108-541: Evil Dead is an American comedy horror franchise created by Sam Raimi consisting of five feature films and a television series. The series originally revolves around the grimoire the Necronomicon Ex-Mortis , an ancient Sumerian text that wreaks havoc upon a group of cabin inhabitants in a wooded area in Tennessee . The protagonist, Ashley Joanna "Ash" Williams ( Bruce Campbell ), appears in
216-399: A bible to outline the future of the franchise; stating that films that follow will adhere to the overall outline, with current plans including releasing a new film in the franchise "every couple" years, as opposed to the most recent activity of once every decade. In February 2024, it was announced that a spin-off film is currently in development. Sébastien Vaniček will serve as director from
324-674: A nutritional supplement company. WBD officially unveiled Max on April 12: the new service would first launch in the United States on May 23, and in other regions throughout 2023 and 2024. While the new service maintains similar price points to HBO Max, support for 4K resolution video and Dolby Atmos became exclusive to the new "Ultimate" tier, and the ad-free plan was also reduced from four concurrent streams to two. In addition to all Warner Bros. Pictures releases from 2023 onward, WBD plans to have more library films and television series available on Max in 4K. Perrette explained that
432-599: A reboot and a loose continuation of the series directed by Fede Álvarez , who co-wrote the screenplay with Rodo Sayagues . It was produced by Raimi, Campbell and Tapert, featuring a new protagonist in Mia Allen ( Jane Levy ). A television series, Ash vs. Evil Dead , premiered on cable network Starz in 2015, lasted for three seasons, and ended in 2018, with Campbell announcing an animated revival to be in active development in July 2022. It starred Bruce Campbell as Ash and
540-428: A combined total of 69.4 million paying subscribers globally on June 30, 2021, including 43.5 million HBO Max subscribers in the U.S., 3.5 million HBO-only U.S. subscribers (primarily commercial customers like hotels), and 20.5 million subscribers to either HBO Max or HBO by itself in other countries. By the end of 2021, HBO and HBO Max had a combined total of 73.8 million paying global subscribers. At
648-481: A critically well-received show, earning a 98% from Rotten Tomatoes. Four days before its premiere, the show was picked up for a second ten-episode season. The series lasted for three seasons (30 episodes) before it was canceled by Starz in April 2018. Following the cancellation of Ash vs Evil Dead , Bruce Campbell announced he was officially retired from portraying the character of Ash, although he would continue to voice
756-552: A deal to amend the pre-existing contract HBO had with 20th Century Studios to allow Disney+ or Hulu and HBO Max to share the streaming rights to half of 20th Century Studios' and Searchlight Pictures ' 2022 theatrical slate in the United States during the pay-one window, with Ron's Gone Wrong being the first film under the deal, becoming available on both Disney+ and HBO Max on December 15, 2021. Disney will still have full streaming rights to any 20th Century Studios and Searchlight Pictures films produced for Disney+ or Hulu, while
864-616: A director with a script he wrote. Raimi chose the filmmaker from a list of potential directors to continue the franchise. Officially titled Evil Dead Rise , the project was announced to be developed by New Line Cinema and released on HBO Max . Principal photography commenced on June 6, 2021, in New Zealand . In May 2021, Alyssa Sutherland and Lily Sullivan had been cast in the film, followed by Gabrielle Echols, Morgan Davies , and Nell Fisher in June, and Mia Challis in July. Cronin stated
972-515: A mini-series adaptation of Army of Darkness adapted and illustrated by John Bolton . A trade paperback of this series was released by Dynamite Entertainment on September 25, 2006. In 2008, Dark Horse revisited the franchise with a four issue adaptation of The Evil Dead written by Mark Verheiden and once again illustrated by John Bolton. In 2004, Dynamite Entertainment acquired the license to publish titles based on Army of Darkness and, in conjunction with Devil's Due Publishing , released
1080-534: A month after the season finale airs on television (streaming rights to existing series remains with Netflix under an existing deal). Although the All American spin-off, All American: Homecoming , which premiered on the CW in 2022, was placed on Netflix with its parent show. On July 9, 2019, HBO Max acquired the U.S. streaming rights to Friends in a $ 425 million deal, and on September 17, 2019, acquired
1188-530: A new introduction by Turner Classic Movies host Jacqueline Stewart discussing the film's treatments of the American Civil War , the Reconstruction era , and American slavery of African people . On June 27, 2020, it was revealed that DC Universe original Harley Quinn would stream its first two seasons on HBO Max. On June 29, 2020, HBO Max secured the exclusive streaming rights of
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#17327976009551296-715: A new production of the show, also starring Ryan Ward, at the Diesel Playhouse. The new production started its running May 1, 2007, and has been announced to end on September 8, 2007, which won the Dora Audience Choice Award and praised by the Toronto Star . In 2017, the English comedian Rob Kemp created and performed the stage show The Elvis Dead , a retelling of Evil Dead II in the style of Elvis Presley . In Italy , The Evil Dead
1404-526: A pilot. On October 2, 2024, WBD renewed its contract with professional wrestling promotion All Elite Wrestling (AEW), which adds digital rights for Max in the United States. As part of the agreement, Max will hold the rights to simulcast AEW's weekly programs beginning in January 2025. Later in the year, AEW pay-per-view events will become available for purchase and streaming on Max; while PPVs will continue to be sold through other platforms, they will have
1512-681: A playable character, along with Kelly and Pablo from the Ash vs. Evil Dead television series, in Deploy and Destroy , a competitive multiplayer FPS available for iOS and Android, and also as a non-playable character in Telltale Games ' game Poker Night 2 . He also appears as a playable character in the asymmetrical horror game Dead by Daylight and as an outfit in Fortnite Battle Royale . In 1992, Dark Horse Comics produced
1620-514: A producer on Evil Dead Rise , he would consider reprising his lead role in a future film if Raimi were to return as director, reversing his previous "retirement" from the role following the cancellation of Ash vs Evil Dead . By April of the same year, writer/director Lee Cronin stated that he has ideas for a series of future Evil Dead installments serving as direct sequels to Evil Dead Rise , that he hopes to see realized. That same month, Campbell announced that Sam and Ivan Raimi were co-writing
1728-478: A reboot of The Boondocks produced by Sony Pictures Animation ) for both network sections were also announced for HBO Max, and the service beat out competitors to acquire exclusive domestic streaming rights to South Park and its next three seasons for $ 500 million–with first-run episodes being added 24 hours after their premiere on Comedy Central . Fellow Otter Media company Rooster Teeth also contributes content, with season two of Gen:Lock to be
1836-555: A result, Greenblatt and Reilly both left the company. WarnerMedia Entertainment was dissolved, with programming operations combined with Warner Bros. in a new Studios and Networks group under that studio's CEO Ann Sarnoff. Bloys was given complete programming oversight of HBO and HBO Max, as well as Reilly's other previous responsibilities, reporting to Sarnoff. Forssell became the head of a new HBO Max operating business unit, reporting directly to Kilar. On April 23, 2021, Adult Swim and HBO Max's adult animation development teams merged under
1944-479: A screening was arranged at their former high school, with a positive response. Filming was first commissioned for the summer of 1979 in Michigan. In order to organize the budget, Sam Raimi , Robert Tapert and Bruce Campbell bought a few "how to make an independent film" guide publications. The budget was originally to be $ 150,000, while shooting with a Super 8 camera. However, due to technical difficulties, it
2052-411: A script he co-wrote with Florent Bernard . Selected by Raimi to helm the new installment in the series, the film's plot is currently under wraps. Sam Raimi and Robert Tapert will serve as producers, with Ghost House Pictures producing the project. In April 2024, it was announced that a spin-off film is currently in development. Francis Galluppi will serve as writer and director. Selected by Raimi to helm
2160-445: A second volume in 2007. The second series lasted twenty-seven issues before coming to an end. Over the years, there have also been several one-shot specials as well as crossovers with a wide variety of characters such as, Marvel Zombies , Darkman , Freddy Krueger , Jason Voorhees , Xena , Danger Girl and even Barack Obama . The series was then rebooted in 2013 and started over from the last scene in titular film because Ash misspoke
2268-421: A semi-successful horror film. This would later lead to research of low-budget horror films at the local drive-in theater. The many films that they watched were the "two films for two dollars," allowing them the chance to document the behavior of what would become their target audience. Campbell said: "The message was very clear: Keep the pace fast and furious, and once the horror starts, never let up. 'The gorier
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#17327976009552376-480: A series of movie theaters, was the first primary investor. He stated: "Fellas, no matter what, just keep the blood running." As a tribute to him, there's a scene in the finished film where an old film projector whirs to life and "projects" blood running down the screen. Most importantly, Grainger provided the name of a distributor in New York City whom they could approach for possible distribution. The company
2484-497: A six-month period, with their shares falling 19% as a result. In May 2024, WBD announced a partnership with Disney to offer a bundle of Max with its competitors Disney+ and Hulu in the United States, It was launched on July 25, 2024, at a price of $ 16.99 per-month for ad-supported, and $ 29.99 per-month for ad-free. Existing HBO Max subscribers were grandfathered under their current plan features for least six months, following that period all legacy ad free customers were moved to
2592-640: A story in a different direction. Examples of comedy horror films include Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948), An American Werewolf in London (1981), the Evil Dead franchise (1981–present), Gremlins (1984), Shaun of the Dead (2004), and The Cabin in the Woods (2011). Horror and comedy have been associated with each other since the early days of horror novels. Author Bruce G. Hallenbeck cites
2700-559: A subsidiary of Sony , purchased Crunchyroll from AT&T for $ 1.175 billion, with the intent to create a combined service that caters to anime entertainment. On January 1, 2022, HBO Max removed the Crunchyroll hub, instead redirecting subscribers to a "global animation" page that combines selected anime with other international animated films. Since then, the service has slowly started to remove anime from Crunchyroll's line up. On November 22, 2021, Disney and WarnerMedia reached
2808-468: A television series adaptation of Harry Potter planned to premiere in the 2025–26 season and run for ten years, and It: Welcome to Derry —a prequel series to Andy Muschietti 's film adaptation of It . It also announced the animated series Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai and Tiny Toons Looniversity , with the former premiering alongside the rebrand on May 23, 2023. In June 2023, Max picked up
2916-588: A timed exclusive for HBO Max. All eight films in the Harry Potter series were available to stream on the service on launch day, despite earlier reports indicating that the films, although produced by Warner Bros., would not be available due to a prior broadcast rights agreement with NBCUniversal . It was later announced that the films would be removed on August 25 and made available on NBCUniversal's streaming service Peacock . However, it officially brought them back on September 1, 2021, after an adjustment in
3024-460: Is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. It is a proprietary unit of Warner Bros. Discovery Global Streaming & Games , which is itself a division of Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD). The platform offers content from the libraries of Warner Bros. , Discovery , HBO , CNN , Cartoon Network , Adult Swim , Animal Planet , TBS , TNT , Eurosport , and their related brands. Max first launched (as HBO Max) in
3132-462: Is based mainly on slapstick and action. Evil Dead is the title of a film that serves as a soft reboot and a continuation of the Evil Dead franchise. Unlike the first three films, this one does not feature the character of Ash Williams in a major role (Ash only appears briefly in a post-credits scene ) and instead follows a new protagonist named Mia Allen. The film is considered a continuation of
3240-463: Is currently in space fighting the evil. In 2015, Space Goat Productions acquired the license to publish titles based on Evil Dead 2 . The company has released, or was planning on releasing, the following titles: The official board game was funded through Kickstarter in 2018, but Space Goat Productions never produced the game, nor refunded money to the investors. They ceased all communications with customers and investors that year and refused to discuss
3348-706: Is released weekly, eschewing the " binge " format made popular by Netflix . Kevin Reilly stated this was to ensure that originals would remain in the spotlight for extended periods, by letting said shows "breathe" as opposed to "fading quickly after a binge and burn". He also noted that the weekly schedule helped to drive the success of past HBO shows like Succession and Chernobyl which they co-produced with Sky UK , and became hits precisely due to their staying power. A slate of 31 original series were planned for its first year, with plans to expand to 50 for its next year, but production timelines may have been interrupted by
Evil Dead - Misplaced Pages Continue
3456-583: The Army of Darkness: Ashes 2 Ashes mini-series. A second mini-series, Army of Darkness: Shop till You Drop Dead followed in 2005. Later that year, Dynamite separated itself from Devil's Due and began focusing entirely on self-published titles featuring the Army of Darkness franchise. This included an ongoing series that began in 2005 and saw Ash battling other horror icon such as Herbert West and Dracula . The series lasted thirteen issues before being rebooted with
3564-745: The Scary Movie series or A Haunted House also function as parodies of popular horror films. Well-known director Peter Jackson began his film career with the comedy horror classics Bad Taste , Meet the Feebles and Braindead . Stree2 , Roohi , Bhoot Police and bhool Bhulaiyaa are some popular horror comedy films in Bollywood . Examples of horror comedy on television date back to sitcoms The Munsters and The Addams Family and more recently include gruesome slapsticks Ash vs Evil Dead and Stan Against Evil , mockumentary
3672-776: The What We Do in the Shadows (franchise) , Wellington Paranormal , comedies Todd and the Book of Pure Evil , Shining Vale and Santa Clarita Diet , and cartoons Beetlejuice , Courage the Cowardly Dog , School for Vampires , and Scooby-Doo . More recent examples include The Owl House , Wednesday , Don't Hug Me I'm Scared , Gravity Falls , Hazbin Hotel and Helluva Boss . HBO Max Max , formerly (and in some regions still) known as HBO Max ,
3780-523: The COVID-19 pandemic . Max also has podcasts about the films and TV series on the service. It also produces original podcasts exclusively for the service, with Batman: The Audio Adventures being the first. New Warner Bros. -produced television series that have premiered on The CW since the 2019–20 season beginning with Batwoman , Nancy Drew and Katy Keene (which was cancelled in July 2020) will have their past seasons placed on Max about
3888-507: The Oprah Winfrey Network series David Makes Man . On September 18, 2020, it was announced that all DC Universe content would be migrating to HBO Max, including original shows like Titans and Young Justice , which will have their newest seasons air exclusively on the service. In addition, both Doom Patrol and Harley Quinn have been renewed for third seasons exclusively for the service. On October 28, 2020, it
3996-406: The 1820 short story " The Legend of Sleepy Hollow " by Washington Irving as "the first great comedy horror story". The story made readers "laugh one moment and scream the next" and its premise was based on mischief typically found during the holiday Halloween . Shortly after the publication of Mary Shelley 's Frankenstein , comedic parodies appeared. Edgar Allan Poe put humor and horror on
4104-684: The Caribbean outside of Brazil. In February 2022, Sony Pictures and WarnerMedia announced that they will extend their agreement to carry films from its subsidiary companies in its Central and Eastern Europe pay television window rights window along with the library of television series produced by its sister company Sony Pictures Television Studios , the deal will also include the rights to its releases beginning in 2022 for broadcasting on its channels and will be streaming it on HBO Max throughout Central and Eastern Europe. The service also features many hubs for animated programming, drawing largely from
4212-550: The Dead , The Cabin in the Woods , Bubba Ho-Tep , Dead Alive , Dead Snow , and Tucker & Dale vs. Evil . The Cabin in the Woods features many references to the film and even features Deadites and the possessed trees, although this is considered more a reference than a direct sequel. The 2012 Swedish language film Wither serves as an unofficial remake of The Evil Dead , starring Patrik Almkvist as Albin Wiliams ( Ash Williams ) In 2020, Steve Villenevue premiered
4320-742: The Dead ", serves as a crossover with the franchise, featuring Ted Raimi (portraying himself, who previously portrayed the Deadite Henrietta Knowby and Chet Kaminski in Evil Dead II and Ash vs. Evil Dead respectively) as he accidentally uses the Necronomicon to summon Deadites at a television station. Awards Pictures, a company that attempted to begin a new line of movies in the series in 2004, announced plans in May 2012 to film an Evil Dead 4 , one that has nothing to do with
4428-403: The Dead . From these rough concepts, he concocted a short story where a group of four friends unwittingly dig up an Indian burial ground and unleash horrific spirits and demons. In the spring of 1978, filming of Within the Woods started over a three-day weekend, on a budget of $ 1,600. Within the Woods , as well as serving as a prototype, had impressed the filmmakers. For a marketing strategy,
Evil Dead - Misplaced Pages Continue
4536-454: The Disney deal with WarnerMedia for streaming 20th Century Studios and Searchlight Pictures films on HBO Max ended in 2022, with Disney+ and Hulu assuming the full pay-one rights to those films in the future. On February 15, 2022, it was announced that first-run episodes of South Park would move to Paramount+ beginning with season 27 in 2024, and the series library would move from HBO Max to
4644-539: The End of This Story . On March 8, 2022, WarnerMedia and Sesame Workshop announced they will plan new shows for Cartoon Network for the new original series run and a second run acquisition rights HBO Max, including Charlotte's Web , and Bea's Block as well as the animation special Sesame Street: The Nutcracker . In addition, new episodes to start of the 53rd season of Sesame Street and spin-offs will be available to stream on HBO Max in selecting Asian territories while holding
4752-543: The HBO and Warner Bros. logos, including a center-dotted "a" resembling the center-dotted "O" from the HBO logo, and the "m" and "x" letters containing curves based on Warner Bros.' long-time shield logo. The service also changed its corporate color from purple to blue, in homage to Warner Bros.' historical use of blue-colored logos. The rebrand was promoted with the tagline "The one to watch". Pato Spagnoletto, chief marketing officer of Warner Bros. Discovery Streaming, identified
4860-517: The HBO branding had been dropped from the service's name so that it could be associated with its original programming as a flagship brand on Max, rather than having to be associated with the entirety of its library—which included children's and family programming at odds with HBO having traditionally been associated with premium and adult-oriented programming. The Max logo was designed by the British agency DixonBaxi, and incorporates elements of both
4968-423: The U.S. streaming rights to The Big Bang Theory , as part of a deal that also extends TBS's off-network rights to the series through 2028. Outside of Warner Bros. Discovery, the service also offers titles from The Criterion Collection , and has a long-term partnership with BBC Studios (which HBO had previously partnered with to create His Dark Materials ). Over 700 episodes of BBC content were available on
5076-407: The United States on May 27, 2020. The service also carries first-run original programming under the " Max Originals " banner, programming from the HBO pay television service, and content acquired via either third-party library deals (such as those with film studios for pay television rights) or co-production agreements (including, among others, those with BBC Studios and Sesame Workshop ). When
5184-531: The United States via Cartoon Network and HBO Max later in the year, with a slate of 50 series by 2023. In June 2021, HBO Max ordered a pilot from John Wells and Animal Kingdom writer Matt Kester for Ke Nui Road, an action drama following a team of lifeguards in the North Shore of O'ahu , Hawaii . HBO Max would not go forward with the series, and it would instead be given a series order by Fox as Rescue: HI-Surf . In August 2021, Funimation ,
5292-444: The Woods , was produced by Raimi on a micro-budget to market his concept and acquire funding from producers and studios for a feature-length film. The short was a meager success. Despite this, the release proceeded to spawn the entire franchise. In January 1978, Bruce Campbell was a college dropout who had just quit his job as a taxicab driver . Sam Raimi was studying literature at Michigan State University with Robert Tapert , who
5400-509: The ad free tier (existing ad supported were moved to the ad lite tier). HBO Max was formed under WarnerMedia's Entertainment division, then headed by Robert Greenblatt . Kevin Reilly , president of WarnerMedia Entertainment Networks, which includes most of the company's ad-supported entertainment channels such as TBS , TNT , and TruTV , was also given the role of as chief content officer of HBO Max with responsibility for HBO Max-exclusive original programming and library content. Andy Forssell
5508-619: The agreement. On May 29, 2020, HBO Max acquired the exclusive streaming rights to The Big Bang Theory spin-off Young Sheldon . On June 9, 2020, Gone with the Wind was temporarily removed from HBO Max's library amid the George Floyd protests , following an op-ed in the Los Angeles Times by 12 Years a Slave screenwriter John Ridley . On June 25, the film returned in its original form with, as suggested by Ridley,
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#17327976009555616-517: The beginning). This entry shows the horrors of Ash's continuing battle with the Necronomicon Ex-Mortis and the Deadites. It also introduces elements of slapstick humor that came to define the series. Filmed in 1991 and released in spring of 1993 in the United States, this is the third film in the franchise (and the last featuring Ash Williams taking a lead role so far), taking Ash back in time to England in 1300 AD. The movie has horror attributes, but
5724-427: The campaign as the largest marketing spend in company history. WBD's stock fell by nearly six percent after Max's announcement. Within the first 3 months of Max's rebrand, WBD lost 1.8 million subscribers across their streaming platforms, but attributed it to an overlap of subscribers of Max and Discovery+, as well as expected churn. In November 2023, it was reported that WBD lost 2.5 million subscribers over
5832-441: The character in animation. Subsequently, on July 25, 2022, Campbell announced that an animated revival of Ash vs Evil Dead was in active development, with Campbell returning as the voice of Ash. In a July 26, 2024 interview with Entertainment Weekly , Campbell confirmed the series was still in development. Saying: “I'll do Ash's voice all day long, because my voice hasn't aged as much as I have." A prototype short film, Within
5940-406: The character of Ash influenced 1990s first-person shooter video games such as Doom , Duke Nukem 3D and Blood . Duke Nukem quotes so many lines from Ash that Bruce Campbell stated that he was angered by not being paid for them. Evil Dead was cited as an inspiration for the original Doom . Bruce Campbell directed and starred in a film titled My Name Is Bruce . It does not continue
6048-422: The cinematic graveyard and feel secure in the knowledge that the monsters can't get you". In the era of silent film , the source material for early comedy horror films came from stage performances instead of literature. One example, The Ghost Breaker (1914), was based on a 1909 play, though the film's horror elements were more interesting to the audience than the comedy elements. In the United States following
6156-518: The company planned to pursue an eventual merger of HBO Max with its own streaming service Discovery+ . Wiedenfels stated that this process would most likely begin with a bundle of the two services as a short-term option, with a long-term goal to eventually merge the services into one platform. During an earnings call in August 2022, WBD head of Global Streaming and Interactive JB Perrette revealed that Discovery+ and HBO Max would merge "next Summer", with
6264-644: The company ultimately chose to retain Discovery+. As part of the decision, WBD migrated some Discovery+ shows to Max whilst also leaving them on Discovery+. WBD went on to replace HBO Max with a newly rebranded service, shortening the service's name to "Max", which launched in the United States on May 23, 2023, in Latin America on February 27, 2024, and in Europe on May 21, 2024, introducing a redesigned user interface, and adding more Discovery content. The rebrand
6372-463: The deal covers over 2,000 hours of library programming, some of which being shows that had been pulled from HBO Max. During its third-quarter earnings report in November 2022, WBD stated that the merged service was now targeting a "Spring 2023" launch in the U.S., ahead of the original schedule. Perrette also stated of a potential price increase for HBO Max's ad-free tier in 2023, explaining that it
6480-452: The documentary Hail to the Deadites , which focuses on the franchise's fandom and legacy. It features interviews from people involved with the film, such as Bruce Campbell, as well as with fans. Moreover, Death Whisperer and Death Whisperer 2 , two Thai supernatural horror films in 2023 and 2024, director Taweewat Wantha admitted that he used the haunting style of the ghosts in Evil Dead as inspiration. The Evil Dead films and
6588-507: The end of Q1 2022, HBO and HBO Max had 76.8 million global subscribers. Since the April 2022 merger of WarnerMedia with Discovery, Inc. to form Warner Bros. Discovery, Max is one of the combined company's two flagship streaming services, the other being Discovery+ (which primarily focuses on factual and reality programming from the Discovery brands). WBD initially announced plans for HBO Max and Discovery+ to merge in 2023, but
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#17327976009556696-478: The franchise, and plans to feature both Ash and Mia in future installments have been discussed. In October 2019, Raimi announced at the New York Comic Con that a new film was officially green-lit and in development. Robert G. Tapert was set to produce, while Raimi and Campbell served as executive producers only, all under their Ghost House Pictures banner. In June 2020, Lee Cronin was chosen as
6804-465: The front of the Max brand. Select episodes from all fifty seasons of Sesame Street (dating back to 1969) are available to stream on the service for the first time ever. Additionally, future seasons of Sesame Street will stream exclusively on Max, alongside Esme & Roy , and several new spin-offs starting with The Not-Too-Late Show with Elmo , Sesame Street: Mecha Builders , and The Monster at
6912-449: The game with media. In the documentary The Untold Saga of The Evil Dead , Rob Tapert states that New Line Cinema and Warner Bros. Pictures wanted to do Ash vs. Freddy vs. Jason : "We thought about it for one second but we knew we would have totally trashed the franchise in doing that, in that there would be no reason to reunite Bruce and Sam for Evil Dead 4 whatever that would be nor would there be any reason to go back and reinvent
7020-967: The leadership of Suzanna Makkos. On August 15, 2022, HBO was reorganized by Warner Bros. Discovery, resulting in layoffs within HBO Max's non-scripted originals, live-action family originals, international originals, and casting units (HBO itself never had an in-house casting department). Makkos also began reporting to HBO's head of comedy Amy Gravitt. Max features first-run and library content from HBO and other Warner Bros. film and television studios and brands. The service also includes films available through HBO's existing pay television rights that are sourced from Warner Bros. Pictures only. As with HBO's other streaming platforms, HBO Go and HBO Now (but as opposed to its platforms on Apple TV Channels and Amazon Video Channels ), Max does not include feeds of HBO's linear cable channels, nor any content from Cinemax . Though Cinemax shares its film content with
7128-588: The libraries of Warner Bros. Animation (including the Looney Tunes franchise and Hanna-Barbera productions, such as Scooby-Doo , Tom and Jerry and Tex Avery 's cartoons as well) and Cartoon Network , along with Adult Swim . Original animated series (including the Adventure Time epilogue specials Adventure Time: Distant Lands , Jellystone! , Looney Tunes Cartoons , continuations of Infinity Train , and Summer Camp Island , and
7236-484: The linear HBO channel, and therefore the majority of films in the combined library will be on both services in different windows, these films will not necessarily be available on both Max and Cinemax at the same time. First and third-party content providers for Max. Asterisk (*) denotes third parties while cross (†) denotes former providers. Original content produced will be under the banner Max Originals , including series, films, and specials . Original episodic content
7344-515: The merrier' became our prime directive." The films they watched included Massacre at Central High and Revenge of the Cheerleaders . The idea to do a "prototype" was commissioned, to prove not only to themselves, but also to potential investors, that they were capable of doing a full-length horror film. The same year, at Michigan State, Raimi had been studying H. P. Lovecraft and was most impressed with Necronomicon , or simply The Book of
7452-525: The new installment in the series, the film's plot is currently under wraps. Sam Raimi and Robert Tapert will serve as producers, with Ghost House Pictures producing the project. The series stars Bruce Campbell reprising his role as an older Ash Williams with a supporting cast that includes Dana DeLorenzo , Ray Santiago , Lucy Lawless and Jill Marie Jones . The series is executive produced by Campbell, Sam Raimi and Rob Tapert . It premiered on Starz on October 31, 2015. Ash vs Evil Dead proved to be
7560-468: The next day, WBD CEO David Zaslav stated that the company would cut children's programming and emphasize theatrical films over direct-to-streaming releases. Later that month, more programs were pulled from the streaming service, including animated and unscripted series such as The Not-Too-Late Show with Elmo , Final Space , Summer Camp Island , Infinity Train , Close Enough , and nearly 200 episodes of Sesame Street , among others, which
7668-456: The original Evil Dead with a hot new filmmaker". Two comic book series were produced based on this concept, titled Freddy vs. Jason vs. Ash and Freddy vs. Jason vs. Ash: The Nightmare Warriors . The production team of George Reinblatt , Christopher Bond and Frank Cipolla created an Off Broadway show titled Evil Dead: The Musical , based on the film series. Its New York run was directed by Bond and Hinton Battle , who also choreographed
7776-569: The original films. Sam Raimi sued Awards Pictures in an attempt to stop them from making the film, because he planned to someday film one himself. In August 2012, U.S. District Judge Dale Fischer entered a default judgment that "permanently enjoined" Awards Pictures from using the names Evil Dead , Evil Dead: Genesis of the Necronomicon , Evil Dead: Genesis of the Necronomicon: Part 2 or Evil Dead: Consequences "as or as part of
7884-404: The original trilogy developing a cult following , and has grossed a collective $ 300 million worldwide. Filmed in 1979 and released in 1981, this is the first film in the series. It introduces the series' protagonist Ash, the Book of the Dead, and the Deadites. Released in 1987, this film is a sequel to the original, continuing where the last film ended (a recap of the previous film is shown in
7992-401: The original trilogy including The Evil Dead (1981), Evil Dead II (1987), and Army of Darkness (1992), all written and directed by Raimi, produced by Robert G. Tapert and starring Campbell. The franchise has since expanded into other formats, including a television series , video games, comic books and a musical . The film franchise was resurrected in 2013 with Evil Dead , both
8100-482: The platform worldwide. It was reported that France and Spain had been largely excluded from these cuts, due to French regulations requiring streaming services to produce domestic content, and Spanish-language content appealing to a wide range of markets served by HBO Max. With the cancellation of Gordita Chronicles later that month, it was reported that the service was also abandoning development of live-action children's and family programming. On August 3, 2022, it
8208-434: The practical reasons that convinced the three to put forth a feature-length film. The three were big fans of the comedy genre, but they decided not to produce a comedy as they felt "a feature-length yuck fest just didn't compute". A well-noted scene from It's Murder moved Raimi to write the short film Clockwork . The three felt the result was very effective and represented a new direction that their films could take, that of
8316-466: The product offering". One day before the scheduled announcement, The New York Times confirmed that the service would be called "Max", and that it would retain HBO Max's existing pricing and be available in multiple price tiers for six months (on December 5 its legacy ad-free tier will be removed with former users in this tier downgrading to the ad-free tier after this date). WBD acquired the max.com domain name earlier that year from Max International,
8424-579: The production was halfway completed by July 2021, and filming concluded on October 27, 2021. The filmmaker stated that the project used over 6,500 liters of fake blood during production. Evil Dead Rise was theatrically released on April 21, 2023. In March 2023, Sam Raimi expressed interest in developing multiple sequels with Bruce Campbell reprising his role as Ash Williams in a starring role, while also expressing hope for future developments also featuring Mia Allen from Evil Dead (2013). Later that month, Campbell stated that after positive experiences as
8532-406: The same continuum, and many nineteenth century authors used black humor in their horror stories. Author Robert Bloch called them "opposite sides of the same coin". In comedy horror film, gallows humor is a common element. While comedy horror films provide scares for audiences, they also provide something that dramatic horror films do not: "the permission to laugh at your fears, to whistle past
8640-487: The second run acquisition rights to replace PBS, more than a new first run for Cartoon Network. Max has acquired the streaming rights to several Comedy Central series, including South Park , Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens , South Side , and The Other Two ; with the latter two becoming Max Original series. In November 2021, HBO Max acquired the rights to Globo 's telenovelas and series for Latin America and
8748-456: The service at launch, including the first 11 seasons of the 2005 Doctor Who revival, as well as future seasons twelve through fourteen, and a variety of other shows including The Honourable Woman , Luther , Top Gear , and the original British version of The Office . Additionally, future shows by BBC Studios will be co-produced with Max. HBO also extended their existing partnership with Sesame Workshop , while moving said content to
8856-400: The service called for three tiers with a late 2019 launch. Randall L. Stephenson , chairman and CEO of WarnerMedia's parent, AT&T indicated in mid-May 2019 that it would use the HBO brand and would tie into cable operators as HBO cable subscribers would have access to the streaming service. A beta was expected in the fourth quarter of 2019 and a full launch in the first quarter of 2020 at
8964-536: The service in the United States in 2025. On August 4, 2022, it was announced that selected Magnolia Network programs would become available on HBO Max in September 2022. Discovery+ will remain the main streaming home of its programming. On October 7, 2022, HBO Max announced Harley Quinn : A Very Problematic Valentine's Day Special , which premiered on February 23, 2023. With the announced rebrand of HBO Max as Max, WBD announced several new projects, including
9072-706: The service was first launched as HBO Max, it succeeded both HBO Now , a previous HBO SVOD service; and HBO Go , the TV Everywhere streaming platform for HBO pay television subscribers. In the United States, HBO Now subscribers and HBO pay television subscribers were migrated to HBO Max at no additional charge, subject to availability and device support. HBO Max also supplanted the streaming component of DC Entertainment 's DC Universe service, with its original series being migrated to HBO Max as Max Originals. The HBO Max service began to expand into international markets in 2021. According to AT&T , HBO and HBO Max had
9180-437: The service would be known as HBO Max and that it would launch in spring 2020, while Reese Witherspoon 's Hello Sunshine and Greg Berlanti were signed to production deals for the service. (The "Max" moniker is shared with HBO's sister linear pay television service Cinemax , which has alternately identified by its suffix name since the mid-1980s and used it prominently in its branding from 2008 to 2011.) On October 29, 2019, it
9288-545: The show. Ryan Ward played the part of Ash. Tying in with the midnight movie plot of a group of friends visiting a wooded cabin and unleashing untold evil, performances did not start until 11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. Previews began October 1 and the show opened November 1 at the New World Stages . It was announced on January 31, 2007, that Evil Dead: The Musical' s New York production at New World Stages would close on February 17, 2007. Toronto producers announced
9396-455: The story of Army of Darkness but is a fictionalized portrayal of Bruce living his everyday life, in which he is erroneously believed to be as heroic as the Ash character and is hired to fight an ancient spirit. The film was released to a limited number of theaters on October 26, 2008, and was released on DVD and Blu-ray on February 10, 2009. A 2021 episode of Creepshow , " Public Television of
9504-584: The streaming service starting in 2020. On April 20, 2020, WarnerMedia announced HBO Max's launch date as May 27. Later that year on October 23, it was announced that WarnerMedia decided to consolidate the Warner Max label into the Warner Bros. Pictures Group after its chairman, Toby Emmerich , and his development and production team led by Courtenay Valenti of Warner Bros. Pictures, Richard Brener of New Line and Walter Hamada (who oversees DC-based films),
9612-536: The time. Otter Media was transferred in May 2019 to WarnerMedia Entertainment from Warner Bros. to take over the streaming service as Brad Bentley, executive vice president and general manager of direct-to-consumer development, exited the post after six months. Andy Forssell transferred from being the chief operating officer of Otter to replace Bentley as executive vice president and general manager while still reporting to Otter CEO Tony Goncalves, who would lead development. On July 9, 2019, WarnerMedia announced that
9720-549: The title of a motion picture, television program, video game, play, book or any other form of entertainment provided or to be provided through any media." Comedy horror Comedy horror (also called horror comedy ) is a literary , television , and film genre that combines elements of comedy and horror fiction . Comedy horror has been described as having three types: " black comedy , parody and spoof." Comedy horror can also parody or subtly spoof horror clichés as its main source of humour or use those elements to take
9828-427: The trauma of World War I , film audiences sought to see horror on screen but tempered with humor. The "pioneering" comedy horror film was One Exciting Night (1922), written, directed and produced by D. W. Griffith , who noticed the stage success of the genre and foresaw a cinematic translation. The film included comedic blackface performances and footage of a hurricane for a climactic storm. As an early experiment,
9936-438: The unified service launching first in the United States, and rolled out to other markets beginning in late-2023. When announcing the merged service, Zaslav did not immediately indicate whether it would continue to carry the HBO brand. He stated that HBO was one of the "great crown jewels of the company" and would "always be the beacon and the ultimate brand that stands for the best of television quality". In early-December 2022, it
10044-402: The various genres were not well-balanced with horror and comedy, and later films improved the balance and took more sophisticated approaches. Charles Bramesco of Vulture.com identifies Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein as the first commercially successful comedy horror film. Its success legitimized the genre and established it as commercially viable. Some comedy horror movies, such as
10152-506: The words S-Mart was sent back in time to the Medieval times where the wiseman has been possessed, Ash fights through many battles with the same characters from the film. At the end of this series Ash proposes to Sheila, in the next series "Ash gets hitched" they get married but Ash gets sent forward in time when he accidentally speaks a phrase that opens up a vortex. He wants to get back to Sheila but runs into many situations causing delays, he
10260-504: Was "an opportunity, particularly in this environment". A price hike for the ad-free tier in the U.S. was later announced on January 12, 2023, which saw the price raised by $ 1 to $ 15.99 a month (the yearly plan would be unaffected by this move), effective immediately for new subscribers, while current subscribers would see the price hike starting on February 11, 2023. On March 14, 2022, after Discovery shareholders approved its merger with WarnerMedia, Discovery CFO Gunnar Wiedenfels stated that
10368-520: Was Levitt-Pickman Films, who most recently was famous for Groove Tube , starring a very young Chevy Chase . The filmmakers took a train at $ 40 each, as they knew none of their cars could make an entire round trip. One of Campbell's old girlfriends named Andrea allowed them to stay at her apartment. Andrea's cat fell asleep on Raimi's face without even disturbing him; Raimi, who is allergic to cats, had his eyes swollen shut. There have been multiple Evil Dead video games : Ash Williams also appears as
10476-626: Was also applied to Netherlands, Poland, France, Monaco and several other regions in 2024. In Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom, the rebrand will be applied in 2025, and in Belgium and the Netherlands the name "HBO Max" was retained with a new Max logo. On October 10, 2018, WarnerMedia announced that it would launch an over-the-top streaming service in late 2019, featuring content from its entertainment brands. The original plan for
10584-542: Was announced that HBO Max would officially launch in May 2020. On January 8, 2020, AT&T announced that Audience , a channel exclusive to subscribers of AT&T-owned television providers such as DirecTV with some original programming, would be sunset on May 22, eventually transitioning to a barker channel for HBO Max. Warner Bros. and HBO Max announced the Warner Max film label on February 5, 2020, which would produce eight to ten mid-budget movies per year for
10692-405: Was announced that the 1990s series Tiny Toon Adventures would be rebooted for Cartoon Network and HBO Max as Tiny Toons Looniversity , featuring older versions of the characters. Steven Spielberg is expected to return as executive producer. The show was given a two-season order. In February 2021, it was announced that WarnerMedia's international preschool brand Cartoonito would launch in
10800-414: Was decided to move it up to 16 mm format, as they wanted to film the project in the style of the many low-budget films at the time that had come out in the 1970s. Since they had little experience in the film industry, the three felt they should buy business suits and briefcases as a means to convince investors that they "had all the answers." A man named Andy Grainger, who was a friend of Tapert and owner of
10908-466: Was executive produced by Campbell, Raimi and Tapert. A fifth film in the franchise, titled Evil Dead Rise , was theatrically released on April 21, 2023, with Lee Cronin serving as writer and director, Alyssa Sutherland and Lily Sullivan starring as sisters Ellie and Beth Bixler, Tapert serving as a producer, and Raimi and Campbell both acting as executive producers. Each film of the franchise has received generally positive reviews from critics, with
11016-434: Was finishing his economics degree. While putting the finishing touches on It's Murder! , Tapert suggested doing a feature-length film to Raimi. Raimi felt it impossible, stating that they could never acquire the funding. Campbell declared: "I could always move back home." Tapert feared a career in fisheries / wildlife , while Raimi was afraid that he would have to go back to work at his dad's home furnishing store. These were
11124-441: Was met with heavy backlash from fans, critics, actors, and creators alike. On August 24, 2022, the HBO Max original films House Party (which was pulled from its slate just 17 days before its release) and Evil Dead Rise were both shifted to theatrical releases. WBD later reached licensing deals with the free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) services The Roku Channel and Tubi (owned by Fox Corporation ) in 2023;
11232-511: Was named the service's executive vice president and general manager while still reporting to Otter Media CEO Tony Goncalves, who leads development. Casey Bloys, programming president of HBO, retained oversight of the core HBO service but was not initially involved with Max-exclusive programming. On August 7, 2020, WarnerMedia announced a significant restructuring under new president Jason Kilar , which he described as "leaning into this great moment of change" towards direct-to-consumer services. As
11340-512: Was put to manage the company's entire film output, both theatrical and streaming releases. In July 2022, as a part of a cost-cutting and strategic move following the merger of Discovery, Inc. with WarnerMedia to form Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD), it was reported that HBO Max had ceased new original series development in Central Europe , Nordic Europe , the Netherlands, and Turkey, as well as removed selected international series from
11448-781: Was released under the title La Casa ( "The House" ) and Evil Dead II became La Casa II . These were followed by three unrelated movies: Umberto Lenzi 's La Casa 3 (a.k.a. Ghosthouse ) (1988), Fabrizio Laurenti's La Casa 4 (a.k.a. Witchery ) (1988) and Claudio Fragasso 's La Casa 5 (a.k.a. Beyond Darkness ) (1990). This is similar to what has happened in George A. Romero 's Living Dead series starting with Zombi 2 . House II: The Second Story (1987) and The Horror Show (1989) were retitled La Casa 6 and La Casa 7 , respectively, in their Italian releases. Evil Dead influenced numerous directors, such as Peter Jackson and Edgar Wright , and inspired films such as Shaun of
11556-428: Was reported by CNBC via inside sources that multiple names were being considered—including simply "Max". In February 2023, Zaslav revealed during an earnings call that WBD would officially announce the service on April 12. He also announced that WBD would continue operating Discovery+ in conjunction with the service rather than shut it down, stating that it was profitable, and that its subscribers were "very happy with
11664-538: Was reported that multiple Max Original films and HBO series had been quietly removed from the service without prior notice as part of cuts to direct-to-streaming films. The service then wrote off films and series that had underperformed. It was also thought that avoiding payment for residuals played a part. This followed news that had broken the previous day that then-upcoming Max Original films Batgirl and Scoob! Holiday Haunt had been both abruptly cancelled, despite being nearly complete. During an earnings call
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