HBO Max has acquired the rights to stream Studio Ghibli’s entire film collection in the US.
The legendary studio’s films, which include beloved titles like Spirited Away, My Neighbor Totoro, and Princess Mononoke, will be launched in Spring 2020 as part of the upcoming streaming service’s “slate of premium content”. The Wind Rises, however, will be released in Fall 2020 instead.
With this deal, HBO Max will be the US’s “streaming home” for Ghibli’s film catalogue. It will also be the first streaming platform with licensed Ghibli’s films. HBO Max was able to secure the films after striking a deal with North American distributor, GKIDS.
Kevin Reilly, HBO Max’s Chief Content Officer, said:
“Exciting, enchanting, and deeply humanistic, these wonderful films have captured people’s hearts around the world, and we are proud to showcase them in an accessible way for even more fans through HBO Max.”
Studio Ghibli’s Chairman, Koji Hoshino, also expressed his thoughts on the deal:
“As a premium content brand, HBO Max is an ideal home for our films. Upon launch of the service this spring, existing Ghibli fans will be able to enjoy their favorites and delve deeper into the library, while whole new audiences will be able to discover our films for the first time.”
Source: Press release
