“The Witches,” an adaptation of the Roald Dahl novel, is the latest big-screen movie to find a home on a streaming platform.
HBO Max will stream the spooky fantasy tale, which stars Anne Hathaway, Stanley Tucci, Kristin Chenoweth and Octavia Spencer.
“The Witches” will air October 22. The original movie release was Oct. 16.
The film follows a young boy (Jahzir Bruno) who stumbles upon a secret coven of witches led by Hathaway’s scary Grand High Witch. He enlists his loving grandmother (Spencer) to stop its nefarious plan to transform kids into mice.
The film is directed by Robert Zemeckis ( “Forrest Gump,” “Who Framed Roger Rabbit”).
“This film, with its stellar cast, is outstanding,” said Casey Bloys, Chief Content Officer for HBO and HBO Max. “We are thrilled to be able to use our platform to deliver timely, relevant and engaging new content during this time when the theatrical experience is not available to everyone.”
“The Witches” will join a slew of other Hollywood big-budget films that opted for a streamer instead of a PVOD release, which Disney did with “Artemis Fowl.”
Other films, such as “Trolls World Tour” and “Scoob,” first debuted as PVODs, before coming to Peacock and HBO Max, respectively.
Disney+ also debuted its live-action adaptation of “Mulan” as a premium offering in early September. It announced yesterday the movie would become available to non-Disney+ subscribers Oct. 6.