This week marks the release of writer/director James Gunn’s highly anticipated DC Films debut The Suicide Squad, but the film is hitting both movie theaters and HBO Max earlier than expected. Like with all of Warner Bros.’ 2021 movies, The Suicide Squad is being released in theaters and on HBO Max at the same time – although it will only be streaming on HBO Max for 31 days, and only for those who subscribe to the ad-free version of HBO Max (which is $14.99). But in contrast to other releases like Godzilla vs. Kong and Space Jam: A New Legacy, The Suicide Squad is getting an “early preview” release both in theaters and on HBO Max this Thursday evening.

So what time is The Suicide Squad on HBO Max? If you’re an HBO Max subscriber, you’ll be able to watch the film starting Thursday, August 5th at 7pm ET – the same time The Suicide Squad will be playing in theaters. That means if you’re really excited for The Suicide Squad, you don’t have to stay up until midnight pacific (or 3am ET) to watch it ASAP on the streaming service.

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The film is technically a sequel to 2016’s Suicide Squad, but is actually more of a reboot in that while some characters return (like Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn and Viola Davis’ Amanda Waller), there’s no actual connective tissue story-wise. Instead, this is an all-new adventure featuring Task Force X as they’re enlisted by Waller to enact a mission that will almost certainly get them killed – in exchange for commuted prison sentences. It's also Rated R, as Gunn was able to have complete creative freedom in crafting his own spin on the DC Comics material.

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Image via Warner Bros.

In addition to Robbie and Davis, other returning cast members include Jai Courtney and Joel Kinnaman, but the impressive ensemble also includes Idris Elba, Daniela Melchior, John Cena, David Dastmalchian, Peter Capaldi, Alice Braga, Pete Davidson, Michael Rooker, Nathan Fillion, Flula Borg, Storm Reid, and Sean Gunn as Weasel and Sylvester Stallone as King Shark.

The Suicide Squad is the first Warner Bros. 2021 release to get this kind of “sneak preview” early access on Thursday, and it certainly makes us curious to see if other releases like Dune or The Matrix 4 could follow suit.

Regardless, fans will no doubt be delighted to discover they can watch The Suicide Squad on HBO Max as early as Thursday evening, although theaters are also still absolutely an option and likely the ideal viewing scenario given the film’s bombastic tone and killer soundtrack.

Just keep in mind, if you do plan on watching The Suicide Squad on HBO Max, it’ll only be available to stream for 31 days, after which it will be available exclusively in theaters. As with all Warner Bros. films, the movie will eventually come back to HBO Max and will air on HBO, but that won’t be until January at the earliest.

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