Barb Gonzalez

A sea of pink worn by mothers, daughters, and grandmothers waiting for popcorn to eat while watching Barbie together. It's precisely what movie makers and theater owners hoped for—a sense of community watching a movie together pre-pandemic style. It's an experience that can't be duplicated streaming at home alone. Most studios have ended same-day streaming offerings, and theater-only windows are extending longer.

Last year, trendsetter HBO (now "Max") was the catalyst for a disturbing direction in streaming media services when it removed HBO originals from the platform. Disney+, Hulu, and now Paramount+ have followed suit by removing some of their original programming.

After grappling with what to do with CNN following the shutdown of the CNN+ streaming services, Warner Bros. Discovery plans to add live CNN to Max later this year. CNN fans will be free to cut the cord and stream directly from the app.

HBO Max is now just Max. Beyond the name change, Max combines Discovery Plus and HBO Max content. Not all content is available from the numerous Discovery-owned channels. Plus, you'll need the Max Ultimate plan to get more than a couple of dozen movie titles in 4K UHD.