The Best TV Shows And Movies Leaving HBO Max In January 2023
The year of madness better known as 2022 is almost over. December is coming to an end, and like the end of every month, the streaming services are sharing which shows, movies, and specials will be leaving each platform in the next month. HBO Max sent out their list for January 2023, and there are some pretty major movies leaving the streamer that fans will want to check out ASAP. A few Christmas specials and movies are fairly typical losses for January, but HBO Max will also be losing huge titles like the first three "Jurassic Park" movies, the "John Wick" flicks, and "Chinatown." On the TV front, they're getting rid of the entirety of "The Bachelor" franchise and "Babylon 5," disappointing fans of both reality TV and 1990s space operas everywhere.
I've put together five of my favorite films that are leaving the streamer in January 2023, plus we have the entire list of everything that's disappearing. Be sure to sneak some streaming time into your holiday festivities and check out your favorites from HBO Max before they're gone!
Jurassic Park
"Jurassic Park," "The Lost World: Jurassic Park," and "Jurassic Park III" are all leaving HBO Max in January — but which film's disappearance hurts the worst is going to vary pretty wildly depending on your tastes — because there are hardcore fans of all three films. The first film, 1993's "Jurassic Park," is the most popular of the three, with groundbreaking special effects and an incredible cast that includes Laura Dern, Sam Neill, and Jeff Goldblum, but "The Lost World" and "Jurassic Park III" both have their charms, thank you.
Steven Spielberg's "Jurassic Park" was based on the Michael Crichton best-seller of the same name, and followed a team of scientists visiting the world's first dinosaur theme park with real dinosaurs. Spielberg took the lessons he learned on his seminal 1975 film "Jaws" and applied them to land, creating an adventure-turned-animal-attack film for the entire family. It's one of the all-time greatest films, an example of some of the finest filmmaking of the 20th century. Oh, and there are dinosaurs. Who doesn't love dinosaurs, besides the people who get eaten by them?
The "Jurassic Park" films leave the platform on January 31, 2023.
John Wick
Speaking of great trilogies disappearing from HBO Max ... the "John Wick" films will also be leaving the streamer in January. While they will probably be available to stream on Peacock sometime in the near future, given the spin-off series "The Continental" will air on NBC's streaming service, it could still be a little while. My favorite of the three is the original "John Wick," which follows Keanu Reeves as the titular character, a super-assassin who was going to happily retire until someone killed his puppy. It's beautiful in its simplicity and reminded audiences worldwide that Reeves is one seriously cool action star.
All three "John Wick" films, directed by stuntman Chad Stahelski, are fantastic action movies with some of the most visually interesting fight scenes in contemporary cinema. The fourth film in the series, "John Wick: Chapter 4," will hit theaters worldwide on March 24, 2023, so catch up now while you can!
The "John Wick" series leaves the platform on January 31, 2023.
Thirteen
"Thirteen" is one seriously dark drama about teenage girls. Written by Catherine Hardwicke and Nikki Reed and based loosely on Reed's life, "Thirteen" follows Tracy (Evan Rachel Wood), a seventh grader in Los Angeles who befriends a troubled girl named Evie (Reed) who introduces her to sex, drugs, and self-harm. It's rough stuff but beautifully performed by Wood and Reed, along with Holly Hunter, who plays Tracy's recovering alcoholic mother. Hardwicke directed the film only after raising money to make it herself. It's true indie filmmaking from the early digital era, so it's not the most aesthetically-pleasing movie in the world, but it's a brilliant time capsule and window into troubled adolescence.
Hardwicke would go on to direct "Lords of Dogtown," "Twilight," and more, while Wood went on to be a massive star with roles in everything from "Westworld" to "Weird: The Al Yankovic Story." "Thirteen" might be tough viewing, but it should be looked at with the same reverence as something like Harmony Korine's "Kids." If you want to have a good time watching a bad time this holiday season, check out "Thirteen."
"Thirteen" leaves on January 31, 2023.
12 Years a Slave
Steve McQueen's "12 Years a Slave" is another movie that is in no way easy to watch, but it's absolutely worth your time. This 2013 film is based on the 1853 slave memoir "Twelve Years a Slave" by Solomon Northup. Chiwetel Ejiofor stars as Northup, who was kidnapped in Washington, D.C., and sold into slavery in 1841. He was kept as a slave and worked on Louisiana plantations for 12 years before finally being released, hence the title. The movie won Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Supporting Actress for Lupita Nyong'o, who plays Patsey, a slave who is horrifically abused by the plantation owner (played by Michael Fassbender).
There is a great deal of misery in "12 Years a Slave," but it's also an inspiring tale of human perseverance and the power of hope. The performances are next-level, especially from Nyong'o, who surprised critics with her breakout turn in the film before going on to be one of the biggest stars in the world. The rest of the cast includes Benedict Cumberbatch, Paul Dano, Sarah Paulson, Michael Kenneth Williams, Alfre Woodard, Paul Giamatti, Scoot McNairy, Adepero Oduye, and Brad Pitt, which means the cast is both talented and stacked.
Even if history movies aren't your bag, "12 Years a Slave" is a must-see for any fan of cinema. The film is available until January 31, 2023.
Macbeth
Not everyone loves Justin Kurzel's 2015 adaptation of the Scottish play, but I will eternally champion this gorgeous, gruesome movie. Starring Michael Fassbender as Macbeth and Marion Cotillard as Lady Macbeth, "Macbeth" is a take on the tale for the "Game of Thrones" set, indulging in all of the story's most salacious elements in order to create a beautiful and brutal version of one of the Bard's greatest tragedies. Everything about "Macbeth" is rich and lush, from the actors' thick accents while reciting Shakespeare's words to the exquisitely designed costumes and sets.
There are other Macbeth adaptations out there with a bit more going for them, including Joel Coen's "The Tragedy of Macbeth" on Apple TV+, but if you want to put on something that's absolutely gorgeous to look at and listen to? The 2015 "Macbeth" is where it's at. You'll have until January 31, 2023, to catch it.
Everything that's leaving HBO Max
January 3:
Bachelor in Paradise, Seasons 4-6
Bachelor Pad, Season 1
The Bachelor Winter Games
The Bachelor, Season 21
The Bachelor, Season 24
The Bachelor, Season 25
The Bachelorette, Season 11
The Bachelorette, Season 14
The Bachelorette, Season 15
The Bachelorette, Season 16
January 6:
Christmas Eve on Sesame Street
Elmo Saves Christmas
Once Upon a Sesame Street Christmas
A Sesame Street Christmas Carol
January 19:
Eve
January 20:
The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It, 2021 (HBO)
January 21:
Everwood
January 23:
Alvin and the Chipmunks, 2007 (HBO)
January 25:
Babylon 5
What I Like About You, 2002
January 27:
In the Heights, 2021 (HBO)
The Hangover Part III, 2013 (HBO)
January 28:
Person of Interest
January 31:
12 Years A Slave, 2013 (HBO)
Abduction, 2011 (HBO)
Amityville 3-D, 1983 (HBO)
Amityville II: The Possession, 1982 (HBO)
Aquaman (1967)
At Close Range, 1986 (HBO)
At First Sight, 1999 (HBO)
Bananas, 1971 (HBO)
Batman: The Brave and the Bold
Biker Boyz, 2003 (HBO)
Boogie, 2021 (HBO)
Borg vs. Mcenroe, 2018 (HBO)
Care Bears: Unlock the Magic
Cellular, 2004 (HBO)
The Champ, 1979
Chinatown, 1974 (HBO)
Chocolate City, 2015 (HBO)
Chopped: Holiday
Chopped: Thanksgiving
Code of Silence, 1985 (HBO)
Confidence, 2003 (HBO)
Daybreakers, 2010 (HBO)
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, 2016
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, 2018
Fools Rush In, 1997
Gang Related, 1997 (HBO)
Good Deeds, 2012 (HBO)
Head of the Class (1986)
Holiday Baking Championship, Season 7
Holiday Baking Championship, Season 8
Horsemen, 2009 (HBO)
Hyde Park on the Hudson, 2012 (HBO)
I, Robot, 2004 (HBO)
Jeff, Who Lives At Home, 2012 (HBO)
John Wick, 2014
John Wick: Chapter 2, 2017
John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum, 2017
Jurassic Park, 1993 (HBO)
Jurassic Park III, 2001 (HBO)
Justice League
Justice League Unlimited
Kick-Ass 2, 2013 (HBO)
Land, 2021 (HBO)
Le Divorce, 2003 (HBO)
Life of Pi, 2012 (HBO)
Little Men, 2016 (HBO)
Macbeth, 2015 (HBO)
Much Ado About Nothing, 1993 (HBO)
The New Adventures of Old Christine
The Next Karate Kid, 1994
Nostalgia, 2018 (HBO)
Rango, 2011 (HBO)
Riddick, 2013 (Director's Cut) (HBO)
Rules of Engagement, 2000 (HBO)
Running Scared, 1986(HBO)
School Ties, 1992 (HBO)
Solaris, 2002(HBO)
Soul Food, 1997 (HBO)
Source Code, 2011
Suite Francaise, 2014 (HBO)
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, 2007 (HBO)
The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl, 2005 (HBO)
The Book Thief, 2013 (HBO)
The Care Bears Movie, 1985 (HBO)
The Con is On, 2018 (HBO)
The Core, 2003 (HBO)
The Dead Zone, 1983 (HBO)
The Help, 2011 (HBO)
The Lost World: Jurassic Park, 1997 (HBO)
The Next Three Days, 2010 (HBO)
The One I Love, 2014 (HBO)
The Possession, 2012 (Extended Version) (HBO)
The Untouchables, 1987 (HBO)
Thirteen, 2003 (HBO)
Transcendence, 2014 (HBO)
Two Can Play That Game, 2001
West Side Story, 1961 (HBO)
Zero Dark Thirty, 2012