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The Suicide Squad leaves HBO Max Sunday: How to watch and what it costs

You've only got this weekend to enjoy James Gunn's blood-spattered DC supervillain romp.

Jennifer Bisset Former Senior Editor / Culture
Jennifer Bisset was a senior editor for CNET. She covered film and TV news and reviews. The movie that inspired her to want a career in film is Lost in Translation. She won Best New Journalist in 2019 at the Australian IT Journalism Awards.
Expertise Film and TV Credentials
  • Best New Journalist 2019 Australian IT Journalism Awards
Jennifer Bisset
3 min read
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The Suicide Squad is on its way out (from HBO Max at least).

Warner Bros.

Time is running out for The Suicide Squad, and not just because they're on a suicide mission which no one could possibly survive. No, we mean that James Gunn's gory and glorious supervillain spectacular is about to leave Max

It's been a box office disappointment, but The Suicide Squad is worth your time: CNET's Richard Trenholm called it "gleeful, gory and glorious." Below you'll find everything you need to know to watch The Suicide Squad, including details on signing up for HBO Max.

The Suicide Squad release date (and time)

The Suicide Squad hit theaters and HBO Max on Thursday, Aug. 5. As with all new blockbusters released simultaneously on HBO Max, it's only available for a month from first release. 

The standalone sequel to David Ayer's 2016 Suicide Squad was originally scheduled for a release date of Aug. 6 but landed a day early just for fun.

Will The Suicide Squad be on HBO Max again?

Yes. Once it disappears from HBO Max, there'll be a home release on other digital video-on-demand platforms and on Blu-ray and DVD disc. Then, not long after that, it'll come back to HBO Max. Exact dates are still to be confirmed.

HBO Max has already seen a ton of blockbusters make an appearance in its streaming halls. Zack Snyder's Justice LeagueGodzilla vs. KongMortal Kombatthe latest The Conjuring movie, Lin-Manuel Miranda's In The Heights and the upcoming Space Jam sequel starring LeBron James (July 16) have either come and gone or are still available. After the initial month-long release, these new films disappear from HBO Max for a while so they can have an online and DVD/Blu-ray home release, but they come back to HBO Max eventually.

Does The Suicide Squad have a post-credits scene?

Why, yes it does!

How much does HBO Max cost?

Right now, HBO Max costs $15 a month.

Will it cost extra to watch The Suicide Squad?

Unlike Disney Plus Premium Access which charges extra for new films like Black Widow, there's no top-up fee for Suicide Squad beyond your HBO Max subscription fee.

You might already have HBO Max and not know it

If you subscribe to HBO via your cable or satellite provider, you can probably get HBO Max without paying anything extra. We explain it in detail here, but essentially, you'll need to watch on a smart TV or streaming device -- or a Comcast Xfinity box -- using the HBO Max app and your home internet connection.

The Roku deal

Last December, Roku struck a deal that gives subscribers access to HBO Max. Roku users who already use the HBO app will automatically update to HBO Max. You can find more information here.

Read more: The 7 best movies to stream on HBO Max

First trailers

The first official trailer for The Suicide Squad landed late March.

A slightly more PG-rated theatrical trailer followed.

And another.

Plus, a couple of TV spots.

Plot and cast

Classified as a standalone sequel to David Ayer's poorly-received Suicide Squad from 2016, the new flick brings back a few of the same unhinged supervillains like Harley Quinn and Captain Boomerang, as well as introducing a host more (most of whom you can expect to be killed off in violent ways -- especially with the R rating). Cast additions include:

  • Jon Cena -- Peacemaker
  • Idris Elba -- Bloodsport
  • Sylvester Stallone -- King Shark
  • Alice Braga -- Sol Soria
  • Peter Capaldi -- The Thinker
  • Pete Davidson -- Blackguard
  • Nathan Fillion -- T.D.K.
  • Storm Reid -- Tyla
  • David Dastmalchian -- Polka-Dot Man
  • Daniela Melchior -- Ratcatcher 2
  • Michael Rooker -- Savant
  • Sean Gunn -- Weasel
  • Flula Borg -- Javelin
  • Mayling Ng -- Mongal

They're playing various supervillains freed from Belle Reve penitentiary to take on a, yep, suicidal mission. Viola Davis' Amanda Waller returns to run the Task Force X program, enlisting the large squad to destroy a Nazi-era prison and laboratory, where they cross paths with Starro, a giant, telepathic starfish. Of course.

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