Wonder Woman 1984 Helps Lift HBO Max Subscribers To New Heights

Following the release of Wonder Woman 1984 on Christmas Day, HBO Max and HBO subscriber numbers jumped. Parent company AT&T has confirmed that the total number of HBO Max and HBO subscribers has now reached 41 million in the US and 61 million worldwide.

HBO Max had a particularly strong quarter, doubling the numbers from the end of the third-quarter of 2020 and reaching 17.2 million worldwide by the end of Q4.

HBO Max debuted in May 2020 and reached 8.6 million subscribers by the end of September, so the growth for the streaming platform appears to be strong and consistent.

It's not so easy to ascertain how many paid subscribers HBO Max itself has, however, as the numbers include HBO Max direct subscribers and those who signed up for free as part of their standard HBO subscription. The number of sign-ups also includes free trials.

This makes it difficult to compare HBO Max subscriber numbers to rivals like Disney+, Netflix, and others. Whatever the case, HBO Max is growing and is expected to continue to build steam as AT&T reiterated that it plans to launch HBO Max in some international markets this year. A less-expensive, ad-based version of HBO Max is also planned to release in 2021, GameSpot sister site CNET reported.

HBO Max is primed for a breakout year in 2021, as all of WB's movies this year are coming to the streaming platform, including Dune, Mortal Kombat, Godzilla vs. Kong, The Matrix 4, Tom & Jerry, Space Jam: A New Legacy, and The Suicide Squad. These movies will also be available to watch in cinemas.

A new HBO Max sizzle reel (above) shows off some of the movies coming to the platform this year, and it provides a new look at The Suicide Squad and Mortal Kombat.