18 months have passed since Max (soon to be rebranded to HBO Max) became the exclusive streaming home for A24 movies – well, in nations where one of the world’s best streaming services has launched, anyway. Since that multi-year deal was signed in December 2023, over 100 A24-developed films have joined Max’s back catalog.
You’ll be able to add more to that growing list next month, too. July 2025 marks the official streaming debut for three more new movies from the acclaimed indie studio, including two that only arrived in theaters earlier this year.
However, based on their Rotten Tomatoes (RT) critics scores, there’s only one that’ll deserve a spot on our best Max movies list. To help you decide which film(s) are worth your time, I’ve ranked the forthcoming trio from worst to best. That way, you’ll have a better idea of determining if some of July’s new Max movies should be added to your watchlist.
3. Opus
HBO Max release date: July 11
Runtime: 1 hour 44 minutes
Age rating: R
Main cast: Ayo Edebiri, John Malkovich, Juliette Lewis, Murray Bartlett, Melissa Chambers, Tony Hale, Young Mazino, and Amber Midthunder
Director: Mark Anthony Green
RT critics score: 40%
With a starry cast including the ever-excellent John Malkovich, The Bear‘s Ayo Edebiri, The Last of Us‘ Young Mazino, and Prey‘s Amber Midthunder, you might have expected Opus to be a must-watch.
Assembling a cast of talented actors will only get you so far, though, and Opus proves it. A cult-based thriller that’s not dissimilar to another A24 flick in Midsommar, Opus struggles to match the psychological intensity, narrative mystery, and lashings of horror that of its 2016 genre cousin. Malkovich chews the scenery with a delightfully unhinged performance but, that aside, Opus is a largely forgettable movie.
2. Death of a Unicorn
HBO Max release date: July 25
Runtime: 1 hour 44 minutes
Age rating: R
Main cast: Jenna Ortega, Paul Rudd, Will Poulter, Anthony Carrigan, Tea Leoni, and Richard E Grant
Director: Alex Scharfman
RT critics score: 54%
Another horror-fuelled A24 offering that, based on its own A-list cast, should have been better received than it was.
Like Opus, though, the messy nature of this satirical creature feature’s plot drags it down. The never-aging Marvel actor Paul Rudd and Wednesday superstar Jenny Ortega ground proceedings with their convincing father-daughter dynamic, while Poulter and Grant bring classic British flair to their villainous roles. Those highlights aside, Death of a Unicorn is a tonal misfire that disappointingly skewers its potentially great narrative and thematic ideas.
1. On Becoming a Guinea Fowl
HBO Max release date: July 4
Runtime: 1 hour 35 minutes
Age rating: PG-13
Main cast: Susan Chardy, Elisbath Chisela, Henry B.J. Phiri, Roy Chisha, Blessings Bhamjee, Chunju Bwalya, and Maggie Mulubwa
Director: Rungano Nyoni
RT critics score: 100%
Of the three new A24 films that’ll join Max‘s movie library in July, I suspect that this hidden gem was the one that most readers wouldn’t have expected to come out on top.
With its perfect RT critical rating, though, On Becoming a Guinea Fowl is an unmissable dark comedy-drama that’s not only Nyoni’s first feature in eight years, but also cements the Zambian-Welsh filmmaker as one of the most talented of her generation. A universally appealing, beautifully shot, witty, and at-times uncomfortable movie whose exploration of death, self-deception, and communal misgivings is incredibly impactful.
