBD p.m.
NASCAR - Driver Cam
AUGUST 3
Iowa Corn 350 Powered by Ethanol, 3.30 p.m. ET
AUGUST 10
Go Bowling at The Glen, 2 p.m. ET
AUGUST 16
Cook Out 400, 7.30 p.m. ET
AUGUST 23
Coke Zero Sugar 400, 7.30 p.m. ET
AUGUST 31
Cook Out Southern 500, 6 p.m.
NASCAR - Practices & Qualifying
AUGUST 2
Iowa Speedway (Newton, Iowa), 1.30 p.m. ET
AUGUST 9
Watkins Glen Internatinal (Watkins Glen, NY), Noon
AUGUST 15
Richmond Raceway (Richmond, Virginia), 4.30 p.m. ET
AUGUST 22
Daytona International Speedway (Daytona Beach, Florida), 5 p.m. ET
AUGUST 30
Darlington Raceway (Darlington, South Carolina), 9 a.m. ET
COLLEGE FOOTBALL - BIG 12
AUGUST 30
Hawaii vs Arizona, 9.30 p.m.
AEW
AUGUST 6
AEW Dynamite, 8 p.m. ET
AUGUST 9
AEW Collision, 8 p.m. ET
AUGUST 13
AEW Dynamite, 8 p.m. ET
AUGUST 16
AEW Collision, 8 p.m. ET
AUGUST 20
AEW Dynamite, 8 p.m. ET
AUGUST 23
AEW Collision, 8 p.m. ET
AUGUST 27
AEW Dynamite, 8 p.m. ET
AUGUST 29
Relive Kenny Omega's historic World Championship reign, as AEW Dynamite kicks off 2021 from our Jacksonville home!
AUGUST 30
AEW Collision, 8 p.m. ET
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