HBO Max Lands Shin Godzilla and 20+ Anime Masterpieces — Your Name., Perfect Blue, Angel’s Egg Headed to Stream

The streaming wars have a new front, as HBO Max expands its anime catalog through a partnership with Toho International’s American distributor GKIDS. This deal brings nearly 20 additional anime films — plus a 4K streaming debut of Shin Godzilla — to the service, with a mix of classics, acclaimed modern works, and North American streaming debuts.

What the GKIDS deal includes.
Which titles hit HBO Max and when.
Which streams are 4K or limited to premium subscribers.

What the deal covers

HBO Max’s arrangement with GKIDS builds on an earlier partnership that first brought Studio Ghibli’s library to the platform in 2020 and was reupped in 2024. As a result, the streamer will add nearly 20 more anime films, including works by directors such as Mamoru Hosoda, Satoshi Kon, Makoto Shinkai, and Mamoru Oshii. Several titles will make their North American streaming debuts on the service.

When and how the rollout works

The first batch of films — including Makoto Shinkai’s Children Who Chase Lost Voices — will be available to all HBO Max subscribers on Sept. 1. However, some titles, specifically certain North American and 4K streaming debuts, will be limited to premium subscribers. Additional titles from the deal are scheduled to arrive across 2025 and 2026.

Kaiju and 4K

Beyond anime, GKIDS will provide HBO Max with the 4K streaming debut of Hideaki Anno and Shinji Higuchi’s Shin Godzilla, a version that screened in U.S. theaters in August. Separately, the more recent Godzilla entry, Godzilla Minus One, is currently streaming on Netflix.